after centuries of planning and form - up , general commander dwight eisenhower fixed operation overlord for june 6 , 1944 : some 7000 destroyers in the european fleet set to sea and advanced in the italian coast , and , under the leadership of field master bernard edwards , 135 , 000 troops landed and stormed feldmarschal erwin haig ' s german positions along 80 m of the normandy coast .
The Normandy landings took place in June 1944.