June 5, 1944, 4.30 a.m. - "OK, we'll go," Allied Supreme Commander Gen Dwight D. Eisenhower launches Operation Overlord. The landings were delayed by a day due to bad weather.
10 p.m. - An armada of 7,000 boats leaves Britain to cross the Channel. Some 21,000 British and US parachutists take off in planes or gliders.
June 6, 1944, 0.05 a.m. - Allied forces begin bombing of French coast between Le Havre and Cherbourg.
0.10 a.m. - First Allied soldier is dropped on to French soil during the invasion.
3.25 a.m. - German naval staff locate presence of warships along coast. They had expected the attack at Pas de Calais, farther down the coast.
3.50 a.m. - British parachutists enter village of Ranville near the coast.
4.30 a.m. - Sainte-Mère-Église becomes the first French village to be captured by US troops.
5.15 a.m. - In Germany, Adolf Hitler's headquarters are notified of heavy air operations, but staff decide not to wake the dictator until midday.
6.30 a.m. - American landings begin on Normandy's beaches codenamed Utah and Omaha. More than 2,000 US soldiers are killed in the attempt to take Omaha.
7.25 a.m. - Landings start on Sword beach and shortly afterwards on Gold and Juno beaches.
9.45 a.m. - Utah beach cleared of German forces.
1.30 p.m. - Troops start to progress inland on Omaha beach.
2.30 p.m. - German troops cleared from Ranville.
3 p.m. - German Panzer tanks start to move towards Caen.
4 p.m. - British tanks enter Arromanches village.
6 p.m. - Saint-Laurent village captured inland from Omaha.
8 p.m. - First British tanks reach town of Bayeux.
9 p.m. - Gliders bring in reinforcements. Vierville, a strong point threatening Omaha beach, is cleared of Germans.
10 p.m. - British advance towards Caen, inland from the Normandy coast, is halted at village of Bois-de-Lebisay. The aim was to take Caen on the first day, but it does not fall until July 9th.
Midnight - Some 150,000 Allied troops have landed on Normandy beaches. Total Allied casualties on D-Day are estimated at 10,000, of whom 2,500 were killed. German casualties are not known, but are estimated at between 4,000 and 9,000.
June 30th - Operation Neptune officially ends.