D-Day - June 6, 1944 - saw the launch of Operation Overlord, the massive Allied invasion of France. One of the first units to land on Normandy was the 5th Ranger Battalion, whose mission was to eliminate German defenses and clear the path for follow-on forces. Many of the Rangers in this unit were select volunteers from the 26th “Yankee" Division, so many in fact that some referred to the 5th Ranger Battalion as the “Little YD".
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service