2004 GOLD FRANCE 20 EURO 60TH ANNIVERSARY D-DAY LANDING SIGNED #137 OF 200 PCGS PROOF 69 FIRST STRIKE 200 MINTED

FRENCH REPUBLIC

60^th ANNIVERSARY OF THE D-DAY INVASION COMMEMORATIVE
20 EURO GOLD COIN CERTIFIED BY PCGS PROOF 69 FIRST STRIKE

PARIS MINT DIRECTOR SIGNED - #137 / 200

OBV: ALLIED AMEICAN, FRENCH AND ENGLISH SOLDIERS ARRIVING ON THE NORMANDY COAST, LARGER GROUP OF 4 BUSTS RIGHT, SCENE OF COAST WITH MEN ADVANCING THROUGH WATER IN BACKGROUND, PARACHUTISTS DESCENDING AMIDST FIRE ABOVE.

REV: WORDS “D-DAY” AT TOP WITH FRENCH REPUBLIC MOTTO, “LIBERTÉ, EGALITÉ, FRATERNITÉ” UNDERNEATH; DATE DIVIDED BY DENOMINATION AT BOTTOM.

KM # 1370

THE ALLIED OFFENSIVE KNOWN AS OPERATION OVERLORD WAS THE LARGEST AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT IN HISTORY. IT BEGAN ON "D-DAY", JUNE 6, 1944, AND RESULTED IN THE INVASION OF NAZI OCCUPIED WESTERN EUROPE, AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A SUCCESSFUL BEACHHEAD FOR ALLIED MILITARY FORCES IN NORMANDY AND FRANCE. THE CODENAME OF THE INITIAL PHASE OF THE ASSAULT WAS OPERATION NEPTUNE.

FRANCE HAD BEEN OCCUPIED BY THE THIRD REICH SINCE 1940. AFTER THE FAILURE OF THE LUFTWAFFE TO ACHIEVE AIR SUPREMACY DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN, GERMAN EXPANSION CAME TO A HALT IN THE WEST. THE NAZI PROPAGANDA MACHINE CALLED THE ATLANTIC WALL COASTAL FORTIFICATIONS THAT WERE BUILT TO KEEP THE ALLIES AT BAY "FORTRESS EUROPE".

THE DEFENSES OF FORTRESS EUROPE WERE PUT UNDER THE COMMAND OF GERMAN FIELD MARSHAL ERWIN ROMMEL, AND ADOLPH HITLER'S DIRECTIVE 51 ORDERED A MONUMENTAL BUILDING OF BUNKERS, TURRETS, OBSTACLES AND MINES TO IMPEDE INVASION.

THE ALLIED FORCES, UNDER THE SUPREME COMMAND OF AMERICAN GENERAL "IKE" DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER, HAD BEEN PREPARING FOR THE INVASION FOR MONTHS IN ADVANCE, AND HAD ASSEMBLED 6,900 VESSELS, 4,100 LANDING CRAFT, 12,000 AIRCRAFT INCLUDING GLIDERS AND TRANSPORT PLANES, 10,000 TONS OF BOMBS, TENS OF THOUSANDS OF MECHANIZED AND ARMORED UNITS AND 1,332,000 MEN.

THE ALLIES HAD TO WAIT FOR THE RIGHT WEATHER CONDITIONS TO CROSS THE CHANNEL FROM THE SOUTH OF ENGLAND. WHEN THE OPERATION WAS FINALLY GIVEN THE COMMAND TO PROCEDE, PARACHUTE AND GLIDER LANDINGS, AIR ATTACKS AND NAVAL BOMBARDMENT BEGAN THE INVASION.

THE GERMANS WERE CAUGHT BY SURPRISE. THEY THOUGHT THE LANDING WAS GOING TO HAPPEN IN CALAIS AND NOT NORMANDY. ADDITIONALLY, MANY GERMAN TROOPS HAD BEEN TRANSFERRED TO THE EASTERN FRONT TO FIGHT THE SOVIETS.

NONETHELESS, THE ALLIED ASSAULT ON FIVE BEACHES (WHICH HAD BEEN CODENAMED UTAH, OMAHA, GOLD, JUNO AND SWORD) RESULTED IN MANY ALLIED CASUALTIES AND TOOK LONGER THAN EXPECTED, BUT THE ALLIED BRIDGEHEAD WAS SUCCESSFUL. THE INITIAL ALLIED INVASION FORCES WERE ESTIMATED AT 156,000. CASUALTIES SUFFERED WERE 12,000 (INCLUDING 4400+ DEAD) OVERALL CASUALTIES AND OUT OF 10,000 GERMAN DEFENDERS BETWEEN 4,000 TO 9,000 CASUALTIES.

BY JULY 24, THE ALLIES HAD SUFFERED 120,000 CASUALTIES AND HAD INFLICTED 113,000 CASUALTIES (OUT OF 380,000) UPON THE ENEMY. THE NORMANDY LANDINGS SUCCEDED, NOT ONLY DUE TO THE PLANNING, PREPARATION AND EXECUTION OF THE MOST AMBITIOUS INVASION IN HISTORY, BUT ALSO DUE TO THE UNBELIEVABLE BRAVERY AND DETERMINATION OF THE ALLIES IN THE FACE OF DAUNTING ODDS.

THE INVASION LED TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN ALLIED FOOTHOLD ON THE CONTINENT. ULTIMATELY, IT WOULD RESULT IN THE LIBERATION OF FRANCE AND THE COLLAPSE OF THE GERMAN DOMINATION OF WESTERN EUROPE.

CONTAINS 17 GRAMS OF 920 FINE GOLD (0.5028 OZ AGW)

31 MM IN DIAMETER

137 OF 200 FIRST STRIKES MINTED!

SIGNED BY MONNAIE de PARIS MINT DIRECTOR DOV ZERAH

PARIS MINT