Revisiting the beaches of Normandy, 70 years later

June 6, 1944: Tens of thousands of soldiers arrived on the beaches of Normandy, ready to turn the tides on a war that, until that point, had been going anything but well for the Allied forces.

The largest seaborne invasion had an impressive if tragic start, as at least 9,000 Allied soldiers were killed or wounded during the day's fighting. But over the coming months, the operation gained a foothold, setting in motion the beginning of the end of World War II. Today, 70 years later, we look back on photographs from the 1944 invasion, each presented with a modern-day shot of the same location.

The striking disparity of each pair shows how far we've come while the occasional, surprising similarity reminds us how close this history lurks in our collective past.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

**

**

**

**

**