Allied Supreme Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower issued this Order of the Day on June 5, 1944. Printed on small sheets of paper, original copies like this one were distributed to Allied forces ahead of the D-Day invasion of Normandy on June 6.
After France fell in 1940, the Allies began planning a cross-Channel assault, which was reaffirmed at the 1943 Quebec Conference. At the Tehran Conference later that year, Stalin pressed for more details, prompting President Roosevelt to appoint Eisenhower as Supreme Commander.
By May 1944, nearly 2.9 million troops were stationed in England, with a vast armada and air fleet assembled. Despite weather concerns and strategic disagreements, Eisenhower gave the final go-ahead on June 5. His official Order of the Day, drafted in February, was distributed to 175,000 troops on the eve of battle.
