1944 June 6: D-Day Allied forces invade Normandy on the coast of northern France. 1945 As the allied forces advance into German-occupied territory, Nazis initiate “death marches” to evacuate the concentration camp population. Thousands die or are killed on these marches. May 8: V-E Day November 20 The International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg begins with 21 Nazi leaders facing charges of crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. Less than a year later, the tribunal sentences 12 to death, three to life imprisonment, and four to prison terms of 10 to 20 years. Three are acquitted. Germany surrenders to allied forces, bringing an end to the war in Europe. By the end of the war, the Nazi regime succeeded in killing an estimated six million Jews through privation, open-air mass shootings, and in extermination camps. 1948 December 9 The U.N. Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide is enacted, defining “genocide” as one or more specific acts “with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.”