World War II Day By Day: June 6th 1944

Between June 1941 and June 1944, the Soviet Red Army had fought the German army almost alone.

In Europe, only homegrown partisans and resistance movements also fought back.

It was German losses and the mass deployment of their troops on the Eastern Front enabled the Normandy landings on June 6th to be successful.

On this day Russia was continuing preparations for the delayed Operation Bagration, the largest Allied military operation of World War II.

Bagration opened up the Eastern Front; liberating western Russia and eastern Poland.

It was the German army's greatest defeat, and a key turning point in World War II, leading directly to Hitler's defeat.

June 24th 1944, the first day of this Soviet offensive, is known as 'the Red Army's D-Day'.

Doubtless the other former Allied Powers will be marking the 40th anniversary of this momentous, world-changing, epoch-making event accordingly.