> I don't think we can really comprehend how big an operation that was.
I think that very impressive photo doesn’t even show it.
FTA: “A 1,200-plane airborne assault preceded an amphibious assault involving more than 5,000 vessels”
⇒ I estimate that that photo only shows about 2% of the vessels involved.
Getting (also FTA) “Nearly 160,000 troops crossed the English Channel on 6 June” onto a coast without using any ports and where you are getting shot at takes a lot of effort.
The photo also doesn't really do justice to how much stuff was going on at one time since it just makes it look like supplies are being delivered to a beach. You've got an an incredibly dense (in terms of participants per area or volume) naval battle, infantry engagements, air superiority operations, close air support and logistics operation all at the same time in roughly same place and even if you pick one aspect to focus on you'll find that the scale and tempo of operations in any one area exceeds what's "normal" even for a pitched battle.
Don't forget those thousands of ships and aircraft started across the channel the night before, only to be turned back by bad weather and having to reset and do it again the next night!
I think that very impressive photo doesn’t even show it.
FTA: “A 1,200-plane airborne assault preceded an amphibious assault involving more than 5,000 vessels”
⇒ I estimate that that photo only shows about 2% of the vessels involved.
Getting (also FTA) “Nearly 160,000 troops crossed the English Channel on 6 June” onto a coast without using any ports and where you are getting shot at takes a lot of effort.