Portsmouth, United Kingdom | AFP | US President Donald Trump, Queen Elizabeth II and 300 veterans are to gather on the south coast of England on Wednesday for a poignant ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of D-Day.

Other world leaders will join them in Portsmouth for Britain’s national event to commemorate the Allied invasion of the Normandy beaches — one of the turning points of World War II.

Trump, Queen Elizabeth and British Prime Minister Theresa May will be joined by Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel for an event with the veterans, the youngest of whom are now in their 90s, marking the boats’ departure on the eve of the battle.

It will be the last act of Trump’s three-day state visit to Britain.

Portsmouth was the main departure point for the largest amphibious assault in history, when some 156,000 US, British, Canadian and other Allied troops sailed for the beaches of northern France.

The Battle of Normandy on June 6, 1944 led to the liberation of Europe and helped bring about the end of World War II.

In a joint D-Day proclamation marking the anniversary, the 16 nations attending Wednesday’s ceremony affirmed their shared responsibility to ensure that the horrors of World War II are never repeated.

“Over the last 75 years, our nations have stood up for peace in Europe and globally, for democracy, tolerance and the rule of law,” it said.

“We re-commit today to those shared values because they support the stability and prosperity of our nations and our people. We will work together as allies and friends to defend these freedoms whenever they are threatened.”

“In this way, we salute the surviving veterans of D-Day and we honour the memories of those who came before us.”

The ceremony is the first time that so many world leaders have gathered in Britain since the London 2012 Olympics.

The prime ministers of Australia, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, the president of Greece, New Zealand’s governor-general, Slovakia’s deputy PM and the Danish ambassador are due to attend.

The event on Southsea Common includes an hour-long production recounting the story of the invasion with testimony from veterans, theatrical performances and live music, as well as a flypast.

Some 4,000 military personnel, 26 British military aircraft and 11 British naval vessels will participate.

In the event’s official programme, Queen Elizabeth, 93, said: “I am sure that these commemorations will provide an opportunity to honour those who made extraordinary sacrifices to secure freedom in Europe. They must never be forgotten.”

May will read a letter written by Captain Norman Skinner to his wife Gladys on June 3, 1944.

The letter was in the British soldier’s pocket when he landed on Sword Beach in Normandy on June 6. He was killed the next day.

May will attend a reception with veterans and a lunch with world leaders.

She will call for continued Western unity in tackling the world’s security threats.

“Their solidarity and determination in the defence of our freedom remains a lesson to us all,” she was to say.

The D-Day commemorations are among May’s last official duties before she steps down as leader of the governing Conservative Party on Friday.

That will trigger a leadership contest. The winner, chosen from 11 candidates, will become the next prime minister by the end of July.

Trump said Tuesday that the D-Day troops stormed the beaches to ensure that their people would forever remain sovereign and free.

“Let us renew our pledge… that the cause for which they died shall live,” he said.

The state visit saw Trump join the royal family for a lavish state banquet, while the president promised Britain a “phenomenal” post-Brexit trade deal.

After Queen Elizabeth formally bids him farewell, Trump is off to his golf resort in Ireland before heading to further D-Day commemorations in Normandy on Thursday.

The village of Doonbeg on Ireland’s west coast has been decked out in US flags to welcome Trump. </s> COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER, France (Reuters) - France will never forget the sacrifice of the Allied troops who liberated it from Nazi Germany, President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday, the 75th anniversary of the D-Day operation that helped bring World War Two to an end.

U.S. President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May joined Macron at separate ceremonies along a 80km (50 mile) stretch of Normandy coastline, where more than 150,000 soldiers landed on June 6, 1944, under a hail of German fire.

“We know what we owe to you, our veterans: our freedom. On behalf of my country, I want to say ‘thank you’,” Macron told several dozen American D-Day combatants at a U.S. war cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach, one of five landing spots in Normandy.

“France will never forget.”

Macron awarded the Legion d’honneur, France’s highest award for merit, to five U.S. veterans and embraced each man warmly.

The Normandy landings were months in the planning and were kept secret from Hitler and his forces despite a huge trans-Atlantic mobilisation of industry and manpower.

Under the cover of darkness, thousands of Allied paratroopers jumped behind Germany’s coastal defences. Then, as day broke, warships pounded German positions before hundreds of landing craft disgorged the infantry troops under a barrage of machine-gun fire and artillery.

Some veterans say the sea and sand turned red with blood during the operation. Dozens of U.S. rangers were felled by German machine-guns as they scaled the cliffs rising up from Omaha Beach to Colleville-sur-Mer, where the U.S. cemetery lies.

“You are among the very greatest Americans who will ever live,” Trump said in his address, turning to the surviving veterans. “You are the pride of our nation, you are the glory of our republic and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

“These men moved through the fires of hell,” he said. “They came here and saved freedom, and then they went home and showed us all what freedom is about.”

People applauded as one of the veterans, 94-year-old Private Russell Pickett, rose shakily to his feet. “Tough guy,” Trump said, before Macron helped lower Pickett back into his seat.

“SPECIAL GENERATION”

The Normandy landings remain the largest ever amphibious invasion and paved the way for western Europe’s liberation.

Inaugurating a memorial to the 22,000 soldiers under British command who were killed on June 6, 1944, and in the ensuing battle for Normandy, British Prime Minister Theresa May saluted the bravery of the soldiers, many of whom were still boys when they waded ashore as shells screamed overhead.

French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S President Donald Trump stand during a ceremony to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, June 6, 2019. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann

“It’s almost impossible to grasp the raw courage it must have taken that day to leap from landing craft and into the surf despite the fury of battle,” May told a small gathering that included Macron and veterans, their uniforms laden with medals.

“These young men belonged to a very special generation ... whose incomparable spirit shaped our post-war world,” she said.

The devastation wrought by two world wars in the first half of the 20th century fostered a decades-long era of cooperation between European capitals determined to protect their hard-fought peace, giving rise to what is now the European Union.

But even as Britain now tries to sever its ties with the bloc after four decades of membership, Macron told May some links between France and Britain were indestructible.

“Nothing will ever take away the links of spilled blood and shared values. The debates of the present in no way take away from the past.”

SACRIFICED LIVES

An hour after sunrise, under clear blue skies, a lone piper on the remnants of an artificial harbour played Highland Laddie to mark the hour the first British soldier set foot on French sand. The Mulberry harbour was built to supply allied troops as they pushed the Germans back.

Restored wartime jeeps and amphibious vehicles lined the beach at Arromanches and in villages along the Normandy shore the flags of Britain, Canada and the United States, the main contributors to the Allied force, fluttered in the breeze.

Slideshow (21 Images)

The commemorations come against the backdrop of two years of forthright diplomacy and “America First” policymaking by Trump and his administration that have shaken the NATO alliance and tested relations with allies including Britain and France.

On the eve of the anniversary, France’s president evoked the spirit of D-Day, saying: “These allied forces that together freed us from the German yoke, and from tyranny, are the same ones that were able to build the existing multilateral structures after World War Two.

“We must not repeat history, and remind ourselves what was built on the basis of the war,” he said. </s> President Trump, British Prime Minister Theresa May and other world leaders are gathering Wednesday on the south coast of England to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, honoring the Allied forces who risked and gave their lives in the invasion that helped liberate Europe from Nazi Germany.

The Royal British Legion has brought about 300 veterans, aged 91 to 101, to the ceremonies in Portsmouth, where many of the troops embarked for Normandy on June 5, 1944. After a flyover by the Royal Air Force and a salute from the Royal Navy, the veterans will return to the landing beaches overnight, just as they did 75 years ago.

"The Normandy landings 75 years ago were a moment of historic international cooperation," British Prime Minister Theresa May said. "And it is right that at the heart of today's commemorations are the veterans who fought to secure the liberty and the peace that we now enjoy."

The event, which kicks off two days of D-Day anniversary observances, is intended as a tribute to the troops who shaped history during the dangerous mission to reach beachheads and fight in German-occupied France.

REMEMBER THESE TWO YOUNG MEN WHO HELPED TO WIN D-DAY

D-Day saw more than 150,000 Allied troops land on the beaches of Normandy in northwest France on June 6, 1944, carried by 7,000 boats. The Battle of Normandy, codenamed Operation Overlord, was a turning point in the war, and helped bring about Nazi Germany's defeat in May 1945.

Planning to attend are presidents, prime ministers and other representatives of the countries that fought alongside Britain in Normandy: the United States, Canada, Australia, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Luxembourg, Denmark, France, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Poland.

The leader of the country that was the enemy in 1944, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, is also attending.

Britain has promised "unprecedented commemorations," involving testimony from veterans and military spectacle, including a flyby of 24 vintage and modern military aircraft.

In Portsmouth, dignitaries plan to read from historical documents linked to D-Day. In May's case, it's a letter written by Capt. Norman Skinner of the Royal Army Service Corps to his wife, Gladys, on June 3, 1944, a few days before the invasion. It was in his pocket when he landed in Normandy.

"I can imagine you in the garden having tea with Janey and Anne getting ready to put them to bed," wrote Skinner, who was killed the day after D-Day. "Although I would give anything to be back with you, I have not yet had any wish at all to back down from the job we have to do."

On Thursday the focus shifts to France, where commemorations will be held at simple military cemeteries near the Normandy beaches.

Some events were already held in France early Wednesday morning, with U.S. Army Rangers climbing the jagged cliffs of Normandy's Pointe du Hoc to honor the men who scaled them under fire 75 years ago.

Elderly veterans looked on as members of the 75th Ranger Regiment started mounting the limestone promontory at dawn, pulling themselves up on ropes one by one, seagulls swooping above.

They were recreating a journey taken by the U.S. Army's 2nd and 5th Ranger Battalions to destroy Nazi guns atop the cliffs. The operation helped prepare the way for Allied troops landing on beaches up a few miles up the coast.

Of the 235 men who took on the cliffs in 1944, only 90 were fit for battle two days later.

Elsewhere in Normandy parachutists were jumping from C-47 transporters in World War II colors and other aircraft, aiming for fields of wild flowers on the outskirts of Carentan, one of the early objectives for Allied troops.

Among the jumpers will be American D-Day veteran Tom Rice, 97. He jumped into Normandy with thousands of other parachutists in 1944, and recalled it as "the worst jump I ever had."

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Like many other veterans , Rice said he remains troubled by the war.

"We did a lot of destruction, damage. And we chased the Germans out and coming back here is a matter of closure," he said. "You can close the issue now."

This is a developing story. Check back for updates

The Associated Press contributed to this report. </s> OMAHA BEACH, France — Standing on the windswept beaches and bluffs of Normandy, a dwindling number of aging veterans of history’s greatest air and sea invasion received the thanks and praise of a world transformed by their sacrifice.

The mission now, they said, was to honor the dead and keep their memory alive, 75 years after the D-Day operation that portended the end of World War II.

“We know we don’t have much time left, so I tell my story so people know it was because of that generation, because of those guys in this cemetery,” said 99-year-old Steve Melnikoff of Maryland, standing at Colleville-Sur-Mer, where thousands of Americans are buried.

“All these generals with all this brass that don’t mean nothing,” he said. “These guys in the cemetery, they are the heroes.”

Thursday’s anniversary was marked with eloquent speeches, profound silences and passionate pleas for an end to bloodshed.

French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President Donald Trump praised the soldiers, sailors and airmen who took part in the invasion, codenamed Operation Overlord, saying it was the turning point that ended Nazi tyranny and ensured peace for Europe.

“You are the pride of our nation, you are the glory of our republic, and we thank you from the bottom of our heart,” Trump said of the warriors who took part in what he called the ultimate fight of good against evil in World War II.

“They battled not for control and domination, but for liberty, democracy and self-rule,” Trump said in a speech at the Normandy American Cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach, the bloodiest of five landing beaches.

Macron saluted the courage, generosity and strength of spirit that made them press on “to help men and women they didn’t know, to liberate a land most hadn’t seen before, for no other cause but freedom, democracy.”

He expressed France’s debt to the United States for freeing his country from the Nazis. Macron awarded five American veterans with the Chevalier of Legion of Honor, France’s highest award.

“We know what we owe to you, veterans, our freedom,” he said, switching from French to English. “On behalf of my nation I just want to say ‘thank you.’”

About 160,000 troops were took part in D-Day, and many more fought in the ensuing Battle of Normandy. Of those 73,000 were from the United States, while 83,000 were from Britain and Canada. Troops started landing overnight from the air, then were joined by a massive force by sea on the beaches of Omaha, Utah, Juno, Sword and Gold, carried by 7,000 boats.

“The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you,” Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower had said in his order of the day. “The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to victory.”

On Wednesday, a commemoration was held in Portsmouth, England, the main embarkation point for the transport boats. Then the dignitaries came to the bluffs and beaches of Normandy, where veterans recalled what they saw 75 years ago.

“The water was full of dead men, the beach had burning landing craft,” said Jim Radford, 90, a British D-Day veteran from Hull, describing the scene near Gold Beach, where British landed.

He was there again to watch the unveiling of a statue at Gold Beach, where a memorial to British fighters is to be erected.

At dawn Thursday, hundreds of civilians and military alike from around the world gathered on Omaha Beach.

Dick Jansen, 60, from the Netherlands, drank Canadian whisky from an enamel cup on the water’s edge. Others scattered carnations into the waves. Randall Atanay, the son of a medic who tended to the dying and wounded, waded barefoot into the water, bonding with his dad, who has since died.

Up to 12,000 people attended the ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery, with U.S. veterans, their numbers fast diminishing as years pass, the guests of honor.

A 21-gun salute thundered into the waters below the cemetery, on a bluff overlooking Omaha Beach, and across the rows of white crosses and Stars of David. The final resting places of more than 9,380 of the fallen stretched out before the guests.

Britain’s Prince Charles, his wife, Camilla, and Prime Minister Theresa May attended a remembrance service at the medieval cathedral in Bayeux, the first Normandy town liberated by Allied troops after D-Day.

Hundreds of people packed the seaside square in the town of Arromanches to applaud veterans of the Battle of Normandy that ensued. A wreath was placed outside the town’s D-Day Museum.

Macron thanked soldiers “so that France could become free again” at the Gold Beach ceremony with May and uniformed veterans laid the cornerstone of the memorial that will record the names of thousands of troops under British command who died in Normandy.

“If one day can be said to have determined the fate of generations to come, in France, in Britain, in Europe and the world, that day was the 6th of June, 1944,” May said.

As the sun rose that morning, not one of the thousands of men arriving in Normandy “knew whether they would still be alive when the sun set once again,” she said.

Passing on memories is especially urgent, with hundreds of World War II veterans now dying every day.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hailed those who “took a gamble the world had never seen before.”

Speaking at Juno Beach where 14,000 Canadians came ashore, Trudeau lauded the resulting world order including the United Nations and NATO that have helped preserve peace.

But postwar tensions were evident. Not invited to the remembrance was Russian President Vladimir Putin, who had been present for the 70th commemoration of D-Day.

On Wednesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said it was a “gift of history” that she was able to participate in the ceremony on Britain’s southern coast. Some 22,000 German soldiers are among those buried around Normandy.

The D-Day invasion was a defining moment of military strategy complicated by unpredictable weather and human chaos in which soldiers from the U.S., Britain, Canada and other Allied nations applied relentless bravery to carve out a beachhead on ground that Nazi Germany had occupied for four years.

The Battle of Normandy hastened Germany’s defeat less than a year later.

Still, that single day cost the lives of 4,414 Allied troops, 2,501 of them Americans. More than 5,000 were injured. On the German side, several thousand were killed or wounded.

From there, Allied troops would advance, take Paris in late summer and race with the Soviet Red Army to control as much German territory as possible by the time Adolf Hitler died in his Berlin bunker and Germany surrendered in May 1945.

The Soviet Union also fought valiantly against the Nazis — and lost more people than any other nation in World War II — but those final battles would divide Europe for decades between the West and the Soviet-controlled East, the face-off line of the Cold War.

“War is the most idiotic thing that man ever created,” said Charles Levesque, 93, who served in the Pacific theater. “Our enemies now are our friends, and our friends are our enemies. It doesn’t make any sense.”

Associated Press writers Sylvie Corbet and Alex Turnbull in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, Milos Krivokapic and Adam Pemble in Ver-sur-Mer contributed. Ganley reported from Paris. </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Hundreds of veterans gathered in Normandy for the anniversary

Hundreds of veterans gathered in France to honour the sacrifice of those who died in the D-Day landings, drawing to a close two days of commemorations.

World leaders attended ceremonies honouring Allied forces who fought in the largest combined land, air and naval operation in history.

Wreaths were laid, a minute's silence was held and veterans linked arms and sang, before watching an RAF flypast.

Theresa May and Emmanuel Macron thanked veterans who took part in June 1944.

President Donald Trump called former US soldiers "the pride of the nation".

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption D-Day: Paratroopers land in France to mark 75th anniversary

Throughout the day, key events were marked from the wartime operation at the start of the campaign to liberate Nazi-occupied north-west Europe.

By nightfall on 6 June 1944, some 156,000 Allied troops - including British, US and Canadian forces - had landed on Normandy's beaches, despite challenging weather and fierce German defences.

The Allies established a foothold in France and within 11 months Nazi Germany was defeated and the war in Europe was over.

At 06:26 BST - the exact minute the first British troops landed on the beaches in 1944 - a lone piper played on a section of the Mulberry Harbour in the French town of Arromanches.

Mr Macron and Mrs May - in one of her final engagements as Conservative leader - were in Ver-sur-Mer to see the first stone laid for a memorial to commemorate the 22,442 British troops who died there in the summer of 1944.

The memorial, which overlooks Gold Beach, depicts three soldiers advancing across the sand.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Mrs May and Mr Macron say 'thank you' to D-Day veterans

Mrs May said she was humbled to be able to mark the moment with veterans, who belonged to a "very special generation".

"A generation whose unconquerable spirit shaped the post-war world. They didn't boast. They didn't fuss. They served," she said.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption "I don't think I should tell you what I saw because it was so horrible"

"And they laid down their lives so that we might have a better life and build a better world.

"If one day can be said to have determined the fate of generations to come in France, in Britain, in Europe and the world, that day was 6 June, 1944," she added.

Image copyright PA Image caption D-Day veterans made the journey to Normandy to attend commemorations

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption D-Day Royal Navy veteran Ted Emmings, 94, passes a house in Arromanches decorated with a photo of himself and other veterans

Also paying tribute, Mr Macron said: "This is where young men, many of whom had never set foot on French soil, landed at dawn under German fire, risking their lives while fighting their way up the beach, which was littered with obstacles and mines."

The French president also went on to say he was proud to have worked with Mrs May.

"Leaders may come and go but their achievements remain. The force of our friendship will outlast current events," he said.

Image copyright PA Image caption Prince Charles joined the prime minister to mark the anniversary at a ceremony in Bayeux

Mrs May, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon later attended a service at the cathedral in Bayeux, the first city to be liberated by the invasion.

A message was read out on behalf of Pope Francis, in which he said D-Day was "decisive in the fight against Nazi barbarism". He also paid tribute to those who "joined the Army and gave their lives for freedom and peace".

The service was followed by a ceremony at Bayeux War Cemetery, where many of the fallen are buried.

Image copyright AFP Image caption A British soldier played the bagpipes for the inauguration of a garden in Arromanches

'I wasn't a hero'

Among the veterans who attended the commemorations was Len Fox, who took part in a rendition of We'll Meet Again.

The 94-year-old, who lives in Norwich, landed in the town on D-Day with the 53rd Welsh Division as a dispatch rider.

He said: "Being here for the anniversary is my way of paying back a little to my comrades who didn't make it.

"I wasn't a hero, I was a frightened 19-year-old. They were the brave heroes."

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Veteran Harry Billinge, 93, on his memories of friends who died during the Normandy invasion in 1944

Harry Billinge, 93, from St Austell in Cornwall, was on a final pilgrimage to Normandy to see how thousands of pounds he raised had helped the construction of a national memorial honouring his fallen comrades.

He handed over more than £10,000 to the Normandy Memorial Trust after collecting donations in his local high street and Arromanches.

As an 18-year-old Royal Engineer, he landed on Gold Beach at 06:30 on 6 June 1944 as part of the first wave of troops.

Mr Billinge said this was his "swansong" and he did not think he would return again, but he was eager to see the first foundation stones of the monument laid on Thursday morning.

'Pride of the nation'

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Donald Trump praised troops at a service in the US war cemetery at Omaha Beach

Meanwhile, Mr Trump accompanied Mr Macron at a ceremony at the US war cemetery at Omaha Beach, Colleville-sur-Mer.

He told veterans gathered there: "You are among the greatest Americans who will ever live. You are the pride of the nation. You are the glory of our republic and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts."

Image copyright EPA Image caption Donald Trump and the First Lady, Melania, joined Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, for D-Day commemorations in Normandy

Image copyright Reuters Image caption The US president greeted D-Day veterans

Other events in the UK and France included:

A veteran's parade in Arromanches, followed by a Red Arrows flypast

A service of remembrance and wreath laying at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire

In Portsmouth, a veteran's parade before a memorial service at the city's D-Day Stone

The Duke of Sussex joined the Chelsea Pensioners and six D-Day veterans for Founder's Day at London's Royal Hospital Chelsea

In Edinburgh, 15 D-Day veterans were presented with the Knight of the Légion d'Honneur Cross at the French Consulate

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Prince William was among those at a service at the National Memorial Arboretum

At the National Memorial Arboretum, the Duke of Cambridge gave an address which was originally made by his great-grandfather, George VI in 1944.

He read: "Four years ago our nation and empire stood alone against an overwhelming enemy, with our backs to the wall.

"Now, once more, a supreme test has to be faced."

He added: "This time, the challenge is not to fight to survive but to fight to win the final victory for the good cause.

"At this historic moment, surely not one of us is too busy, too young, or too old to play a part in a nationwide, perchance a world-wide, vigil of prayer as the great crusade sets forth."

During Prince Harry's visit to Royal Hospital Chelsea, he joked with Chelsea Pensioners and asked them "Who's your favourite?" while gesturing to hospital staff.

Image copyright Getty Images

On Wednesday, leaders from every country that fought alongside the UK on D-Day joined the Queen in Portsmouth for the first day of the 75th anniversary events.

The Queen paid tribute to the "heroism, courage and sacrifice" of those who died.

Around 300 veterans were then waved off on the cruise ship MV Boudicca as it headed to the Normandy commemorations.

Two veterans - Harry Read, 95, and John Hutton, 94 - parachuted back into Normandy, 75 years after their first landing, accompanied by members of the Army's Parachute Regiment display team. </s> OMAHA BEACH, France (AP) — With the silence of remembrance and respect, nations honored the memory of the fallen and the singular bravery of all Allied troops who sloshed through bloodied water to the landing beaches of Normandy, a tribute of thanks 75 years after the massive D-Day assault that doomed the Nazi occupation of France and portended the fall of Hitler’s Third Reich.

Thursday's second day of ceremonies to mark the surprise Allied offensive by air and sea moved to France after spirited commemorations in Portsmouth, England, the main embarkation point for the transport boats that carried tens of thousands of soldiers to Normandy, each not knowing whether he would survive the day.

Leaders, veterans, their families and the grateful from France, Europe and elsewhere were present for the solemn day that began under a radiant sun.

At dawn, hundreds of people, civilians and military alike, hailing from around the world, gathered at the water's edge, remembering the troops who stormed the fortified Normandy beaches to help turn the tide of the war and give birth to a new Europe.

Dick Jansen, 60, from the Netherlands, drank Canadian whisky from an enamel cup on the water's edge. Others scattered carnations into the waves. Randall Atanay, a medic's son who tended the dying and injured, waded barefoot into the water near Omaha Beach — the first of five code-named beaches where the waters ran red the morning of June 6, 1944.

Up to 12,000 people gathered hours later at the ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery, where U.S. veterans, their numbers fast diminishing as years pass, were the guests of honor. They shared a giant stage with President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Macron is awarding five American vets with the Legion of honor, France's highest distinction.

Rows of white crosses and Stars of David where more than 9,380 of the fallen are buried stretched before the guests on a bluff overlooking Omaha Beach.

Britain's Prince Charles, his wife Camilla and Prime Minister Theresa May attended a service of remembrance at the medieval cathedral in Bayeux, the first Normandy town liberated by Allied troops after D-Day. Cardinal Marc Ouellet read a message from Pope Francis with a tribute for those who "gave their lives for freedom and peace."

At daybreak, a lone piper played in Mulberry Harbor, exactly 75 years after British troops came ashore at Gold Beach.

"It is sobering, surreal to be able to stand here on this beach and admire the beautiful sunrise where they came ashore, being shot at, facing unspeakable atrocities," said 44-year-old former U.S. paratrooper Richard Clapp, of Julian, North Carolina.

"Thank you to all those who were killed so that France could become free again," French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday, standing with British Prime Minister Theresa May and uniformed veterans overlooking Gold Beach.

They were taking part in a ceremony laying the cornerstone of a new memorial that will record the names of thousands of troops under British command who died on D-Day and ensuing Battle of Normandy.

"If one day can be said to have determined the fate of generations to come, in France, in Britain, in Europe and the world, that day was the 6th of June, 1944," May said.

"As the sun rose that morning," she said, not one of the thousands of men arriving in Normandy "knew whether they would still be alive when the sun set once again."

To the veterans, she said "the only words we can - thank you."

Norwegian Sigrid Flaata drove from Oslo in a 1942 restored jeep to honor the soldiers who died on D-Day. Belgian Filip Van Hecke called his journey a "small effort to pay homage."

Passing on memories is especially urgent, with hundreds of World War II veterans now dying every day.

A group of five Americans parachuted into Normandy on Wednesday as part of a commemorative jump, and showed up on the beach Thursday morning still wearing their jumpsuits, all World War II-era uniforms, and held an American flag. All five said they fear that the feats and sacrifices of D-Day are being forgotten.

"I have all kinds of friends buried," said William Tymchuk, 98, who served with the 4th Canadian Armored Division during some of the deadliest fighting of the brutal campaign after the Normandy landings.

"They were young. They got killed. They couldn't come home," Tymchuk, who was back in Normandy, continued.

"Sorry," he said, tearing up. "They couldn't even know what life is all about."

The biggest-ever air and seaborne invasion took place on D-Day, involving more than 150,000 troops that day itself and many more in the ensuing Battle of Normandy. Troops started landing overnight from the air, then were joined by a massive force by sea on the beaches code-named Omaha, Utah, Juno, Sword and Gold, carried by 7,000 boats.

In that defining moment of military strategy confounded by unpredictable weather and human chaos, soldiers from the U.S., Britain, Canada and other Allied nations applied relentless bravery to carve out a beachhead on ground that Nazi Germany had occupied for four years.

"The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to Victory," Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower predicted in his order of the day.

The Battle of Normandy, codenamed Operation Overlord, hastened Germany's defeat less than a year later.

Still, that single day cost the lives of 4,414 Allied troops, 2,501 of them Americans. More than 5,000 were injured. On the German side, several thousand were killed or wounded.

From there, Allied troops would advance their fight, take Paris in late summer and march in a race against the Soviet Red Army to control as much German territory as possible by the time Adolf Hitler died in his Berlin bunker and Germany surrendered in May 1945.

The Soviet Union also fought valiantly against the Nazis — and lost more people than any other nation in World War II — but those final battles would divide Europe for decades between the West and the Soviet-controlled East, the face-off line of the Cold War.

“The heroism, courage and sacrifice of those who lost their lives will never be forgotten,” said Queen Elizabeth, who was an army mechanic during World War II while her father George was king. “It is with humility and pleasure, on behalf of the entire country — indeed the whole free world — that I say to you all, thank you.” </s> President Donald Trump arrived in Britain on Monday for a largely ceremonial visit meant to strengthen ties between the two nations, but the trip was immediately at risk of being overshadowed by Brexit turmoil and a political feud with London's mayor.Even before Air Force One touched down north of London, Trump unleashed a Twitter tirade against London Mayor Sadiq Khan, leader of the world city where Trump will stay for two nights while partaking in a state visit full of pomp and circumstance.The move came after a newspaper column in which Khan said Trump did not deserve red-carpet treatment in Britain and was "one of the most egregious examples of a growing global threat" from the far-right to liberal democracy."@SadiqKhan, who by all accounts has done a terrible job as Mayor of London, has been foolishly "nasty" to the visiting President of the United States, by far the most important ally of the United Kingdom," Trump wrote just before landing. "He is a stone cold loser who should focus on crime in London, not me."The president added that Kahn reminded of the "terrible" mayor of his hometown, New York City Mayor Bill de Blaiso though "only half his height." De Blaiso, a Democrat, is a longshot candidate in the 2020 presidential race. Khan supporters have previously accused Trump of being racist against London's first Muslim mayor.The president then added a few warm words for his hosts, tweeting that he was looking forward "to being a great friend to the United Kingdom, and am looking very much forward to my visit."The Trumps then boarded Marine One, the presidential helicopter, for the trip from Stansted Airport to the center of Britain's capital.The agenda for Trump's weeklong journey is mostly ceremonial: a state visit and an audience with Queen Elizabeth II in London, D-Day commemoration ceremonies on both sides of the English Channel and his first presidential visit to Ireland, which will include a stay at his coastal golf club.But the U.S. president will arrive at a precarious moment, as he faces a fresh round of impeachment fervor back home and uncertainty on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. British Prime Minister Theresa May has faced months of political turmoil over Brexit and French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to use the 75th anniversary of the World War II battle that turned the tide on the Western Front to call for strengthening the multinational ties the U.S. president has frayed.A sense of deja vu quickly spread around London as Trump blasted British leaders.A year ago, Trump also took aim at his hosts before landing on English soil, blasting May in an interview just hours she hosted him for dinner. Though he has spared May so far this time, he has praised her rival, prime ministerial hopeful Boris Johnson, just days before May steps down as Conservative leader on Friday for failing to secure a Brexit deal."I think Boris would do a very good job. I think he would be excellent," Trump told The Sun. "I like him. I have always liked him. I don't know that he is going to be chosen, but I think he is a very good guy, a very talented person."It was not clear if the Trump endorsement would hurt or help Johnson's chances of becoming Britain's next leader.He also told the Sunday Times that Britain should "walk away" from Brexit talks and refuse to pay a 39 billion pound ($49 billion) divorce bill if it doesn't get better terms from the European Union. He said he might meet with another pro-Brexit politician, Nigel Farage, and claimed Farage should be given a role in the Brexit negotiations.After lunch with Queen Elizabeth II, Trump will be honored at extravagant state dinner at Buckingham Palace. Demonstrators are expected, including the possible return of an inflatable balloon depicting the president as a baby.And even some of the pageantry could have awkward moments. The formal tea hosted by Prince Charles brings together a future king who has warned repeatedly about the perils of climate change with a president who is actively dismantling U.S. policies designed to slow global warming.In an interview with The Sun, Trump weighed in on the American-born Duchess of Sussex. The former Meghan Markle, who gave birth to a son in May and will not attend the week's events, was critical of Trump in the past, prompting the president to tell the tabloid, "I didn't know that she was nasty."Trump said later that he thought Markle would be "very good" as a royal and claimed that he only meant her comments were "nasty."Trump will also make his first presidential visit to Ireland on Wednesday. Trump will spend two nights at his golf club in Doonbeg, which sits above the Atlantic. After Dublin balked at holding a meeting there, a deal was struck for Trump to meet Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar at Shannon Airport.The centerpiece of the president's visit will be two days to mark the 75th anniversary of the June 6, 1944, D-Day anniversary, likely the last significant commemoration most veterans of the battle will see. The anniversary events will begin in Portsmouth, England, where the invasion was launched, and then move to Normandy, France, where Allied forces began to recapture Western Europe from the Nazis.The day is normally a heartfelt tribute to unity and sacrifice, outweighing any national or political skirmish. But some on both sides of the Atlantic are nervous about Trump, who has shown a willingness to inject partisanship into such moments."My greatest hope is this: the president and all the leaders stay focused on the extraordinary heroism of that of D-Day and focusing on what brought allies to that position," said Heather Conley, senior vice president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "Dark clouds are forming once again in Europe, and rather than encourage those forces, we need to find much better tools to defeat them."On his most recent European visit, last November in France, Trump was heavily criticized for skipping a ceremony at an American military cemetery to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I when rain grounded his helicopter. European leaders, meanwhile, stood in the rain to honor the dead. </s> The world will turn its eyes Thursday to the beaches of Normandy, France, paying tribute to the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion and the few surviving veterans of that battle that changed the course of World War II.

For President Donald Trump, it is another moment to praise alliances and military service, on the heels of defending his decision not to serve in Vietnam. World leaders will gather in heartfelt tribute to alliance and sacrifice and a unified vow for enduring unity, outweighing any national or political skirmish of the moment.

Trump is expected to give a speech while touring the beaches and an American military cemetery in France. He stuck to the script Wednesday in the first of two days of D-Day tributes at a moving ceremony in Portsmouth, England, from which the 1944 invasion was launched.

Trump did his part with a 90-second recitation of some of the prayer that President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered to a worried nation just getting word of the fighting. The president, with images of an American flag and Roosevelt projected behind him, read to the crowd: "Almighty God, our sons, pride of our nation, this day, have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our republic, our religion and our civilization and to set free a suffering humanity."

The president sat in a VIP area between Queen Elizabeth II and first lady Melania Trump. Some 300 World War II veterans also attended the seaside ceremony. Trump joined in giving a standing ovation to a group of vets who appeared on stage as the commemoration began.

The queen provided the keynote address in unusually personal terms.

"When I attended the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings, some thought it might be the last such event. But the wartime generation, my generation, is resilient, and I am delighted to be with you in Portsmouth today," she said.

After the event, Trump visited with American World War II veterans who were among Allied troops on D-Day. But the ceremony came just hours after the broadcast of an interview in which he said he had no regrets about not serving in Vietnam because he "was not a fan of that war."

In the interview with Piers Morgan that aired Tuesday, Trump was asked if he wished he had served in Vietnam. "Well, I was never a fan of that war, I'll be honest with you. I thought it was a terrible war," Trump said. "I thought it was very far away."

Trump received a series of deferments to avoid serving in Vietnam, including one attained with a physician's letter stating that he suffered from bone spurs in his feet.

Trump spent Wednesday night at his golf course on Ireland's west coast.

He wanted to host the Irish prime minister there, while the government countered with the grand staging of an ancient castle. In the end, neither side got what they wanted. The compromise location for Trump's meeting Wednesday with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar was the VIP lounge at Shannon Airport, just down the hallway from the food court and duty-free shop.

And the meeting itself was more than just a warm handshake for the cameras, as the two broke sharply on what would be best for Ireland if the United Kingdom were to leave the European Union.

Varadkar has become a vociferous opponent of Brexit, a move Trump supports. Many in Ireland express worry that if the U.K. does leave, a "hard border" will return between Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is part of the U.K, potentially reigniting sectarian tension that lasted for decades and sometimes exploded into violence.

"Probably you'll ask me about Brexit because I just left some very good people who are very involved with Brexit, as you know," Trump said in the leaders' meeting. "And I think it will all work out very well, and also for you with your wall, your border."

Varadkar quickly retorted, "I think one thing we want to avoid, of course, is a wall or border between us." </s> U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Britain on Monday for a largely ceremonial visit meant to strengthen ties between the two nations, but the trip was immediately at risk of being overshadowed by Brexit turmoil and a political feud with London’s mayor.

Even before Air Force One touched down north of London, Trump unleashed a Twitter tirade against London Mayor Sadiq Khan, leader of the world city where Trump will stay for two nights while partaking in a state visit full of pomp and circumstance.

READ MORE: Trump denies calling Meghan Markle ‘nasty’. Here are his exact words

The move came after a newspaper column in which Khan said Trump did not deserve red-carpet treatment in Britain and was “one of the most egregious examples of a growing global threat” from the far-right to liberal democracy.

“@SadiqKhan, who by all accounts has done a terrible job as Mayor of London, has been foolishly “nasty” to the visiting President of the United States, by far the most important ally of the United Kingdom,” Trump wrote just before landing. “He is a stone cold loser who should focus on crime in London, not me.

The president added that Kahn reminded of the “terrible” mayor of his hometown, New York City Mayor Bill de Blaiso though “only half his height.” De Blaiso, a Democrat, is a longshot candidate in the 2020 presidential race. Khan supporters have previously accused Trump of being racist against London’s first Muslim mayor.

The president then added a few warm words for his hosts, tweeting that he was looking forward “to being a great friend to the United Kingdom, and am looking very much forward to my visit.”

The Trumps then boarded Marine One, the presidential helicopter, for the trip from Stansted Airport to the centre of Britain’s capital.

WATCH: Trump ruffles feathers ahead of UK visit with comments on Meghan Markle and PM race

The agenda for Trump’s weeklong journey is mostly ceremonial: a state visit and an audience with Queen Elizabeth II in London, D-Day commemoration ceremonies on both sides of the English Channel and his first presidential visit to Ireland, which will include a stay at his coastal golf club.

But the U.S. president will arrive at a precarious moment, as he faces a fresh round of impeachment fervour back home and uncertainty on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. British Prime Minister Theresa May has faced months of political turmoil over Brexit and French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to use the 75th anniversary of the World War II battle that turned the tide on the Western Front to call for strengthening the multinational ties the U.S. president has frayed.

A sense of deja vu quickly spread around London as Trump blasted British leaders.

A year ago, Trump also took aim at his hosts before landing on English soil, blasting May in an interview just hours she hosted him for dinner. Though he has spared May so far this time, he has praised her rival, prime ministerial hopeful Boris Johnson, just days before May steps down as Conservative leader on Friday for failing to secure a Brexit deal.

READ MORE: Trump says angry baby blimp flying over London makes him feel ‘unwelcome’

“I think Boris would do a very good job. I think he would be excellent,” Trump told The Sun. “I like him. I have always liked him. I don’t know that he is going to be chosen, but I think he is a very good guy, a very talented person.”

It was not clear if the Trump endorsement would hurt or help Johnson’s chances of becoming Britain’s next leader.

He also told the Sunday Times that Britain should “walk away” from Brexit talks and refuse to pay a 39 billion pound ($49 billion) divorce bill if it doesn’t get better terms from the European Union. He said he might meet with another pro-Brexit politician, Nigel Farage, and claimed Farage should be given a role in the Brexit negotiations.

After lunch with Queen Elizabeth II, Trump will be honoured at extravagant state dinner at Buckingham Palace. Demonstrators are expected, including the possible return of an inflatable balloon depicting the president as a baby.

WATCH: London mayor says city should not ‘be rolling out the red carpet’ for Trump on state visit

And even some of the pageantry could have awkward moments. The formal tea hosted by Prince Charles brings together a future king who has warned repeatedly about the perils of climate change with a president who is actively dismantling U.S. policies designed to slow global warming.

In an interview with The Sun, Trump weighed in on the American-born Duchess of Sussex. The former Meghan Markle, who gave birth to a son in May and will not attend the week’s events, was critical of Trump in the past, prompting the president to tell the tabloid, “I didn’t know that she was nasty.”

Trump said later that he thought Markle would be “very good” as a royal and claimed that he only meant her comments were “nasty.”

Trump will also make his first presidential visit to Ireland on Wednesday. Trump will spend two nights at his golf club in Doonbeg, which sits above the Atlantic. After Dublin balked at holding a meeting there, a deal was struck for Trump to meet Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar at Shannon Airport.

WATCH: London, UK prepares for arrival of Trump for state visit

The centerpiece of the president’s visit will be two days to mark the 75th anniversary of the June 6, 1944, D-Day anniversary, likely the last significant commemoration most veterans of the battle will see. The anniversary events will begin in Portsmouth, England, where the invasion was launched, and then move to Normandy, France, where Allied forces began to recapture Western Europe from the Nazis.

The day is normally a heartfelt tribute to unity and sacrifice, outweighing any national or political skirmish. But some on both sides of the Atlantic are nervous about Trump, who has shown a willingness to inject partisanship into such moments.

“My greatest hope is this: the president and all the leaders stay focused on the extraordinary heroism of that of D-Day and focusing on what brought allies to that position,” said Heather Conley, senior vice-president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “Dark clouds are forming once again in Europe, and rather than encourage those forces, we need to find much better tools to defeat them.”

On his most recent European visit, last November in France, Trump was heavily criticized for skipping a ceremony at an American military cemetery to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I when rain grounded his helicopter. European leaders, meanwhile, stood in the rain to honour the dead. </s> Have your say

DONALD Trump is coming to Portsmouth in just a few days.

The US President and the First Lady have been invited for a formal State Visit by the Queen.

Buckingham Palace confirmed that they had invited Trump to visit the UK in June, while the White House confirmed that he would be coming to Portsmouth as part of the trip.

Here's what you need to know:

The President has been invited to the UK in June.

In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: ‘The President of the United States of America, President Donald J Trump, accompanied by Mrs Melania Trump, has accepted an invitation from Her Majesty The Queen to pay a State Visit to the United Kingdom from Monday 3rd June to Wednesday 5th June 2019.’

President Trump will come to Portsmouth on June 5, the White House announced.

When does he arrive in UK?

President Trump will arrive tomorrow – June 3. And will visit Portsmouth two days later on Wednesday.

Where will he arrive?

The President will be bringing Air Force One with him when he visits UK this week.

Although it hasn’t been confirmed, it is expected that he will land at London Stansted Airport.

READ MORE: White House confirms Donald Trump will visit Portsmouth for D-Day 75th anniversary

Why is he coming to Portsmouth?

The leader of the free world will be in our great city on June 5 for the D-Day anniversary ceremony - to make the 75th anniversary of the Normandy landings.

A White House spokesman said: ‘This state visit will reaffirm the steadfast and special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom.

‘In addition to meeting the Queen, the President will participate in a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May.

‘While in the United Kingdom, the President and First Lady will attend a ceremony in Portsmouth to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of D-Day, at one of the primary embarkation sites for the Allied operation that led to the liberation of Europe during World War II.’

What preparations are being made?

Huge solid fencing has been set up on Southsea Common as part of the visit on June 5.

The fencing will stretch around the entirety of the common from Pier Road to the Pyramids Centre.

Anyone entering will be subjected to security checks before being able to watch the ceremony on large TV screens inside.

Road closures are also in place for the ceremony – you can see the full list here.

What has the reaction been like?

Portsmouth City Council leader Gerald Vernon-Jackson has some very strong words after it was announced that Trump would be coming to the city on June 5.

The outraged leader said: ‘We don’t want to see Trump in Portsmouth.

‘His visit has changed things dramatically for D-Day 75 and has ruined things for the people of Portsmouth.’

READ MORE: Donald Trump ‘not welcome in Portsmouth’ says outraged leader of Portsmouth City Council

However Portsmouth’s Tory leader, Councillor Donna Jones had more positive words to say about the presidential visit.

She said: ‘For many of the veterans, having the President of America attend the event will bring international focus to this global commemoration and present a once in a lifetime opportunity for the veterans.’

Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan has also weighed in on the upcoming visit from President Trump.

He said: ‘Our city should rightly be proud to be the national focal point for the D-Day 75 commemorations this June. The world’s attention will be on Portsmouth.

‘I have been lobbying the government and writing to the Prime Minister urging her to support Portsmouth in making the best of the commemorations for our veterans.

‘I find it deeply saddening that the Government can’t find money for our brave veterans, but it can find money to give Mr. Trump a state ceremony.'

Will there be any protests?

There are likely to be protests during Donald Trumps’s state visit.

Earlier this month Stand up to Racism Portsmouth hosted a meeting in Fratton to discuss protests for the US president’s visit.

What do you think of President Trump’s visit to Portsmouth? Are you for or against it?
President of France Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Theresa May, Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau and President of the United States Donald Trump mark the 75th Anniversary of D-Day in Normandy, France, paying tribute to Allied World War II veterans.