06/06/2026
June 6, 1944. D-Day. The start of Operation Overlord —
The codename for the Allied plan to invade and liberate Western Europe, lasting until Allied forces crossed the Seine River and liberated Paris in late August 1944.
D-Day is the largest amphibious invasion in history. Nearly 7,000 vessels. 156,000 troops. Paratroopers dropping behind enemy lines in the dark, Higgins boats hitting five beaches at dawn, nurses landing days later, and African American soldiers of the 320th Balloon Battalion serving on the front lines of a military that hadn’t yet recognized their equality.
An estimated 10,000 Allied casualties in a single day — and still, they held the line.
Through the smoke, we preserve their honor.
Hooten Young Operation Overlord Ci**rs. May the flame of the torch that lights each cigar burn in the memory of those damn brave ones who saddled up and sacrificed it all.
HOOTEN YOUNG
Made to Remember®
*The National WWII Museum preserves these stories through photos provided, so we never forget the cost of freedom.
