in world war ii. it was the largest seaborn invasion in history. thousands died and it was seen as a major turning point in the war. cnn's jim bittermann is in france with a preview of what to expect this week. >> reporter: randi, friday is the big day here in france for the 70th anniversary of d-day. something of a test for french diplomats because in addition to inviting the heads of state of the former allied powers like president barack obama and queen elizabeth, the french have invited vladimir putin, the russian president, who is being shunned by the rest of the leaders because he sent troops to invade the ukraine and just adding to the diplomatic delicacy is the fact that they've invited petro poroshenko, the newly elected leader of the ukraine. it could be a diplomatic opportunity as well. apart from that, there will be nearly a thousand world war ii veteran here's for the big commemorations which would include air shows, mock