Fun with Maps ISSUE 2025-102

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (June 6, 2025) – In today’s edition of Fun with Maps, we look at a military operation that began a day late, but helped end WWII.       

OPERATION OVERLORD

The Allied invasion of Normandy, informally known as D-Day, took place on June 6, 1944.

The largest seaborne invasion in history consisted of more than 150,000 Allied forces from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, and Norway.

The storming of the French beaches and the accompanying aerial assaults marked the beginning of the end of Germany’s power in World War II.

The actual invasion date was determined at the last minute.  It was dependent on weather and assigned the name D-Day, where the “D” stood simply for Day.  Scheduled for June 5th, the maneuver was postponed for a day.

By June 11, Operation Overlord was a success, and the 50 mile stretch of coastline was secured.  The Code names of the landing sites – Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword – became forever a part of the history of Normandy.

This small map of Normandy was created by Ortelius in 1602.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.