What does the D in D-Day stand for?
D-Day is a general military term for the day on which an operation or exercise is planned to commence. The choice of the letter D has no significance, and any other letter could equally be used. Its only purpose is to provide a point of reference from which all other dates can be reckoned. D+1, for example, would be the day after D-Day, or the second day of the operation. This allows all aspects of the plan to be worked out in advance, even though the actual date of D-Day might remain to be decided. The most famous D-Day was 6 June 1944, the beginning of the Allied invasion of France, although there were numerous others during the Second World War. Similarly, H-Hour is a general military term for the exact time at which an operation or exercise is planned to commence. As with D-Day, the actual choice of letter has no significance. Other designations, such as Zero-hour, can also be used.” Reference: Jane’s Dictionary of Military Terms, compiled by P.H.C. Hayward (pub.
It stands for the Designated Day for Operation Overlord, the code name for the Allied invasion of Northern France on June 6, 1944, during World War II. Each major offensive during the war had a code name. For example – Operation Torch was the name for the Allied invasion of North Africa. Each Operation also had its own D-Day, the actual day on which the attack would begin. Within each D-Day, there was an H-Hour, designating the starting time for the attack, usually just before dawn at 0500 hours in military time, or 5 a.m. in civilian time. Operation Overlord is now popularly referred to simply as D-Day, a practice begun by news correspondents covering the invasion, given the tremendous significance of the day in which the long hoped-for liberation of northern Europe finally began.
