Friday, June 6, marks 81 years since the allied forces of World War II stormed the beaches of Normandy, France on D-Day. The amphibious assault – codenamed Operation Overlord – involved landing approximately 160,000 Allied soldiers on the French beaches, resulting in 4,427 casualties – according to the National D-Day Memorial Foundation.

Veterans have gathered on the beaches of Normandy to mark the 81st anniversary of the D-Day landings — a pivotal moment during World War II that eventually led to the collapse of Adolf Hitler's regime.

Day, the first day of the Normandy landings that laid the foundations for the Allied defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.