World War II veterans are joining heads of state and others on the beaches of Normandy to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day. The Allied invasion, which began on June 6, 1944, led to the defeat of the Nazis and the end of the war.
FILE - This photograph is believed to show E Company, 16th Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, participating in the first wave of assaults during D-Day in Normandy, France , June 6, 1944. The greatest armada ever assembled, nearly 7,000 ships and boats, supported by more than 11,000 planes, carried almost 133,000 troops across the Channel to establish toeholds on five heavily defended beaches stretched across 80 kilometers of Normandy coast.
The Allied invasion, which began on June 6, 1944, led to the defeat of the Nazis and the end of the war. The assault began with Allied aircraft bombing German defenses in Normandy, followed by around 1,200 aircraft that carried airborne troops. As dawn broke, Allied forces started bombing German coastal defenses and shortly after that vessels began putting troops ashore on five codenamed beaches: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword.
But host France hasn’t invited World War II ally Russia, citing its “war of aggression against Ukraine that has intensified in recent weeks.”UTAH BEACH, France — Hundreds of people, some in WWII-era uniforms, arrived before dawn to stretch out across the now peaceful sands of Utah Beach, one of the five Allied landing zones on D-Day where troops waded into cold seas through hails of fire exactly 80 years ago.
“It’s our way of paying homage, and better understanding what really happened in the 1944 landings,” said Dimitri Picot, a 33-year-old from the nearby Normandy town of Carentan who works as a rat and pest catcher. Picot said he often dives on a wrecked ship that was hit and exploded, its wreckage visible Thursday as night gave way to day. Growing up amid the June 6, 1944, landing zones, he said he has become accustomed to seeing walls still pockmarked by bullets, shrapnel and other reminders of that fateful day.
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World War II veterans take off for France for 80th anniversary of D-DayMore than 60 veterans of World War II are being flown from Dallas to France to take part in ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day. The group that left Friday includes six Medal of Honor recipients from other wars and two Rosie the Riveters, representing the women who worked in factories and shipyards during the war.
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World War II veterans take off for France for 80th anniversary of D-DayMore than 60 veterans of World War II are being flown from Dallas to France to take part in ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
Read more »
World War II veterans take off for France for 80th anniversary of D-DayMore than 60 veterans of World War II are being flown from Dallas to France to take part in ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
Read more »
World War II veterans take off for France for 80th anniversary of D-DayMore than 60 veterans of World War II are being flown from Dallas to France to take part in ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
Read more »
World War II veterans take off for France for 80th anniversary of D-DayMore than 60 veterans of World War II took off Friday from Dallas to France, where they will take part in ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
Read more »