The final plans for Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of France, and its assault phase, Operation 'Neptune' was made in early 1944. The invasion plan called for an amphibious assault by five divisions on a fifty-mile length of the Cotentin Caen area of the normandy coast. The five divisions, two British, one Canadian and two American were assigned to beaches with code names, from east to west, Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha and Utah. Three air divisions would land ahead of the main attack to postpone enemy movements. Two American air divisions would land behind the western assault and the British airborne on the east end. Operation Overlord represented a earlier unknown level of teamwork between allied nations, all struggling for the common goal of defeating Nazis Germany.
Over one million Canadians served in the forces during World War II including 50,000 women. The army was the largest service with 700,000 enlistments. The Royal Canadian Air Force had 222,501 enlistments and the Royal Canadian Navy 99,407. By June 1944, 30,000 of these Canadians were poised in Britain for Operation Overlord.
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