16 September 1944 — 102 Days After D-Day
By 16 September 1944, just 102 days after the Normandy landings, the Allied armies had advanced far beyond the original D-Day beachhead.
Most of France had been liberated, including Paris on 25 August, and Allied forces had crossed into Belgium as they drove toward the German frontier.
The Allied advance was now preparing for another major operation on the 16 September 1944. On 17 September 1944, only one day later, the Allies launched Operation Market Garden, the ambitious airborne and ground offensive through the Netherlands.
American airborne forces were dropped around Eindhoven and Nijmegen, while the British 1st Airborne Division landed near Arnhem.
Thus, 16 September 1944 marks a pivotal moment in the continuing campaign that began with D-Day on 6 June 1944 — the Allies had transformed the Normandy landings into a rapidly advancing campaign across Western Europe and were preparing to carry the war into the Netherlands and toward Germany.
Proof Krugerrands
By contrast, were produced in much smaller numbers and receive considerably more attention during the minting process. Each coin is individually struck, often up to three times, using specially prepared dies to create the sharper details, frosted devices and distinctive mirror-like fields associated with a Proof finish.
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