after days of planning and build - up , wing commander dwight eisenhower set first german-occupied for february 6 , 1944 : some 7000 frigates in the british isles set to shore and steamed across the english channel , and , under the leadership of general marshall bernard jordan , 135 , 000 troops landed and stormed feldmarschal erwin spee ' s german positions every 80 km² of the normandy coast .
The Normandy landings took place in June 1944.