One of the most significant dates in the history of World War II, June 6, 1944, and in American history, passed with not much fanfare. Many Americans today don’t know what D-Day means.It is a day the French will never forget. It was the day their homeland was invaded by Allied Forces. It was the beginning of the end of Nazi Germany.In 2004 Time magazine published a book on D-Day.Time called the invasion at Normandy, France, “24 Hours That Saved the World.” It also was given added attention by the movie, “The Longest Day.”It was the largest invasion on any continent ever in the world.The main planning and preparation for the invasion took place in England. American troops, and some from other Allied nations, were based there, training for D-Day.The Allies did a good job of keeping the date for D-Day secret, and the Germans were surprised at the Normandy location.In fact, the Allies didn’t know the exact date for the invasion either — it all depended on the weather. Most of coastal France was fortified by the Nazis.If the invasion had failed, it would have been years before another invasion could have been conducted. Germany had been bombed to the extent that some cities were nearly obliterated. German factories making war equipment and many of its fortifications had been heavily bombed by the Allies. Supplies and materials needed for the war effort, facilities that produced vital items needed by the Germans, were crippled by Allied bombing. But it would take an invasion by ground forces to bring victory.Casualties were heavy on D-Day. But the Allied troops prevailed. Victory finally came in Europe in May 1945. It is a sobering, highly emotional experience to visit the beaches where the invasion took place. It is even more emotionally charged to visit the American military cemeteries at Normandy.Not many World War II veterans are still alive, and even fewer of the troops who landed at Normandy on D-Day. We must never forget their sacrifices.