Let's not forget that D-Day was simply the beginning...

***Edited so that there can be legitimate discussion***

That's not to say that what happened on that day wasn't important. It was. It symbolized the beginning of the liberation of France as well as the rest of Europe. But as an individual action, it often overshadows a stark and bleak fact that many people forget: it was merely the first day of the Battle of Normandy. And that battle would rage for well over a month and a half.

On June 6, 1944, the Allies took an estimated 10,000 casualties storming the beaches. Compared to other World War II battles, especially on the Eastern Front, those casualties were relatively light. But that wasn't the end of the business. It would take almost until the end of July for the Allies to actually defeat the Germans in Normandy. By that time, the Allies had suffered a combined 120,000 casualties trying to fight their way out of Normandy.

For much of the battle, the Allies and Germans were locked in a bitter stalemate that brought with it shades of World War I. Allied bombers and naval vessels would attack French villages and cities where the Germans were entrenched. Entire towns were leveled and well over 50,000 French civilians were killed in the bombings. In stark contrast to the rest of France, the citizens of Normandy would grow to resent the Allied powers for years to come.

This is not meant to slight those who went ashore on June 6, 1944. I'm simply trying to add perspective as well as talk about what happened after the landings. In too many history classes, teachers talk about the Normandy landings and then immediately skip ahead to the liberation of Paris. Very rarely do you hear about the Allies slogging it out in the hedgerows of Normandy for nearly two months.

People love symbolism and D-Day carries with it an awful lot of symbolism. It signaled the beginning of the end for Hitler and his Nazi Party; it marked the beginning of the liberation of France, and it also marked the beginning of the end for fascism as a political system. The symbology of that day allows us to wrap up the invasion of France and tie a nice little bow up on top. But, in reality, June 6, 1944, was merely the beginning of a long and brutal campaign to break out of Normandy and liberate the rest of France.

Let's try not to forget that. The war did not end with the Normandy landings, it merely began.

ETA: My original title was a bit provocative and I should have realized that. I legitimately wanted to have a serious historical discussion. This was not meant to be a troll or attention-seeking post. My original title was just terrible.