Today, as we mark the 79th anniversary of the D-Day landings, we must not only celebrate the bravery and courage displayed on that fateful day but also confront the revisionist narratives that seek to downplay the legacy of those who gave their lives on the beaches of Normandy. In recent years, instead of honoring D-Day as a moment of shared Allied triumph, Russia has criticized the West’s alleged delay in opening a second front during World War II, and has also claimed that Normandy was nowhere near as decisive in ending the Second World War as Soviet victories in the east were.
It’s easy to make this critique retrospectively, but any military strategist will attest that timing is a critical factor in warfare. While the Allies were keenly aware of the immense toll Hitler’s campaign had on the Eastern Front, launching an ill-prepared counter-offensive could have resulted in catastrophic failure. The planning of Operation Overlord, the codename for the Battle of Normandy that opened up a second front, is a testament to the tactical acumen of the Allied forces. It required gathering and coordinating vast resources and preparing soldiers for a complex operation — the largest amphibious assault in history.
The truth is that D-Day was not a delayed reaction but a meticulously planned and brilliantly executed operation that marked the beginning of the end for the Third Reich. The delay Russia cites was not a sign of reluctance but proof of the Allies’ determination to ensure the mission’s success. While Russia chooses to paint the timing of the D-Day as a sign of the West’s desire to let the Soviets weaken the Nazis before fully engaging them, it was, in fact, the reflection of a profound understanding of warfare.
It is also important to recognize that a second front wasn’t just opened on D-Day. The Allied bombing campaign had already been wearing down Germany’s industrial capabilities, while the war in the Pacific had stretched the Axis powers thin. D-Day was not the beginning of the Western Allies’ engagement but the escalation.
But why does all this matter now, 79 years later? Because today, Russia is attempting to portray its war on Ukraine as similar to its (revisionist) history of World War II. Russia has twisted the memory of a war fought for liberation to justify actions reminiscent of the totalitarian aggression the Allies sought to destroy. The narrative the Kremlin has crafted, which paints its actions in Ukraine as akin to the fight against fascism, is a gross falsification of the past. Just as the Allies stood against the aggression and expansionism of Nazi Germany, we must forcefully denounce Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and vigorously reject its attempts to rewrite history.