(NEXSTAR) – It’s almost impossible to overstate the importance of the D-Day landings as they pertain to the outcome of World War II. If not for the Allied troops that fought on Normandy’s beaches — on June 6, 1944, and the days afterward — it’s possible the war would have dragged on well into 1946. But what would have happened, specifically, if the Allied efforts in Normandy had failed? What if the German military secured the necessary reinforcements and fended off the invading forces with much heavier firepower? While it’s impossible to know for certain, historians generally believe such an...