STORY: French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu and British Defence Minister John Healey led an international ceremony in Normandy on Saturday (June 6) to commemorate the 82nd anniversary of D-Day.

They were joined by U.S. Under Secretary of Defense Eldridge Colby, and representatives from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Poland and Norway in paying tribute to the soldiers who fought to liberate Allied Europe.

On June 6, 1944, during World War 2, more than 150,000 Allied soldiers arrived in France by sea and air to drive out the forces of Nazi Germany.

The D-Day landings were aimed at establishing five beachheads on a 50-mile (80-km) landing zone on the northwest coast of France, with the beachheads being given the codenames Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword.

The assault phase of the Allied invasion of continental Europe, or Operation Overlord, which marked a decisive step in the liberation of Europe from German forces during the Second World War.

Normandy has since served as a site for memorial services over the years to commemorate D-Day and pay tribute to the more than 4,000 soldiers who died during the operation.

A handful of D-Day veterans, who are fewer each year, joined Saturday's celebrations.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: OMAHA BEACH, FRANCE (ARCHIVE - JUNE 5, 2023) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. OMAHA BEACH

2. MEMORIAL

3. INSCRIPTION READING (English): "The allied forces landing on this shore which they call Omaha Beach liberate Europe - June 6, 1944"

LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FRANCE (JUNE 6, 2026) (REUTERS – Access All)

4. BRITISH DEFENCE MINISTER JOHN HEALY AND FRENCH PRIME MINISTER SEBASTIEN LECORNU WALKING PAST HONOUR GUARDS AT COMMEMORATION CEREMONY

5. SOLDIERS STANDING

6. MILITARY BAND PLAYING

7. MILITARY BAND PLAYING

8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITISH DEFENCE MINISTER JOHN HEALEY SAYING:

"To the few surviving veterans who have made the journey here with us, we salute them. Today, the peace they fought for is threatened. The world is growing more serious and more dangerous. The responsibility to safeguard their D-Day legacy rests with us. That legacy is the power of unity, the commitment of allies, the faith in democracy and freedom.”

9. FLAGS OF FRANCE, DENMARK, POLAND AND UNITED STATES

10. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRIME MINISTER SEBASTIEN LECORNU SAYING:

“Ladies and gentlemen, let’s remember the fighters of June 6, torn away from the carelessness of their youth, to liberate a Europe that they never knew. Let’s salute their memory and their courage.”

11. REPRESENTATIVES OF MILITARY ASSOCIATIONS STANDING WITH FLAGS

12. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRIME MINISTER SEBASTIEN LECORNU SAYING:

"We still have a great challenge to overcome, in order to enshrine the freedom brought to Europe by the Allies in the annals of history. This challenge, of course, is that of our autonomy, our capacity to defend it ourselves in the face of threats that are drawing closer, intensifying, and multiplying."

13. AUDIENCE WATCHING

14. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. UNDER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR POLICY, ELDRIDGE COLBY, SAYING:

“Our purpose now must be to take our resolve from the legacy of Normandy, to look at our challenges realistically and seriously, to build our military strength individually and together, and to restore our home fronts that can once again, in General (Dwight) Eisenhower's words, supply overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions. If we all do our part in this, then we can hope with confidence that we will achieve the noble purpose that he set for his forces, that brave day, that security for ourselves in a free world. Thank you very much.”

15. REPRESENTATIVES OF MILITARY ASSOCIATIONS STANDING WITH FLAGS

16. (SOUNDBITE) (English) POLISH CHARGÉ D’AFFAIRES IN FRANCE, WIESLAW TARKA, SAYING:

“Indeed, today, one cannot speak of the fight for freedom without thinking of Ukraine and the Ukrainians. Peace in Europe has been shattered by Russians again, and the free and democratic world is challenged. We Poles have always been allies to freedom. And for freedom and peace to prevail in Ukraine, we must persist in our unity and in all the support to our Ukrainian brothers and sisters.”

17. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BELGIAN DEFENCE ATTACHÉ, COLONEL FRANCIS LEGEIN, SAYING:

“It (transatlantic alliance) yielded us 80 years of security and prosperity. Yet today, allies’ solidarity is once again under pressure, as was the case in the summer of 1940. It has been actively discredited by isolationist voices hailing from both the radical left and the radical right on both sides of the Atlantic. Belgium will never succumb to this kind of rhetoric. We understand what Churchill and the heroes of the Battle of Normandy have told us – that the democracies of the free West are always stronger together than alone. This was the enduring lesson of D-Day.”

18. SOLDIERS STANDING

19. (SOUNDBITE) (French) GERMAN DEFENCE ATTACHÉ TO FRANCE, GENERAL MARKUS REINHARDT, SAYING:

“For us Germans, this day remains one of profound gratitude towards those who made immense sacrifices and contributed to liberating Europe and, in doing so, also Germany from Nazi tyranny.”

20. AUDIENCE

21. (SOUNDBITE) (English) AUSTRALIAN AMBASSADOR TO FRANCE, LYNETTE WOOD, SAYING:

“Eighty-two years later, Normandy remains a place of profound significance for Australians. It reminds us that our history is intertwined with that of France and our allies, and that the bonds forged in times of hardship endure for generations.”

22. LECORNU GREETING REPRESENTATIVES OF MILITARY ASSOCIATIONS

OUISTREHAM, FRANCE (ARCHIVE - JUNE 5, 2023) (REUTERS - Access all)

23. SEA SEEN FROM GRASSY PATCH

ARROMANCHES, FRANCE (ARCHIVE - JUNE 5, 2023) (REUTERS - Access all)

24. ARROMANCHES BEACH

OFF THE COAST OF NORMANDY, FRANCE (ARCHIVE - JUNE 6, 1944) (REUTERS - Access all) (MUSIC AND ENGLISH NARRATION) (ORIGINALLY 4:3)

25. LANDING BOATS APPROACHING NORMANDY COAST

26. U.S. SOLDIERS IN BOAT

27. BOATS PROGRESSING

UNKNOWN LOCATION, NORMANDY, FRANCE (ARCHIVE - JUNE 6, 1944) (REUTERS - Access all) (ORIGINALLY 4:3)

28. VARIOUS OF GERMAN SOLDIERS JUMPING OVER DUNE

29. GERMAN SOLDIER RUNNING IN TRENCH CARRYING MACHINE GUN

OFF THE COAST OF NORMANDY, FRANCE (FILE - JUNE 6, 1944) (REUTERS - Access all) (ORIGINALLY 4:3)

30. SOLDIERS IN LANDING BOAT

31. BOAT LANDING ON BEACH

UNKNOWN LOCATION IN NORMANDY, FRANCE (ARCHIVE - JUNE 6, 1944) (REUTERS - Access all) (ORIGINALLY 4:3)

32. VARIOUS OF GERMAN SOLDIERS FIRING MACHINE GUN

LANDING BEACH, NORMANDY, FRANCE (FILE - JUNE 6, 1944) (REUTERS - Access all) (ENGLISH NARRATION) (ORIGINALLY 4:3)

33. U.S. SOLDIERS RUNNING OUT OF BOAT / FALLING ON SAND

34. VARIOUS OF SMOKE SEEN RISING FROM NORMANDY COAST

35. TROOPS PROGRESSING ON BEACH

UNKNOWN LOCATION IN NORMANDY, FRANCE (ARCHIVE - JUNE 6, 1944) (REUTERS - Access all) (ORIGINALLY 4:3)

36. GERMAN TANK AND SOLDIERS PROGRESSING

37. VARIOUS OF GERMAN SOLDIERS RUNNING

38. GERMAN SOLDIER FIRING MACHINE GUN

39. U.S. SOLDIERS ADVANCING ON BEACH / TWO FALLING