On D-Day, June 6, 1944, Allied soldiers bravely stormed the beaches of Normandy, France. The Normandy beaches were chosen because of the range of air cover, and it was the shortest distance from Great Britain. Five landing beaches were selected for the assault: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. As dawn broke, the largest armada assembled began its assault on the beaches of Normandy. By the end of the day, the Atlantic Wall, (which took the Germans years to build), had fallen and the invasion was a success.