D-Day, the cooperative World War II military...

D-Day, the cooperative World War II military operation that combined technical ingenuity with enormous manpower to produce one of America’s greatest victories, was delayed by a simple storm.

Originally, D-Day, the beach invasion at Normandy, France, that was to begin the liberation of Europe from Hitler’s forces, was scheduled for June 5, 1944. But the bad weather and rough English Channel that day seemed as formidable as the German army, and Allied troops waited for calmer seas.

A day later, D-Day was given a green light and Allied forces launched the largest amphibious landing in history, swarming onto the CotentinPeninsula in Nazi-occupied Normandy.

Under cover of darkness, paratroopers landed behind enemy lines to cut off German railroad supply lines and reinforcements. Within a week, 326,000 soldiers had landed, bringing with them 50,000 vehicles and more than 100,000 tons of supplies. Allied forces then swept across France to liberate Paris and, ultimately, the continent.

The victory is no longer widely commemorated in this country. But while fewer and fewer Americans may consider June 6 a day to remember, the battle waged on that date 49 years ago remains historically significant, said Tom Norcio, an Army veteran and vice president of the Fort MacArthur Military Museum Assn.

“It was the largest invasion force ever assembled,” Norcio said. “D-Day ranks (in significance) with Pearl Harbor and the Hiroshima explosion. But it’s especially significant in Europe” because it marked the beginning of the war’s end.

The Fort MacArthur Military Museum will commemorate the 49th anniversary of D-Day with a special program beginning today at 1 p.m. The program will feature a flag-raising ceremony and screenings of a documentary on the invasion, Norcio said.

The museum, located within the corridors and tunnels of the Osgood-Farley Coastal Battery inside Fort MacArthur, will also display photographs from the invasion and World War Two artifacts and memorabilia such as a GarandM-1 rifle, helmets, medals, ribbons, uniforms and an Army blanket covered with more than 200 military patches.

The museum is in AngelsGate Park, 3601 S. Gaffey St. in San Pedro. Admission is free. Hours are Saturday and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. For information call (310) 548-7705.