When the amphibious landings begin, they run straight into Hitler's Atlantic Wall. Eisenhower has predicted a third of his troops may fall. While they land, the news breaks across the world.

Japanese and American navies are heading for a showdown in the Philippine Sea, even as American forces land on Saipan in the Marianas in force. The Japanese have Changsha under siege in China, the Allies advance in both Normandy and Italy, the Soviets advance in Finland, and the massive Soviet summer operation is coming together and will begin in a matter of days.