In Act 2 of the drama based on The Diary of Anne Frank, Miep suddenly reports that an “invasion” has begun. This is an allusion to the Allied invasion of occupied Europe during World War II. The war had begun in 1939 with the German invasion of Poland. Eventually German forces controlled much of the European continent. In June 1944, however, the Allied armies (consisting especially of British and American forces) launched a full-scale invasion of Europe. Their forces first landed in Normandy, a region of France. The allies hoped that once they had secured this initial site, they could then move forward into the rest of France and other occupied countries. They hoped that they could eventually defeat the Germans and perhaps occupy Germany itself. Within about a year of the invasion, this is precisely what happened. The German armies were defeated, and the Nazi regime which controlled Germany was destroyed.

This, then, is the “invasion” to which Miep refers. It was called “D-Day” and is considered one of the most important military events in human history. When Peter asks if the British are invading, Miep replies,

British, Americans, French, Dutch, Poles, Norwegians – all of them. More than four thousand ships.

The Franks and their friends are delighted by this news, because they hope that if the invasion is successful, they will be freed. Unfortunately, this, of course, is not what happens.