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D-Day and victory in 1945

Study note

The final defeat of Germany began with a famous landing. On 6 June 1944, Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy in France, an event usually called D-Day. The exact date, 6 June 1944, is commonly tested, so do not confuse it with the end of the First World War on 11 November 1918.

After D-Day the Allies pushed on through France and into Germany, and Germany was comprehensively defeated in May 1945. The war against Japan continued a little longer. It ended in August 1945, after the United States dropped atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. So the sequence to remember is D-Day in June 1944, Germany defeated in May 1945, and Japan defeated in August 1945.

Memory tip: D-Day 6 June 1944 (Normandy); Germany defeated May 1945; Japan defeated August 1945.

Practise this topic

Question 1 of 4

On which date did Allied forces land in Normandy on D-Day?

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Show all questions and answers for D-Day and victory in 1945(4 questions with explanations)

D-Day and victory in 1945: questions, answers and explanations

  1. 1. On which date did Allied forces land in Normandy on D-Day?

    • 1 September 1939
    • 11 November 1918
    • 8 May 1945
    • 6 June 1944

    Correct answer: 6 June 1944

    D-Day, the Allied landings in Normandy, took place on 6 June 1944.

  2. 2. In which month and year was Germany comprehensively defeated?

    • May 1945
    • August 1945
    • November 1918
    • June 1944

    Correct answer: May 1945

    Germany was comprehensively defeated in May 1945.

  3. 3. The war against Japan ended in 1945 after atomic bombs were dropped on which two cities?

    • Pearl Harbor and Midway
    • Hiroshima and Nagasaki
    • Tokyo and Osaka
    • Berlin and Dresden

    Correct answer: Hiroshima and Nagasaki

    Atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.

  4. 4. Which statement about the end of the Second World War is NOT true?

    • D-Day, the Allied landings in Normandy, was on 6 June 1944
    • Germany was defeated in May 1945
    • Germany was defeated on 11 November 1918

    Correct answer: Germany was defeated on 11 November 1918

    11 November 1918 was the end of the First World War; Germany was defeated in the Second World War in May 1945.

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