World leaders, veterans, commemorate D-Day’s 80th anniversary in Normandy, France
- The Allied invasion, which began on June 6, 1944, led to the defeat of the Nazis and the end of World War II
Moving letters from veterans were read out as ceremonies took place in Normandy on Thursday to mark the 80th anniversary of the June 6, 1944 D-Day landings, when more than 150,000 Allied soldiers invaded France by sea and air to drive out the forces of Nazi Germany.
At the British ceremony in Ver-sur-Mer, veterans were applauded as they filed into the event to take their seats, which were decorated with bright red poppies.
“I want to pay my respects to those who didn’t make it. May they rest in peace,” veteran Joe Mines said, in words read by actor Martin Freeman. “I was 19 when I landed, but I was still a boy … and I didn’t have any idea of war and killing.”
“I tried to forget D-Day, but I can’t,” Royal Navy veteran Ron Hendrey said in words read by actor Douglas Booth. “I’ve lived 80 years since that day, my friends have remained under the earth.”
Both veterans were present at the ceremony.
With war raging in Ukraine on Europe’s borders, this year’s commemoration of this turning point in World War II carries special resonance.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Normandy on Thursday for the anniversary.
“This event and day serve as a reminder of the courage and determination demonstrated in the pursuit of freedom and democracy. Allies defended Europe’s freedom then, and Ukrainians do so now. Unity prevailed then, and true unity can prevail today,” he said in a post on X, announcing his arrival.
But Russia, which invaded Ukraine in 2022, touching off Europe’s biggest armed conflict since World War II, was not invited.
The D-Day anniversary takes place in a year of many elections, including for the European Parliament this week and in the US in November. Leaders are set to draw parallels with World War II and warn of the dangers of isolationism and the far-right.
Charles, in full military uniform, was visibly moved as he paid tribute to those who took part in the landings, as well as the French resistance.
“We recall the lesson that comes to us again and again across the decades: free nations must stand together to oppose tyranny,” he said.
“Our admiration is eternal,” said the king, who spoke in both French and English. “Let us pray such sacrifice will never be made again.”
After the ceremony, Charles, Macron and their wives chatted and shook hands with veterans and other guests.
With the numbers of veterans, many aged 100 or more, fast dwindling, this is likely to be the last major ceremony in Normandy honouring them in their presence.
Some 200 veterans, most American or British, took part in ceremonies throughout the day on windswept beaches that still bear the scars of the fighting that erupted on D-Day, history’s largest amphibious invasion, in which thousands of Allied soldiers died.
Macron presented a Legion d’Honneur award to Christian Lamb, a 103-year-old member of the wartime British female naval service who helped plan the landings, describing her as “a hero in the shadows”.
“You have set us an example, which we’ll not forget. France will never forget the British troops who landed on D-Day and all their brothers in arms,” he said.
“We are honoured by the ties of remembrance, friendship and loyalty which were forged between our two countries.”
At a separate event at the Normandy American cemetery, Biden met veterans, giving salutes, handshakes and hugs to the men, many in wheelchairs, who travelled to France for the anniversary.
He and his wife, Jill, took photos with the veterans and the president gave them each special commemorative coins.
Underlining the frail health of many veterans, the US embassy said the last surviving Native American veteran was gravely ill.
A 102-year-old US Navy veteran was being mourned on Thursday following his death while en route to France for the D-Day anniversary, a trip friends said he had talked excitedly about making.
Robert “Al” Persichitti of Fairport, New York fell ill during a stop in Germany last week and died in a hospital, his long-time priest and friend, the Reverend William Leone, said.
Earlier on Thursday, as the sun rose in Arromanches-les-Bains, one of the beaches where Allied troops came ashore 80 years ago, small crowds filtered on to the beach to watch a collection of World War Two jeeps and an amphibious vehicle coming ashore carrying a bagpiper playing a lament.
At Omaha Beach, the largest of the D-Day landing areas, where about 2,400 US servicemen lost their lives on June 6, 1944, more than 20 heads of state and government were due to attend an international ceremony later in the day.
Landing craft were in place to re-enact part of the landings, while several warships and patrol boats anchored on the horizon.
Among those at the ceremonies is 101-year-old Bob Gibson, who was in the second wave of soldiers to land on Normandy’s Utah beach.
“It’s like it happened yesterday. You wouldn’t believe what I have seen. Terrible. Some of the young fellows never reached the major beach … sometimes it wakes you up at night,” he said.
At a Canadian ceremony, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said: “We must all continue to stand for democracy day in day out, we owe it for future generations.”
Prince William, speaking at the same ceremony, said: “Standing here today, in peaceful silence, it is almost impossible to grasp the courage it would have taken to run into the fury of battle that very day.”
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse
