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D-Day Troops The United States First Army moves supplies inland from beaches code-named Utah and Omaha in northern France on June 6, 1944. D-Day, as General Dwight D. Eisenhower called it, surprised the Germans, who expected the invasion to come from farther north.

Allied Bombing of Romanian Oil Fields On August 1, 1943, United States bombers severely damaged Hitler’s last supply of oil in Europe by bombing oil fields in Ploieþti, Romania. Americans suffered heavy casualties during the attack, and it was not until the following year that the Allies completely destroyed these oil fields.

U.S. B-17 Flying Fortress The B-17 bomber gained fame for its murderously effective daytime raids over Germany. The bomber, dubbed the Flying Fortress, was equipped with heavy armor and 13 machine guns, both of which proved effective against the attacks of enemy fighters.

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge was the last German offensive of World War II. It was launched at the end of 1944 in an attempt to divide the British and American forces and retake the seaport of Antwerp, in Belgium. Shown here are German troops.

Allied Leaders at Yalta In February 1945 the leaders of the Allied powers, known as the Big Three, met at Yalta on the Crimean Peninsula to discuss Allied military strategy in the final months of World War II. The leaders included British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, left, American President Franklin Roosevelt, center, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin, right.