(AP) – Veterans gathered in Normandy on Friday to commemorate the 81st anniversary of the D-Day landings, a pivotal moment of World War II that ultimately led to the collapse of Adolf Hitler’s regime.
Along the coastline and near the D-Day landing beaches, tens of thousands of onlookers attended the commemorations, which featured parachute jumps, flyovers, remembrance ceremonies, parades, and historical reenactments. Many were there to cheer the ever-dwindling number of surviving veterans in their late 90s and older, all remembering the thousands who perished.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth marked the anniversary at the American Cemetery overlooking the shore in Colleville-sur-Mer, where American soldiers played a leading role in the invasion. French Minister for the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu expressed France’s profound gratitude to its American allies and the veterans who helped liberate Europe from the Nazis.
“We don’t forget that our oldest allies were there in this grave moment of our history. I say it with deep respect in front of you, veterans, who incarnate this unique friendship between our two countries,” Lecornu told Hegseth.
Hegseth underscored that France and the United States must remain prepared to fight if danger arises again, stating that “good men are still needed to stand up.” “Today the United States and France again rally together to confront such threats,” he said, without specifying an enemy. “Because we strive for peace, we must prepare for war and hopefully deter it.“
The June 6, 1944, D-Day invasion of Nazi-occupied France utilized the largest-ever armada of ships, troops, planes, and vehicles to breach Hitler’s defenses in western Europe. A total of 4,414 Allied troops were killed on D-Day itself. In the ensuing Battle of Normandy, 73,000 Allied forces were killed and 153,000 wounded. The battle also tragically claimed around 20,000 French civilian lives between June and August 1944 due to Allied bombings. While the exact number of German casualties remains unknown, historians estimate between 4,000 and 9,000 men were killed, wounded, or missing during the D-Day invasion alone.
Nearly 160,000 Allied troops landed on D-Day, with 73,000 from the U.S. and 83,000 from Britain and Canada. Forces from several other countries, including French troops fighting with Gen. Charles de Gaulle, were also involved. The Allies faced approximately 50,000 German forces. Overall, more than 2 million Allied personnel from a dozen countries participated in Operation Overlord, the larger battle to liberate western France that began on D-Day.
