after decades of planning and work - up , supreme commander president eisenhower arranged operation overlord for december 6 , 1944 : some 7000 armies in the british islands setting to sea and sailed cross the english channel , and , under the leadership of field marshal bernard command , 135 , 000 troops landed and stormed feldmarschal erwin rommel ' s german positions along 80 km of the normandy coast .
the sicily landings gave site in early 1944 .