26 man squad for germany. good evening from normandy where world leaders havejoined some of the last remaining veterans to mark the 80th anniversary of the d day landings. at the british normandy memorial this morning, a service of commemoration attended by more than a0 british veterans overlooking one of the beaches where allied troops first came ashore on 6thjune 191m british, american, canadian and french troops landed along this coastline on beaches that were named sword, juno, gold, omaha and utah more than 150,000 men fought in the d day landings. it was the largest ever seaborne invasion. there ve been events right along this coastline and this afternoon at omaha beach an international event attended by the us president and ukraine s president zelensky. our first report comes from our correspondent daniela relph. bagpipes. memories fade. the living testimonies dwindle. but at dawn today, on the beaches of normandy, they remembered. making their own 80th anniversary n
overlooking one of the beaches where allied troops first came ashore onjune 6th, 1944. never before or since have so many troops from so many nations landed by sea to liberate an occupied country. the british, american, canadian, and french troops landed on five beaches sword, juno, gold, omaha and utah as the airborne troops dropped behind enemy lines to secure the roads and bridges. 156,000 troops overwhelming the germans they had taken by surprise. the main event this afternoon was at omaha beach, where heads of state stood alongside the veterans to pay tribute and remember. more on that in a moment but first, our correspondent daniela relph takes a look back at all the day s events in the company of some of the british veterans who were there to see it. bagpipes memories fade. the living testimonies dwindle. but at dawn today, on the beaches of normandy, they remembered. making their own 80th anniversary normandy landing, a group of royal marines, wading ashore as t
but at dawn today, on the beaches of normandy, they remembered. making their own 80th anniversary normandy landing, a group of royal marines, wading ashore as those before them had done in 1944. but these are now peaceful waters, thanks to the sacrifices made on d day. archive: this is it, | they re on the beach. few truly understood the onslaught they d face. young men, thrust into the brutality of war. 80 years on, those who survived and grew old honoured lost friends. it is all because of gummy s quick thinking, his desire to help those around him, that i can stand before you today. i wish i could tell him i have never taken his sacrifice for granted. and we ll always remember him and ourfriends. so, gummy, thank you, my old friend. a tribute, from the one who made it home. at the british normandy memorial, the service of commemoration put the veterans centre stage. relegated to the back rows, the king and queen, and president macron. watching the service wasjoe mines. he
today, president macron hosted a centrepiece event close to omaha beach. us presidentjoe biden warned that democracy in europe was once again under threat, in the wake of russia s invasion of ukraine. earlier, at the new british national memorial at gold beach, a service of commemoration. the king laid a wreath for the fallen. and alongside the solemn ceremonies, it s also been a chance for attendees to meet and speak with the guests of honour, the veterans themselves, each of whom played such an important part in one of the defining days in european history. our correspondent daniela relph looks back now at the day s events. bagpipes memories fade. the living testimonies dwindle. but at dawn today, on the beaches of normandy, they remembered. making their own 80th anniversary normandy landing, a group of royal marines, wading ashore as those before them had done in 1944. but these are now peaceful waters, thanks to the sacrifices made on d day. archive: this is it, | they re
was five years old on d day, her village amongst the first to be liberated. translation: i went to sleep under german rule and woke up with the americans. danielle s mum made her a star spangled dress of us servicemen s parachutes found in a field. she became a symbol in pigtails of their everlasting gratitude. translation: if it hadn t been for the americans, l what would have become of us? since the second world war, europe has relied on the us to have its back in terms of security. these brave men helped forge the transatlantic alliance. their president today said it was stronger than ever. but with us elections around the corner, europe knows it can t take anything for granted. katya adler, bbc news, normandy. many world leaders meeting the asal