5 June 1944 will forever be etched in the annals of history. Under the command of General Eisenhower, the Allied forces attempted the impossible: an invasion of German-controlled France. In Jean Smith's book Eisenhower: In War and Peace, the Combined Chiefs of Staff told General Eisenhower, "You will enter the continent of Europe and undertake operations aimed at the heart of Germany and the destruction of her armed forces" (318). General Eisenhower and the Allied forces assembled “the largest seaborne invasion force in history” (Culpepper 40). The troops received inspirational words from General Eisenhower before the invasion. He said: “You are about to embark on the Great Crusade, towards which we have been struggling for these months. The eyes of the world are upon you” (“D-Day”). The invasion of Normandy was the turning point of World War II. All forces of the Allied Army gathered to carry out an unprecedented assault on the beaches of Normandy. The Allies made full use of deception. The Allies had to force the Germans to expand their defense line. If the Allies had attacked a position where the Germans were waiting with a mass of troops, the Allies would have been crushed. The expansion of the German lines was the main objective of the Allies. To achieve this, the Allies needed the Germans to believe that the attack would occur at a different location than the actual location of the attack (Michie 121). The chess game had begun. The Allied objective was Normandy, the southern part of France on the English Channel. However, the Allies convinced the Germans that the objective was the Pas de Calais. In the minds of the Germans, Pas-de-Calais was the obvious choice due to its short distance across the Channel from Britain (“D-Day”). Deception... at the center of the card... the strength and power of the Allied forces. The sheer craftsmanship in planning the invasion was superb. The Allies broke through the Atlantic Wall. Throughout the war, continental Europe remained under German control. Nothing stopped German control. Once the invasion of Normandy occurred, Germany fell within a matter of months, demonstrating Normandy's crucial role in tipping the scales in favor of the Allies. The invasion of Normandy gave experience to our soldiers. The Normandy invasion gave impetus to the Allied soldiers. The invasion of Normandy finally gave the Allies the upper hand in the war. Germany has fallen. Today, the Normandy American Cemetery honors our fallen heroes. Located on Omaha Beach, it is the home of more than 9,300 fallen American heroes who paid the ultimate price during D-Day and the remainder of the invasion ("D-Day"). Normandy changed the fate of the Second World War and led to the victory of the Allies.