Normandy, June 6, 1944: Thousands of men died. They were shot. They were blown up.

They drowned. They were shot in the heart or the head. Limbs were blown off.

Heads were blown off. The sea and the sand were scarlet with the blood of countless terrified, desperate men. It was D-Day, the beginning of the end of World War 2.

In 2014, the world will commemorate the 70th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy. Author Kim Lockwood writes with passion and respect about the events surrounding D-Day, the men who fought, the battles, the casualties; his words are complemented by stunning rare and iconic images from the battlefield.