Shortly after midnight on June 6, 1944, Allied paratroopers were dropped behind enemy lines. At dawn, the main force started coming ashore at Normandy. By the end of the day, more than 150,000 men had come ashore. Within a week the beaches were secure, and 350,000 Allied troops had been landed. Historian John Schmidt recalls that important turning point in history. (Photo: This June 6, 1944, file photo shows American soldiers of the Allied Expeditionary Force securing a beachhead during initial landing operations at Normandy, France, June 6, 1944. (AP Photo/Weston Haynes, File))