This section summarizes the Allied victory in World War 2 in both Europe and the Pacific. It discusses (1) the D-Day invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944 which began the liberation of France, (2) the Battle of the Bulge counterattack by German forces that failed, resulting in Allied victory, and (3) President Truman's decision to use atomic bombs against Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 to force Japan's surrender and avoid a costly land invasion.