2004 Guernsey D-Day £5 Coin in Capsule

Description

Struck by the Royal Mint, this £5 crown has been produced in conjunction with The Royal British Legion to Commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the D-Day landings. OPERATION OVERLORD was the codename for the Allied invasion of northwest Europe. It began on D-Day, 6th June 1944, with the assault on five Normandy beaches. The landings on UTAH, OMAHA, GOLD, JUNO and SWORD were the culmination of three years of joint strategic planning by Great Britain and the United States. It was the largest seaborne invasion force ever assembled in military history. An invasion force of some 6,500 vessels landed over 150,000 Allied troops on D-Day. Around 12,000 aircraft bombed German defences and provided cover and support. The airborne landings saw over 2,000 aircraft and 850 gliders of the RAF and United States Air Force used. By the end of the month, some 850,000 men, 148,000 vehicles and 570,000 tons of supplies had landed on the Normandy shores. This paved the way for the liberation of Paris, the France and ultimately Allied victory in the Second World War.