80 years of D-Day

Commemoration of the Allied landings in Normandy

Frazose Christophe Receveur with a US flag on Utah Beach.(Bild: AP/AP Photo/John Leicester)

D-Day on June 6, 1944 marked the beginning of the liberation of Europe from Nazi Germany by Allied forces (USA, Great Britain, Canada, France). On the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings in the Second World War, numerous heads of state and government from all over the world were expected to attend on Thursday.

In addition to US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj is also taking part in the 80th anniversary celebrations. 

On Wednesday, Macron joined dozens of veterans in Plumelec in Brittany to commemorate the soldiers who launched the military operation "Operation Overlord" on the night of June 5-6, 1944.

Biden meets veterans
The commemoration is being organized on the beach of Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer at the so-called Omaha Beach and will continue until Friday. Joe Biden is also scheduled to give speeches on the dangers of isolationism and the need to stand up to dictators. Biden will also meet some veterans who took part in the Normandy invasion.

Ceremony on Utah Beach(Bild: AP)

Soldiers in Colleville-sur-Mer(Bild: AP)

Frazose Christophe Receveur with a US flag on Utah Beach.(Bild: AP/AP Photo/John Leicester)

Selenskyj in France for two days
While in Normandy, Biden will also speak with Ukrainian President Zelenskyi about Ukraine's ongoing struggle against Russia's aggression, according to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan. Another face-to-face meeting between the two is planned at the summit of the seven major Western industrialized nations (G-7) in Italy next week. President Macron plans to receive the Ukrainian at the Élysée Palace in Paris on Friday.

Blutvergießen und Befreiung

Über den D-Day

On June 6, 1944, Allied soldiers landed on the beaches of Normandy, opening the Western Front against Nazi Germany. The landing is considered one of the most important turning points in the Second World War and made a significant contribution to the Allied victory. However, D-Day also stands for inhumane bloodshed, tens of thousands of dead and wounded.

The Allied forces at the time consisted mainly of Americans, British, Canadians, Poles and French. Around 3100 landing craft with more than 150,000 soldiers made their way to northern France.