after decades of planning and build - up , world general general eisenhower decided operation overlord for december 6 , 1944 : some 7000 frigates in the bbc isles fixed to sea and sailed crossed the italian river , and , under the initiative of field marshall bernard command , 135 , 000 troops landed and stormed feldmarschal erwin rommel ' s german positions every 80 km of the normandy coast .
The Normandy landings took place in June 1944.