The Allies began their beach assaults at 6:30 a.m. on June 6, 1944. The British and Canadians overcame light opposition to capture beaches codenamed Gold, Juno and Sword, as did the Americans at Utah Beach. However, the U.S. forces of the 1st and 29th Divisions faced heavy resistance at Omaha Beach and suffered over 2,000 casualties. But by the day’s end, approximately 156,000 Allied troops had successfully stormed Normandy’s beaches and began the push into France.
The cost of Operation Overlord would be high but much less than what was originally estimated. The Allied casualties on the first day was approximately 10,000, with 4,414 confirmed dead. The Germans forces defending the beaches lost an estimated 1,000 men.
