44.
I noticed this poppy growing in a hedgerow at Trottick as I was on my way to capture another D-Day image elsewhere. In the UK, poppies are used as a symbol of remembrance for those who have fallen in conflict - usually during the weeks leading up to Remembrance Sunday (which is the Sunday nearest 11 November). It just seemed so right for today's PaD.

Casualties on the British beaches at Normandy were roughly 1000 on Gold Beach and the same number on Sword Beach. The remainder of the British losses were amongst the airborne troops: some 600 were killed or wounded, and 600 more were missing; 100 glider pilots also became casualties. The losses of 3rd Canadian Division at Juno Beach have been given as 340 killed, 574 wounded and 47 taken prisoner.

The breakdown of US casualties was 1465 dead, 3184 wounded, 1928 missing and 26 captured. Of the total US figure, 2499 casualties were from the US airborne troops (238 of them being deaths). The casualties at Utah Beach were relatively light: 197, including 60 missing. However, the US 1st and 29th Divisions together suffered around 2000 casualties at Omaha Beach.

The total German casualties on D-Day are not known, but are estimated as being between 4000 and 9000 men.