D-Day veterans gathered in Normandy on Friday to commemorate the 81st anniversary of their important military landings in World War II.
Tens of thousands of onlookers took part in the memorial along the coastline near D-Daylanding Beach. This includes parachute jumps, flyovers, memorial ceremonies, parades and historical reenactments.
Many were there to cheer for the constant number of boring veterans since the late ’90s. They all remembered the thousands who died.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses celebrated the anniversary of D-Day Landings, in which US soldiers played a major role.
The D-Day invasion of France under Nazi occupation on June 6, 1944 represents the largest fleet in history of ships, troops, planes and vehicles to infringe the defense of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler in Western Europe. A total of 4,414 Allied forces were killed on D-Day itself.
In the subsequent Battle of Normandy, 73,000 allies were killed and 153,000 wounded. This battle, particularly the alliance bombings of French villages and cities, killed around 20,000 French civilians between June and August 1944.
The exact victims of Germany are unknown, but historians estimate that between 4,000 and 9,000 men have been killed, injured or missing from the D-Day invasion alone.
“The heroes, honor and sacrifice of D-Day’s alliances always resonate with the US military and European allies and partners,” said Lt. Gen. Jason T-Hins, deputy commander of the European Air Force – deputy commander of the Air Force Africa. “So let’s remember who flew and fell.”
“Let’s praise those who survive, go home and build a better world, and ensure that their sacrifices are not in vain by addressing today’s challenges with the same resolve, same clarity of purpose, and the same commitment to freedom.”
Nearly 160,000 allied forces landed on D-Day.
Of the 160,000-man squadron that landed in Normandy on D-Day, 73,000 were from the US and 83,000 from the UK and Canada. Armies from several other countries took part in battles, including the French troops under General Charles de Gare. The allies faced around 50,000 German troops.
Over two million allied soldiers, sailors, pilots, medics and others from 12 other countries were involved in the overlord of the overall operation, a battle to rob Western France from Nazi rule that began on D-Day.
Additional sources •AP
