The Normandy landings and associated airborne operations on June 6, 1944, constituted the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. The invasion was codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D-Day after the military term used.

The Normandy invasion was the largest seaborne invasion in history, beginning the liberation of France and the rest of Western Europe. D-Day laid the foundations of the Allied victory on the western front and created momentum for later U.S. victories in the Pacific.

The 81st anniversary of the landings will be marked with a special ceremony via livestream at 11:00am Eastern Time from the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia. The keynote speaker will be Joseph Balkoski, author of eight books on the American involvement in the European Theater in World War II, including a five-volume series on the history of the 29th Infantry Division in World War II and a two-volume set on American participation in the D-Day invasion.