D-Day to VE Day - Month by Month
On the evening of 5 June 1944, ships and landing craft assembled in the Channel, paratroopers prepared for flight, and troops readied for action. The great Allied invasion of north-west Europe was about to begin. A brief announcement on the BBC the following morning declared that D-Day had finally arrived. But even though D-Day was successful, it was not the end of the war. It was only the beginning of a long and arduous campaign for the British and the forces of Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery’s 21st Army Group. Months of hard fighting would follow. It would see the British and Allies advance through fields, forests and ruined cities and towns, and over rivers and bridges into the heart of Germany before north-west Europe was liberated, and the Nazis defeated.
D-Day to VE Day narrates and illustrates the final year of the Second World War in north-west Europe, from the Normandy landings to the shores of the Baltic and the celebrations of VE Day. Drawing on IWM’s vast photography collection, it follows in the footsteps of British and Allied forces, off ering a visual diary of their march to victory.
Rare and forgotten images of the British forces in lesser-known but equally intense battles bring to life the harsh reality of the Allies’ struggle. It captures both triumph and tragedy, as experienced by the ordinary soldier, sailor and airman, across 11 of the most significant months in global history.
Author: Peter Johnston, IWM
