- From 0000 to 0100 hrs : The Pathfinders jump to mark the drop zones for the airborne troops. In the east, The 6th British Airborne Division (General R.GALE). Mission : Protect the left flank of the landing area and destroy the MERVILLE Battery.
In the West, the 82nd (General M.RIDGWAY) and the 101st (General M.TAYLOR) U.S. Airborne Divisions. Mission : Protect the right flank, cut the South of the Cotentin Peninsula, seize the beach exits from UTAH BEACH and capture the town of SAINTE-MERE-EGLISE.

0011 hrs : The first Titanic team made of 3 men jumps from a Halifax above Cotentin and lands in a field 8km west of Saint-Lô. Lieutenant Norman Harry POOLE becomes the first man to jump over Normandy. A few seconds later, a second team under captain Frederick James 'Chick' FOWLES lands in the same area. In order to simulate a large scale assault, other planes drop 200 decoy paratrooper dummies which, upon landing, fire up flares and play rifles and machineguns recordings. POOLE, FOWLES and their men also install amplifiers to play combat noises, mortar explosions and the sound of soldiers cursing. 30 minutes later, quietness returns to the countryside and the men disappeared in the night. Similar operations are taking place close to Yvetot and Harfleur, near Le Havre; around Saint-Hilaire-du-Harcouët, Lessay, Villedieu-les-Poëles, near the Cerisy forest, the Ecouves forest and along the roads between Lisieux and Evreux.
The objective of the Titanic operations were to confuse the local german anti-paratrooper units and had them searching in vain while the real airborne landings were taking place.

0016 hrs : The first pathfinders of the 101st Airborne jump over Normandy, led by Captain F. LILLYMAN, to mark their division's drop zones. DZ "A" to the west of St Martin-de-Varreville for the 502nd PIR; DZ "C" north of Hiesville for the 1st and 2nd Battalions, 506th PIR and the 3/501st PIR; DZ "D" to the east of Angoville-au-Plain for the 1st and 2nd Battalions, 501st PIR and the 3/506th PIR and LZ "E" for the gliders of missions "Chicago" and 'Keokuk" scheduled between 0400 hrs and 2100 hrs. The C-47s carrying the division are supposed to arrive 30 minutes after the first pathfinders land.

0016 hrs : BENOUVILLE-RANVILLE :

0020 hrs : 60 pathfinders of Major Lennox BOYD's 22nd Independent Parachute Company jump over Normandy to mark the three drop zones that will be used for the 6th British Airborne Division paratroopers. DZ "N" to the north-est of Ranville, DZ "V" west of Varaville and DZ "K" west of Touffréville.
Upon landing, the pathfinders will have 30 minutes to scout out and mark their assigned drop zone with beacons and radars, especially the "Eureka" transponders. The signals from these beacons are to be recieved by "Rebecca" receivers aboard planes carrying the paratroopers.
The jump does not go as planned due to strong winds and german Flak disorienting the Albermale crews scattering the pathfinders all over the countryside. The Varaville team make it relatively close to DZ "V" but all their beacons are either broken or lost in the nearby marshes. None of the Ranville pathfinders land anywhere near DZ" N" but one of the Touffréville team is dropped by mistake over Ranville. Thinking they are on the correct DZ they start emitting the "K" signal instead of the "N" one, which will cause great disorganization during the main jump. Only 4 men of the second stick planned for Touffréville jump near their assigned objective and, having no clue as to where they are, they decide to place their beacon in the field where they landed.

- From 0100 to 0200 hrs : On the east flank, thousands of britsh paratroopers land in the dark and regroup to accomplish their missions: clear and secure the glider landing zones, destroy the Merville battery, blow the 5 bridges on the Dives river and reinforce Major Howard's party at Bénouville. To the west, 13,000 US paratroopers descend on Normandy but units are scattered, men are drowning in the flooded areas and 70% of the heavy equipment is lost.

0121 hrs : The first pathfinders of the 82d Airborne jump over Normandy to mark the three DZs assigned to the division: DZ "O" north-west of Ste-Mère-Eglise for the 505th PIR, DZ "T" north of Amfréville for the 507th PIR and finally DZ "N" north of Picauville for the 508th PIR. The 369 C-47s carrying the units of the division will arrive 30 minutes after.

0155 hrs : The first bombers of the 8th US Air Force are taking off from England to support the ground forces. 1,198 aircrafts are bound for the coast line and 163 for the city of Caen. The take-offs will take place until 0529 hrs.

- From 0200 to 0300 hrs : The successive air drops are now over. Firefights errupt everywhere. To the east, Ranville is captured, to the west, General GAVIN regroups his scattered paratroopers and heads for Ste-Mere-Eglise.

0211 hrs : A german officer of the 716. Infanterie-Division phones General Marcks in St-Lô and reports that enemy paratroopers have landed east of the Orne river.

0215 hrs : Colonel HAMANN, officer in charge of the 709. Intanterie-Division phones St-Lô and reports that enemy paratroopers have landed around Ste-Mere-Eglise.

0215 hrs : Every german battalions, batteries and regimental headquarters are placed of full alert.

0229 hrs : USS Bayfield, flag ship of Rear Admiral Don P. MOON and carrying the commander of the Utah Beach assault force Major General Joseph L. COLLINS, drops anchor 11,5 miles off the coast.

0251 hrs : USS Ancon, flagship of the Omaha assault force, drops anchor 11 miles off the coast undetected.

- From 0300 to 0500 hrs : The 5,000 war ships and transports arrive to their lowering positions in front of Normandy. Protected by 2,000 aircrafts, they drop anchor 15 miles off the coast. Two midget submarines, arrived two days earlier, are surfacing to mark the british assault sector.

0330 hrs : The HQ of the 91. Infanterie-Division near Picauville reports being under attack.

0335 hrs : The Headquarters of the 6th British Airborne Division, aboard 55 gliders, lands on LZ "N" north of Ranville.

0335 hrs : The 716. Infanterie-Division reports ennemy paratroopers near Amfreville, Breville, Gonneville and Herouvillette.

0354 hrs : Mission "Chicago": 52 CG-4 (WACO) gliders towed by C-47s from the 434th Troop Carrier Group land on LZ " E" north of Hiesville. They bring 158 men, 16x 57mm antitank guns of the 81st AA battalion, 1 baby bulldozer, 1 advanced surgical unit, 1 radio jeep and 1 trailer carrying a SCR 199 for long-distance communications with England. All this materiel is for the 101st Airborne.

0400 hrs : Mission "Detroit": 52 gliders land on LZ "O" north west of Ste-Mere-Eglise. They bring A and B batteries, 80th AA Battalion and headquarters for 82d Airborne, artillery and signals.

0400 hrs : SAINTE-MERE-EGLISE :

0415 hrs : In front of OMAHA BEACH, assault units are transfered from transport ships to LCVPs and LCAs.

0430 hrs : 132 men from the 4th and 24th cavalry squadrons, under Lt.Col. Edward C. DUNN land on the St-Marcouf islands 3 miles off the coast from UTAH BEACH. Three weeks before D-Day, SHAEF believed the german might have built heavy batteries on them and did not want to take any chance.
Armed only with knifes, 4 men waded ashore to mark the beach for the incoming landing crafts. After the landing, the men did not find a single german soldier or battery but got trapped in the minefields covering the beaches. While the first men got killed or wounded by the german S-mines, Colonel DUNN was able to send the "mission accomplish" message. At the end of the day there would be 19 killed or wounded.
Corporal Harvey S. Olsen, Private Thomas C. Killeran (Troop A), Sergeant John W. Zanders, Corporal Melvin F. Kinzie (Troop B) became the first men to invade Europe by sea.

0430 hrs : Field Marshall von RUNDSTEDT orders the 12. SS Panzer Division and Panzer-Lehr to move immediately to Calvados. At OKW, JODL, angered by the order, cancels it at 0630 and decides to wait for Hitler to wake up.

0435 hrs : Gruppenkommando West orders reconnaissance patrols in the Baie de Seine with the 5th torpedo boats flottilla, the 15th patrol boats flottilla, the 38th minesweepers flottilla and, on each side of the cotentin pensinsula, the 5th and 9th speed boats flottilla.
Commander Heinrich HOFFMANN, commanding the 5th torpedo boats flottilla, leaves Le Havre with three boats: T28, Jaguar and Möwe.

0445 hrs : MERVILLE :

0445 hrs : Lieutenant G .HONOUR's HMS X-23 midget submarine surfaces a mile off the Normandy coast. 20 miles from here, it's sister ship, Lieutenant K.R. HUDSPETH's HMS X-20 does the same. Those two ships mark the limits of the anglo-canadian sector. Their task is to raise a mast equiped with strobe lights and to set-up optical and radio-electrical guiding devices. They would then lead the way for the invasion fleet. Since they got under way from Portsmouth on June 2, the crews had spent 74 hours under see, but now they were catching the morning breeze a mile off the coast, waiting for the first assault waves that would pass them by in less than 2 hours.

- From 0500 to 0600 hrs : 1,136 RAF aircrafts drop 6,000 tons of bombs of the coastal defences.

0507 hrs : 716. Infanterie-Division reports more and more gliders landing in the Orne sector.

0530 hrs : The three torpedo boats of Commander Heinrich HOFFMAN cross the artificial fog protecting the allied ships and emerges in front of the invasion fleet. HOFFMAN decides to attack immediatly, closing in despite the reaction of HMS Warspite and Ramillies.
The german flottila bore off and fired a salvo of 18 torpedos. The allied ships, taking evasive action, were able to avoid them except the Svenner, a norwegian destroyer, that was hit amidship and sunk instantly. The german flottila had already turned tail and disappeared in the fog.

0535 hrs : B and C Companies, 741st Tank Battalion are launched 6,000 meters from the beach. Of the 32 DD tanks, 27 will sunk in the rough sea and 3 can't be launched from their transport. Despite the risks, the 743rd Tank Battalion decides to land their DDs directly on the beach.

0537 hrs : The Longues-sur-Mer battery opens fire for the first time, firing ten shots at USS Emmons without result. The battery also fires on USS Arkansas, but the battleship returns fire with 20 rounds of 305mm and 110 rounds of 127mm. The battery then turns its guns east as closer targets enter it's fire zone.

0550 hrs : Task Force 125 warships open fire on the UTAH BEACH batteries. A few minutes later, 276 B-26 Marauders of the 9th Air Force drop 4,404 250lbs bombs on seven targets from les Dunes-de-Varreville to Beauguillot.

0555 hrs : B-24 Red Ass of the 446th Bomb Group drops it's first bombs above Vierville. 480 B-24 bombers carrying 1,285 tons of ordnance are supposed to obliterate the strongpoints on the coast between Port-en-Bessin and the Pointe de la Percée but because of the low ceiling and visibility, the mission is a complete failure. The OMAHA BEACH's WNs are intact and 117 B-24s return England with full bays.

0558 hrs : Day breaks. It is grey, cold and rainy. The wind stirs up 2-meter waves on the sea. Warships open fire on the coastal batteries.

0600 hrs : American aviators relieve the R.A.F. 1365 bombers drop 4000 tons of bombs while the navy continues shooting.

- From 0600 to 0700 hrs : Rocket launcher barges approach the beaches, spraying them with salvoes of rockets: 20,000 in the British sector (Gold, Juno and Sword Beaches) and 18,000 in the American sector (Utah and Omaha Beaches).

0630 hrs : UTAH BEACH :

0630 hrs : OMAHA BEACH :

0658 hrs : The bombing over Gold Beach and the west of Juno Beach began. 385 B-17s of the 1st Bombardment Division strikes the coastal batteries and strong points between Longues-sur-Mer and Courseulles-sur-Mer. In the same time, 322 B-17s of the 3d Bombardment Division operate in the east of Juno sector as over Sword Beach, striking the batteries and defences between Bernières and Ouistreham.

- From 0700 to 0800 hrs : On the German side, there is consternation and exasperation. In the upper ranks, some officers believe what is happening, but others do not believe the landing has begun. General Alfred JODL refuses to send in Panzer reinforcements before receiving HITLER's approval. Yet he refuses to wake him for permission. HITLER went to bed at 0400 hrs and gave orders not to be awakened before 0900 hrs.

0700 hrs : The Supreme Commander, General Dwight EISENHOWER, receives an emergency transmission from Sir TRAFFORD LEIGH MALLORY, the Air Marshal. The message is brief: "Parachuting has gone well."

0700 hrs : The second assault wave at Omaha Beach begins.

0710 hrs : POINTE DU HOC :

0710 hrs : OMAHA BEACH. Sergeant Turner G. SHEPPARD's Sherman tank, one of the two tanks that haven't sunk, manages to come ashore on the beach near strong point WN61. The sergeant located in the turret gives the order to fire: a direct hit, and the 88mm of WN61 is taken out of commission.

0725 hrs : GOLD BEACH :

0730 hrs : Rommel's Chief-of-Staff phones at Herrlingen to announce the arrival of paratroopers in Normandy. He ends the call with the remark that he will call back when there is more news.

0730 hrs : SWORD BEACH :

0730 hrs : The men of the 3rd Battalion 502 PIR (101st Airborne) under Lt Colonel Robert COLE occupy Exit 3 of Utah Beach near Audouville-la-Hubert.

0745 hrs : JUNO BEACH :

- From 0800 to 0900 hrs : At Utah Beach the offensive begins. Patrols advance behind the dunes to join forces with paratroopers from both American divisions.
At Omaha Beach the Americans are still halted by German fire. The rising tide forces reinforcement's to advance under fire. Destroyers and rocket launcher barges approach the beach to destroy the German blockhouses. Losses are enormous.
At Gold, Juno and Sword, the British and Canadians clear the beaches and begin their progress inland.

0845 hrs : OMAHA BEACH. G Company of the 16th RCT reaches the summit dominating Easy Red sector.

0900 hrs : OMAHA BEACH. At the headquarters of the 3/16th RCT, the capture of WN60 is announced, the first strong point to fall to the Americans. Attacked on both flanks since 0830 hrs, the German 352nd Infantry Division feels the brunt of the attack, and 31 soldiers are captured.

0915 hrs : HITLER awakes. He listens to the latest communiqués and then calls for KEITEL and JODL.

0917 hrs : Communiqué no. 1 from the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Forces is broadcast:
"Under the command of General Eisenhower, allied naval forces supported by strong air forces, began landing allied armies, this morning, on the northern coast of France".

0930 hrs : After requisitioning a Sherman tank, the troops of Commando Group Kieffer seize the blockhouse and casino at Ouistreham.

- From 1000 to 1200 hrs : In the prison courtyard at Caen, Germans begin shooting 92 hostages and resistance fighters, without interrogation or trial. The massacre lasts one hour. To this day, the bodies of the hostages have still not been found.

1000 hrs : OMAHA BEACH. Officers regroup units and move among obstacles and minefields, searching for an exit out of this hell. Colonel George A. TAYLOR pronounces his famous sentence: "Two sorts of people are going to stay on this beach, those who are dead and those who are going to die. Let's get the hell out of here!" Two thousand dead and wounded are strewn upon the beach, mixed in with the drowning victims thrown up on beach by the tide. Two destroyers approach the coast to within 1100 meters, in order to bomb key points to the east of Moulins. Men of the E/16th RCT seize WN64 situated to the east of Ruquet valley (Exit E1).

1000 hrs : ROMMEL, unaware of the landings, calls his Chief of Staff, Lt. General Hans SPEIDEL to get confirmation. He decides to drive immediately back to France, and cancels his meeting with HITLER.

1030 hrs : OMAHA BEACH. Strong point WN65 is destroyed. This German fortification point protected Exit E1 and access to the Ruquet valley.

1030 hrs : Third platoon Company D of the 505th PIR (82nd Airborne), under orders of Lt Turner TURNBULL engages in combat at Neuville-au-Plain, outnumbered by the enemy 5 to 1. Thanks to their firepower and determination, the paratroopers hold off the enemy for 8 hours.

- From 1200 to 1300 hrs : After serious engagement with German troops, Lord LOVAT, following his bagpipe player, Bill MILLIN, leads his commando troop of Green Berets to the bridge at Benouville, where they have come to relieve Major HOWARD and his troops. The beaches continue to be cleared. Except for small pockets of resistance, the Atlantic Wall no longer exists.

1200 hrs : CHURCHILL speaks to the House of Commons: "I have to announce to the Chamber that the first series of mass landings on the European continent have begun; and most batteries along the coast have been taken. Everything is running according to plan."

1200 hrs : The four beach exits at Utah Beach are in the hands of the 101st Airborne paratroopers. The 12th RCT has begun landing on the beaches, while the 2/8th RCT has reached the outskirts of Pouppeville.

1200 hrs : After liberating Courseulles, three Regina Rifle Companies joined forces to march on Reviers.

- From 1300 to 1400 hrs : General O. BRADLEY receives a message from Omaha Beach: "Troops here blocked on the ground at Easy Red." Advancing through the cliffs overlooking Easy Green and Easy Red, reinforcements are arriving and the injured being evacuated".

1300 hrs : OMAHA BEACH. Surrender of strategic fortification WN72. This German strong point situated in Dog Green sector protected the Exit D1 and gave access to the village of Vierville-sur-mer.

1300 hrs : Company B of the 1st Suffolk Regiment seizes Morris battery at Colleville-sur-Orne. This battery contained 3 protected 105mm guns. Sixty-seven artillerymen are captured.

1330 hrs : The city of CAEN receives its first bombing of the day. 73 B-24 of the 2d Bombardment Division drop 155.75 tons of bombs over the town. The neighborhoods of Saint Jean, Saint Julien and the area around the castle are hit. Many civilians are killed and fire brigades find themselves extended in the face of the numerous fires.

1335 hrs : Message from the 352.Infanterie-Division informs the 7th Army that the allied assault had been pushed back to the sea.

1430 hrs : OMAHA BEACH. Strategic fortification WN62 falls. Situated in Easy Red sector, this strong point protected the beach exit E3 and gave access to the village of Colleville-sur-Mer. Only few Germans manage to escape.

- From 1500 to 1600 hrs : Marshal ROMMEL's car regains headquarters at La-Roche-Guyon.

1540 hrs : General Gunther BLUMENTRITT calls Lt. General SPEIDEL at ROMMEL's headquarters to announce that Hitler has finally agreed to send in troops from the 12.SS Hitlerjugend-Division based to the south of Rouen, and the Panzer Lehr based near Chartres.

1545 hrs : Strong point Sole situated between Ouistreham and Colleville-sur-Orne falls to B Squadron 13 Hussars and the 2nd East Yorkshire Battalion. Forty Germans are captured.

- From 1600 to 1800 hrs : The 21. Panzer Division, 16,000 men strong attacks. General MARKS says to colonel Hermann Von OPPELN-BROKINOWSKI of the 22nd Tank Regiment: "It's up to you to repel the invasion."

1600 hrs : After carrying out their initial D-Day mission of capturing the La Fiere bridge on the Merderet river, the men from Company A of the 505th PIR prepare to meet the first German counterattack on the La-Fiere causeway. After heavy artillery bombing, three tanks and 200 infantrymen make an advance on the road. The courage and determination of the men from Company A ensures that no other German would cross this bridge from the moment the bridge was taken on the morning of June 6th to the arrival of reinforcements two days later.

1630 hrs : CAEN is bombed again. This time the targets are the bridges on the Orne river. Planes grouped by six drop their bombs at 3000 meters in altitude. The bombing lasts for more than a quarter of an hour, and the neighborhood is destroyed.

1700 hrs : OMAHA BEACH. The beach exit D1, controlled strategically by a house situated near fortification WN73, is finally secured. All morning long, Company C of the 2nd Rangers Battalion fought alongside Company B of the 116th RCT in the German trenches at the top of the cliff in order to secure this strong point.

1730 hrs : Colonel BROKINOWSKI, and the 2nd Battalion launch a counterattack toward Biéville. Squadron C of the Staffordshire, fighting with 6-pound antitank guns and Sherman tanks, open fire on the German armored vehicles. Concurrently, Sherman tanks of Squadron B halt tanks of the 192nd regiment commanded by Captain Wilhelm VON GOTTBERG at Periers-sur-le-Dan. Colonel BROKINOWSKI halts the tanks progress and withdraws to Lebisey point.

- From 1800 to 0000 hrs : Troops of both camps are exhausted. The battle stops at sunset. Night aviation remains on guard, however, and launches flares to prevent German reinforcements from closing off conquered zones.

1800 hrs : JUNO BEACH. Surrender of the German garrison sheltered in the bunkers in Nan Red sector at St.-Aubin-sur-mer. Only 7 fanatical German soldiers refuse to surrender, and they perish in the smoke.

1800 hrs : Strategic point Daimler, consisting of 4 x 155mm artillery guns situated near the entrance to Ouistreham, falls to the men of the 2nd Battalion East Yorkshire. Seventy Germans are captured.

1900 hrs : OMAHA BEACH. Lt.General HUEBNER, in charge of 1st Infantry Division, lands at Easy Red.

2000 hrs : OMAHA BEACH. The anti-tank entrenchment of Les-Moulins, situated near beach exit D3, is filled with troops.

2000 hrs : The men of 4 Commando Group arrives at the village of Hauger. They spend the evening establishing strong defenses.

2000 hrs : Six tanks of the 192. Regiment and mobile infantry manage to infiltrate the British lines after the battle at Périers-sur-le-Dan point. They reach the coast near Lion-sur-mer.

2000 hrs : The men of 1st Suffolk Regiment seize the Hillman site situated at Colleville-sur-Orne above Sword Beach. This concrete-reinforced stronghold had been the headquarters for the 736. Grenadier Regiment.

2100 hrs : Mission "Keokuk": Thirty-two Horsa gliders of the 434th Troop Carrier Group, towed by C47s, land on the LZ "E" north of Hiesville. They bring in 165 men from headquarters and medical corps, 40 jeeps, 6 motorcycles, 6 x 57mm artillery guns, and 19 tons of material destined for the 101st Airborne.

2100 hrs : Beginning of Operation "Mallard". An armada of 249 aircraft arrives on the Norman coast at Ouistreham. The aircraft of the 38th and 46th Groups bring in 219 Horsa gliders and 30 Hamilcar gliders, which serve as reinforcement for the 6th British Airborne Division. Two landing zones are set aside for these aircraft. LZ "N" is situated to the north of Ranville in the same area as DZ "N", and LZ "W" is situated between the villages of Benouville and St-Aubin-d'Arquenay. 256 gliders were scheduled for the operation but only 249 of them arrived over the French coast.
The planes towing the gliders cut them loose over Ouistreham and the gliders finish their descent alone, and minutes later, huge amounts of equihrsent are parachuted onto the landing strips. As soon as the first gliders land at LZ "W", the Germans open fire. Regardless, the 6th Airlanding Brigade's losses are minor, and the operation is deemed a success.

2100 hrs : Major General FEUCHTINGER commander of the 21. Panzer Division, spots from his vantage point at Lebisey the gliders of Operation Mallard landing at St-Aubin-d'Arquenay. He cancels his plans to advance towards the coast, and instead sends only 3 companies in that direction. The attack is ambushed by the Canadians. Survivors are forced to retreat toward Caen. The only German attack of the day failed.

2130 hrs : General MONTGOMERY embarks from Portsmouth aboard the destroyer H.M.S Faulknor to enter Normandy and take command of his troops. He lands on the morning of June 8th.

2230 hrs : CAEN is bombed for a third time. The area near the port is heavily damaged.

2230 hrs : ARROMANCHES is liberated. The allies reach the outskirts of BAYEUX.

2300 hrs : Colonel Thomas J.B. Shanley (2/508th) decides to abandon the attack planned for the Douve Bridge at Pont-l'Abbé, and directs his men to the regiment's gathering point, an elevation known as Hill 30. Once arrived, the group organizes strategic defenses for the zone.

0000 hrs : About 170,000 men are fighting in Normandy. Allied Command is optimistic. Reinforcements continue to arrive. Losses are much lower than forecast. The Americans have lost about 6,600 men, the British and Canadians about 4000 men. In all, about 10,000 men are killed, injured or missing in action out of a 300,000-strong military force. The longest day ends.