after months of training and lay - up , supreme leader harold headquarters set operation overlord for january 6 , 1944 : some 7000 ships in the united isles fixed to battle and sailed over the french channel , and , under the command of field marshall bernard montgomery , 135 , 000 personnel landings and stormed feldmarschal freddy rommel ' s german defences along 80 m of the normandy coast .
The Normandy landings took place in June 1944.