Summary
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France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, has appealed directly to Donald Trump to fulfil the “promise of Normandy” by embracing pillars of the postwar peace such as the European Union and Nato as the two leaders marked the D-day landings 75 years ago.
In a speech that trod a fine diplomatic line, Macron offered both sincere expressions of gratitude for the valour of US troops in the second world war and vehement calls for the White House to re-engage with the principles of multilateralism.
Speaking at the American cemetery and memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer, Macron repeatedly name-checked Trump, even at times turning to face the US president who was sitting behind him. - Trump praised America’s “exceptional might” and warned it would “forever be strong”. He said US soldiers who liberated France were “sustained by the confidence that America can do anything. The exceptional might came from a truly exceptional spirit.”
- Macron and Trump presented Legion d’Honneur medals, France’s highest honour, to five American D-day veterans.Speaking in English Macron said: “For what we owe to you veterans, our freedom, on behalf of my nation, I just want to say thank you.”
- Ceremonies for the 75th anniversary of D-day began at 7.26am local time when a lone piper marked the minute the invasion began 75 years ago at Arromanches overlooking Gold beach.Pipe Major Trevor Macey-Lillie, of 19th Regiment Royal Artillery performed Highland Laddie as crowds gathered on the beach below.
- Pope Francis sent a message of thanks to the veterans that was read out at a service at Bayeux cathedral. He said: “I express the hope that this commemoration event will allow all the generations in Europe, and the whole world, to strongly reassert that peace is based on the respect of each person, whatever his or her background.”
- Theresa May paid tribute to the sense of duty shown by those who took part in the Normandy landings at a service at Ver-Sur-Mer. In one of her last duties as prime minister she said: “They didn’t boast, they didn’t fuss, they served. They did their duty, as they laid down their lives, so that we might have a better life and build a better world.”
- Macron thanked May for the work she had done as prime minister. “We can be proud of the results achieved,” he told her.
Vladimir Putin has brushed off his lack of an invite to the commemorations marking the 75th anniversary of D-Day, saying he has “a lot business to do” in Russia.
Speaking in St Petersburg on Thursday as world leaders gathered in Normandy to mark the occasion, Putin said:
We do not invite everyone to every event, so why should I be necessarily invited somewhere?
Am I a person to be present at every event? I have a lot business to do here in Russia. But if we are imagining conspiracy theories, maybe western leaders wanted to have their own chit chat before having some contact with us.
That doesn’t really matter. What matters is the truth about the history and about this horrible tragedy that happened to humanity during the Second World War. This is something we should always remember.
As usual, there has also been some online back and forth on Twitter, particularly around a comment from Russia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry that D-Day “was not a game changer” for the Second World War.
Here’s one take on that tweet:
Tell you what was also a game-changer - the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. https://t.co/I751LsWoUn
— Gabriel Milland (@gabrielmilland) June 6, 2019
Updated
Simon Jenkins has written a piece for the Guardian in which he argues that we now risk drawing the wrong lesson from D-day “strong alliances and massive armies” are vital to defend freedoms.
The dangers to British security now lie a thousand miles from the beaches of Normandy. They lie in digital hacking, the corrupting of democracy and the seduction of proxy wars. These dangers are not met by jet fighters or giant carriers like HMS Queen Elizabeth that muscled in on the Portsmouth celebrations. Britain is not under serious threat. Such risks as it faces demand intelligent policing rather than traditional soldiering. They need brains, not bravery.
The truth is that history can be found to teach any lesson you want. But when it is fuelled by the emotions of war it is likely to teach the wrong one. Maybe the memories of past wars ought to insulate us against their repetition. But they do not. We should now put the 20th century behind us, and get stuck into the 21st.
Read on
Macron went on to address new troops from the French special forces who were present, and who officially received their green berets.
Gautier and Macron presented the first berets to the cohort of troops, part of the Commandos Marine, an elite special operations unit of the French Navy. As recently as last month, two of their number were killed during a daring rescue operation that freed four tourists kidnapped in West Africa.
Warning the newest recruits during his speech to remain vigilant against the “forces of ignorance” which remained a threat today, Macron had asked the troops to remember that they were “born” in the sacrifice of the Kieffer commandos of D-Day.
Updated
Today, on this beach which is at the heart of an epic story, France bows before the 177 heroes of the Kieffer commando and the other veterans of D-Day, Macron added.
The president singled out Leon Gautier, one of three surviving commandos and the only one present at the event. Two other survivors were unable to attend.
Everyone here remembers Gautier’s friendship with a German veteran of Normandy, Johannes Borner, who he famously embraced in the past.
Their friendship symbolised the Franco-German reconciliation, added Macron, who gave a commitment to protect “the principles” of Gautier.
If you’d like to know more about the relationship mentioned by Macron in his speech, here’s a Reuters piece from 2014 about Gautier’s friendship with Borner:
Time and understanding have forged a bond between the former French elite commando and the German parachutist from Leipzig, who as neighbors in the Normandy town of Ouistreham celebrated Christmas together in 2012, and will both attend ceremonies next month marking the 70th anniversary of D-Day.
“We’re like brothers now, it’s just great for both of us,” said Boerner, who took French citizenship in 1956 after marrying a local Norman woman.
It is one of the vagaries of history that both men live today in the same town where Gautier landed on D-Day, Tommy gun in hand and a year of training under his belt, one of Commander Philippe Kieffer’s 177 French soldiers who battled the machine gun fire, landmines and barbed wire of Sword Beach as part of the No. 4 British Commando unit.
Macron addresses official French event at Colleville - Montgomery
Macron has been addressing the event at Colleville - Montgomery, where he has told veterans and others that the Free French ‘warriors’ who took part in the D-Day operations were a “powerful symbol.”
“Though they were not that many these French heroes were everywhere, pilots, sailors, parachutists landing in Brittany,” he said of the broader French presence during the landings by sea and air.
The French ‘Kieffer’ commandos made progress “against all odds” after landing carrying heavy bakcpacks and immediately coming under fire. After hours and hours of combat they neutralised the initial German fortifications and moved on towards Pegasus Bridge.
They managed 78 days without being relieved, he added.
Macron added that everything relied on “a thread of courage” which started to bring the Nazi occupation of France to an end.
Macron has now arrived at a ceremony in Colleville - Montgomery to remember French commandos who were in action on D-Day:
75 ans du #Débarquement en #Normandie : Emmanuel et Brigitte Macron sont arrivés sur les lieux de l'hommage au commando #Kieffer, à Colleville-Montgomery, la Marseillaise est jouée.
— LCI (@LCI) June 6, 2019
📺 Notre direct #DDay75 > https://t.co/fOTFZLFm6o pic.twitter.com/lLZI9XzBK0
The France 24 website has this interesting piece on the Free French ‘Kieffer’ commando unit, a total of 177 of whom landed on beaches of Normandy:
Kieffer, working with General Charles De Gaulle, wanted to create an elite unit like the ones he had seen in Britain. The French marines were sent to Scotland to train with British Special Forces, with some of the training exercises including live rounds.
At the end of their training, the French soldiers were rewarded with the famed British green beret, which is reserved for this elite body of soldiers. When the Kieffer Commando’s arrived -- after previous missions -- in Normandy, they were given the honour of firing the first shots in accordance with military tradition.
The Guardian’s Caroline Davies has filed this dispatch from Normandy, where she watched earlier as hundreds of veterans, “blue-blazered and with their chest-bars weighted with medals,” sat before the Cross of Sacrifice at Bayeux military cemetery:
Their numbers are fewer now. Age is defeating them. But as Royal British Legion standards dipped in respect, and the buglers’ Last Post heralded a two-minute silence broken only by birdsong, they stood, or sat, as straight as their advanced years permitted.
Bayeux, the first city to be liberated, is the last resting place of more than 4,100 Commonwealth servicemen.
Hundreds of people made clear their gratitude, lining the city’s cobbled streets as veterans made their way to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery.
Read on
The French President, Emmanuel Macron, has tweeted his address to veterans earlier in Ver-sur-Mer : “We know what we owe to you veterans. Our freedom. On behalf of our nation I just want to say thank you”
To you, veterans. pic.twitter.com/JpTX8aWJKY
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) June 6, 2019
Among the veterans arriving for the service in Arromanches was 93-year-old Harry Billinge, who is on a final pilgrimage to Normandy to see how thousands of pounds he raised is helping the construction of a national memorial honouring his fallen comrades.
He handed over more than 10,000 to the Normandy Memorial Trust after relentlessly collecting donations in his local high street and Arromanches.
As an 18-year-old Royal Engineer from St Austell in Cornwall, he landed on Gold Beach at 6.30am on June 6 1944 as part of the first wave of troops.
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 before the service in Arromanches.
Scottish veterans and leaders commemorate
Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has tweeted about being present earlier at the service of remembrance at Bayeux Cathedral and a commemorative service at the Commonwealth War Grave Commission’s Bayeux war cemetery.
What a privilege today in Bayeux to meet 95 year old John from Dumfries. He was shot through the arm as he landed on Sword beach on D-Day. We owe so much to John and his generation. #DDay75 pic.twitter.com/lkfrD9xRXO
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) June 6, 2019
Scottish D-Day veterans who were present included Jack Adamson, 100, from Falkirk said:
I lost a few pals, it’s them that should be getting the glory - if that’s the right word.”
It does not bear thinking about if you’ve not seen it. (Commemorations like today) are very important, because it lets the younger generations know what the lads went through.
The boat we were on did not get into the shore, so they put rope ladders down the side of the ship and we climbed into the sea.
It was alright if you were 6ft tall, but I was 5ft 5ins. You had your rifle above your head, your backpack on, you had two live grenades in each pack - it was quite a struggle to get to the beach.
D-Day veteran Jack MacMillan, 101, from Edinburgh, who was a major in the Royal Artillery, said he will never forget that day:
You’re full of awe, first of all, of what is going on. Then you have moments where a shell just misses you or something and you are grateful to be still here - that it’s one that missed you.
At the end of the day, you’re doing a job and the objective is to achieve what you set out to do. The Normandy experience is one that one can never possibly forget.
The Scottish Conservative leader, Ruth Davidson has also been remembering:
75 years ago 156,115 young men huddled onto landing craft, arrived in Normandy. They waded through sea and blood and fallen comrades to make towards the sound of the guns. Their courage secured our freedom. #DDay75 pic.twitter.com/B3AGOSVGt8
— Ruth Davidson (@RuthDavidsonMSP) June 6, 2019
Veterans and others in Arromanches have just been listening to the exhortation to remember the fallen.
A bugler then played the last post as flags were lowered, before veterans stepped forward to lay wreaths.
On the beach meanwhile, those vehicles which came in to the town earlier have been gathering.
#Gold Beach, #Arromanches, 75th anniversary of #DDay ...
— Gavin Lee (@GavinLeeBBC) June 6, 2019
There are hundreds of #British veterans here now, no longer thousands.
‘Re-enactors’ taking to the beach too, paying their own tributes 75 years on. pic.twitter.com/j2wwfVJDg7
Here’s an interesting tweet remembering that it wasn’t just men who landed at Arromanches 75 years ago. Those coming ashore included 60 Free French women’s volunteers who were integrated within the 30th British Army Corps.
Il y a 75 ans, le 25 juin 1944, 60 volontaires féminines de la France Libre débarquaient près d’Arromanches Intégrées au sein du 30ème corps d’armée britannique, ces 60 femmes faisaient partie de la Mission Militaire française de Liaison Administrative crée du Général de Gaulle pic.twitter.com/tHzwhcv8q0
— association des habitants de narbonne-plage (@DesPlage) June 6, 2019
Updated
Arromanches service starts
We shudder to think of what Europe would look like if D-Day had failed, the event in Arromanches has just been told by General Sir Richard Dannatt, the former head of the British Army.
He has handed over to the Mayor of the town now is welcoming thousands to its main square. Many of them are veterans who have travelled across the channel in the last couple of days.
Many of those in the town are in period dress but there have also been vehicles from the conflict making their way in as well.
Updated
A service start is about to start in Arromanches, the famous location of the Mulberry Harbours which were towed across the channel.
Veterans are due to arrive from the ceremony at Bayeux cemetery. Among those present in Arromanches is Tobias Ellwood, the minister for Defence People and Veterans.
This is Ben Quinn picking up the liveblog from Matt.
France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, has appealed directly to Donald Trump to fulfil the “promise of Normandy” by embracing pillars of the postwar peace such as the European Union and Nato as the two leaders marked the D-day landings 75 years ago.
In a speech that trod a fine diplomatic line, Macron offered both sincere expressions of gratitude for the valour of US troops in the second world war and vehement calls for the White House to re-engage with the principles of multilateralism.
Speaking in front of 15,000 people gathered at the American cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, the resting place for 9,387 US troops killed in the Normandy campaign, Macron repeatedly name-checked Trump, even at times turning to face the US president who was sitting behind him.
Updated
Royal Marine Robert Williams, 94, from Chelmsford, gave Theresa May a kiss on the cheek after meeting her in the marquee at Bayeux Cemetery, PA reports.
Williams was an 18-year-old commando in a landing craft that reached Sword Beach on D-day.
“We landed ashore and then moved through the land,” he said.
“I went all the the way through to Germany and I didn’t get a scratch. The Lord was watching over me.”
When asked about his meeting withs May, he said: “She came over and said ‘pleased to meet you’.
“She said ‘thank you for what you have done’. I kissed her - why not? It is not everyone that can do that. “I took her by the arms and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She said ‘ooh, thank you’.”
A parade of British D-day veterans is underway in Arromanches overlooking the Gold beach.
The veterans were applauded by the crowd as they arrived. Tobias Ellwood, the minister for Defence People and Veterans, is among those in Arromanches to greet the veterans.
At the start of talks with Macron in Caen, Trump stressed that although the US-France relationship might have had its ups and downs in the past, “right now it is outstanding.”
Macron added that the allied unity of D-day – the “promise of Normandy” - lived on in France and the US’s joint action to “preserve democracy and freedom” particularly in Africa and the Middle East. He spoke of unbreakable links between the two countries.
Before Trump and Macron sat down to 30 minutes of talks alone, both presidents were asked about their differences on how to handle Iran and the nuclear proliferation treaty.
Trump said he didn’t think the two countries had difference on Iran. Neither France or the US wanted Iran to have nuclear weapons, he added. He said Iran was once “undisputed champions of terror” adding “they are not doing that anymore, they are doing very poorly as a nation, they are failing as a nation and I don’t want them to fail as a nation. We can turn that around very quickly.”
He said the US sanctions had been “extraordinary in how powerful they had been.” He said I understand they want to talk, that’s fine. “But they can’t have nuclear weapons and I think the president of France would agree with that very strongly.”
Macron added: “We share the same objectives on Iran. What do we want? First, they don’t get nuclear weapons...Second, we want to reduce their ballistic activity, third, to contain them regionally. The fourth common objective, after all, is peace in the region. We want to deliver those objectives together. That is the point and all the other debates are about technicalities.”
On Franco-American relations, Macron said to Trump:
I’m always extremely happy to discuss with you in Washington, in Paris or anywhere. We work very closely together, our soldiers work very closely together ... Each time, freedom and democracy is at stake. We work closely together, and we will follow it. So thanks for the friendship, thanks for what your country did for my country. And thanks for what we will do together for both of us and the rest of the world. Thank you.
Trump replied:
We’ve had great success working together to whether it’s the caliphate, whether it was a couple of other things we did militarily, and you know what I’m talking about, and your military is excellent. My people report back, they say it’s absolutely excellent, but they work very well together. This was a very special day. And I want to thank you for inviting me ...
We know what a lot of other people don’t know, we’re doing a lot together. And the relationship between you and I and also France and the United States has been outstanding. I don’t think it’s ever been maybe as good. It’s been good sometimes and sometimes it hasn’t been, but right now it’s outstanding. So the relationship that we’ve had together has been really terrific. And I appreciate it very much. Thank you, Mr. President.
Trump and Macron downplayed their differences on Iran.
Trump said:
I don’t think we have differences over Iran. I don’t think that the President wants to see nuclear weapons, and neither do I. And that’s what it’s all about. He doesn’t want to see them having nuclear weapons. And I don’t want to see them having a nuclear weapons and they won’t have nuclear weapons.
With that being said, you know, let’s see what happens with Iran. But when I became president, two and a half years ago, now more, Iran was in a true state of terror. They still are, but they were undisputed champions of terror. And that’s a bad thing.
And we had 14 different locations where they were fighting ... between Yemen, Syria, but many other locations and many other battle sites. And it was all about Iran, they were behind every one of them. They’re not doing that anymore. They’re doing very poorly as a nation. They’re failing as a nation, and I don’t want them to fail as a nation. They can, we can turn that around very quickly. But the sanctions have been extraordinary how, how powerful they’ve been. And other things. I understand they want to talk and if they want to talk, that’s fine. We’ll, we’ll talk but the one thing that they can’t have is they can’t have nuclear weapons. And I think the President of France would agree with that very strongly. I think that he would agree that they cannot have nuclear weapons.
Macron said:
I think we do share the same objectives on Iran, what do we want to do? First, you want to be sure they don’t nuclear weapons.
I mean, we had an instrument in 2025, we want to go further and have full certainty on the long run. Second, we want to reduce ballistic activity. And third, we want to contain the regional activities.
And we have a fourth common objective: peace in the region.
So we have to deliver together this four objectives.
This is the point and all the other debates are the technicalities. In order to build that you need to start a negotiation. And I see the word formed by President Trump is that they are very important. We need to open a new negotiation in order to build and to get these four objectives.
Trump and Macron have given a press conference in Caen.
Trump said he was confident that Brexit will “all work out” and said he now feels he knows the Queen very well after spending so many hours with her.
Asked about Brexit he said:
That’s really going to be between the UK and the European Union. And they’re working very hard. I know they’re working very hard together, it doesn’t seem to be working out. But at some point, something will happen one way or the other, it’ll all work out.
But I’m interested to find out how it happens also. Very big will be who’s going to be the new prime minister, over in the UK, that’s going to be a very big thing that’s happening now.
So I think before you can think in terms of Brexit, for the next few weeks, you’re gonna have to find out what happens who’s going to be the new leader. And that’s a very interesting situation taking place.
I found it to be a very, sort of an amazing period of time, especially having spent so much time with the Queen who I think is an incredible lady. But I spent so much time and, you know, there’s a lot of question marks as to who’s going to be leading. And so it’s very interesting talking to her being with her so many hours, actually, for so many, I feel I know so well. And she certainly knows me very well, right now. But we have a very good relationship also with the United Kingdom. But it’ll all work out.
Earlier Trump said:
We had a very, very good talk with the United Kingdom and a lot of good talks on trade. And you know what’s going on over there. It’s a complex subject because of Brexit. Nobody knows where it ends up. And I know it’s going to end up very well.
Updated
Fox News contributor and former Republican presidential candidate, Mike Huckabee, is being widely criticised for this tactless tweet:
Governor, perhaps you might like to read this tweet from the German embassy in London. https://t.co/5vCpkJlo1g #DDAY75
— James Landale (@BBCJLandale) June 6, 2019
Delete your account you absolute disgrace
— Anna Turley MP (@annaturley) June 6, 2019
Updated
In his speech, Trump’s reference to the French Resistance - “these were great people, these were strong people” - is important.
The focus of D-day commemorations has traditionally been the bravery of American, British, Canadian and other Allied forces, who land in Nazi-occupied France.
Macron has this year sought to put French people back at the heart of a story they had sometimes seemed written out of.
There has been a particular focus on telling the stories of the French Resistance’s role in preparing the ground for D-day and thwarting Nazi troops – including the vital intelligence support, the disinformation campaign to thwart Nazi defence lines and the sabotage of transport and communication lines.
Macron had led a commemoration at Caen prison on Wednesday night to mark the “spirit of the Resistance” honouring the memory of 85 French Resistant operatives who had taken part in preparations and were executed just before D-day – the remains of 20 of them were never found.
In the Normandy town of Caen, roads were closed off as Macron and Trump were due to arrive at local government buildings to sit down for 30 minutes of talks alone, followed by a lunch with their diplomatic teams.
The French Republican Guard was in place to greet Trump on the red carpet. The two leaders will discuss security, defence and terrorism, including joint military operations in west Africa.
Difficult subjects on the table will be Iran and the 2015 nuclear treaty as well as global trade and tariffs. A French official said: “The aim is for us to restate our positions and to better understand their positions.
After Macron's resolute commemoration speech this morning urging Donald Trump to live up to the "promise of Normandy" and praising multilateralism, the two presidents are about to begin 30 mins of talks alone in Caen, before a lunch with advisors
— Angelique Chrisafis (@achrisafis) June 6, 2019
Updated
Macron and Trump departed the ceremony together with their wives at 12:45 PM local, writes White House pool reporter Gabby Orr from Politico.
They processed back down the red carpet, stopping halfway down for the 21-gun salute. Luckily, pool had earplugs on hand.
The two leaders proceeded down the carpet at the salute’s conclusion, chatting along the way. They made their way to an overlook along the coastline, where they paused for a rendition of Taps and a moment of silence.
The two leaders stayed there for several minutes to view a map of the D-Day invasion, which a docent explained to them. Trump listened intently, placing his knuckles on the map as though it were a boardroom table. He and Macron turned around and chatted a bit more as they watched a series of flyovers.
Summary
Here’s a summary of what’s happened so far:
- Emmanuel Macron has urged Donald Trump to live up to the promise of Normandy and the values of America’s founding fathers. At a speech at the American cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, Macron said: “Being worthy of the promise of Normandy means never forgetting that free people, when they join forces can surmount any adversity.” He also pointedly praised the UN, Nato and the EU – all organisations that Trump has criticised.
- Trump praised America’s “exceptional might” and warned it would “forever be strong”. He said US soldiers who liberated France were “sustained by the confidence that America can do anything. The exceptional might came from a truly exceptional spirit.”
- Macron and Trump presented Legion d’Honneur medals, France’s highest honour, to five American D-day veterans. Speaking in English Macron said: “For what we owe to you veterans, our freedom, on behalf of my nation, I just want to say thank you.”
- Ceremonies for the 75th anniversary of D-day began at 7.26am local time when a lone piper marked the minute the invasion began 75 years ago at Arromanches overlooking Gold beach. Pipe Major Trevor Macey-Lillie, of 19th Regiment Royal Artillery performed Highland Laddie as crowds gathered on the beach below.
- Pope Francis sent a message of thanks to the veterans that was read out at a service at Bayeux cathedral. He said: “I express the hope that this commemoration event will allow all the generations in Europe, and the whole world, to strongly reassert that peace is based on the respect of each person, whatever his or her background.”
- Theresa May paid tribute to the sense of duty shown by those who took part in the Normandy landings at a service at Ver-Sur-Mer. In one of her last duties as prime minister she said: “They didn’t boast, they didn’t fuss, they served. They did their duty, as they laid down their lives, so that we might have a better life and build a better world.”
- Macron thanked May for the work she had done as prime minister. “We can be proud of the results achieved,” he told her.
A difference in style emerged at end of the ceremony at the American cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy.
After the respective speeches, the Macrons threw themselves into the crowd of veterans sitting behind them to shake hands and listen to stories.
The Trumps meanwhile offered only a few handshakes before standing to the side of the stage to wait for the French President and his wife to finish.
The Trumps were left waiting for some time before both couples walked down to a point in the cemetery directly overlooking Omaha beach.
Macron to Trump: 'live up to the promise of Normandy'
While the speeches from both Macron and Trump stressed their respective countries’ gratitude to those who fought in D-day and the wider Normandy campaign, the French president’s comments were overly political.
At times he appeared to be directly appealing to Trump to live up to the ‘promise of Normandy’ and even the values of the founding fathers of the USA.
He said:
“Dear Donald Trump, the United States is never greater than when it is fighting for the freedom of others.
“The United States of America is never greater than when it shows its loyalty. Loyalty to the universal values that the founding fathers defended, when nearly two and a half centuries ago France came to support its independence.
“What we owe you is to show ourselves worthy of the heritage of peace that you have left us.
“Being worthy of the promise of Normandy means never forgetting that free people, when they join forces can surmount any adversity.”
Trump was repeatedly name checked in a speech that made reference to the European Union and Nato, both objects of criticism from the US president, as part of the legacy to be protected.
Macron said:
We shall never cease to perpetuate the alliance of free peoples.
That is what the victorious sides did, when they created the United Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
That is what a few years later the leaders of Europe did in bringing about the European Union. The lessons of Colleville-sur-mer are clear: liberty and democracy are inseparable.”
Updated
Trump praises America's 'exceptional might'
Trump ended his speech by praising America’s “exceptional might” and how the US will “forever be strong”.
He said:
They battled not for control and domination. But for liberty, democracy and self rule. They pressed on for love, home and country, the main streets, the school yards, the churches, and neighbours, the families and communities that gave us men such as these.
They were sustained by the confidence that America can do anything. Because we are a noble nation, with a virtuous people praying to a righteous God.
The exceptional might came from a truly exceptional spirit. The abundance of courage came from an abundance of faith.
The great deeds of an army came from the great depths of their love. As they confronted their faith, the Americans and the allies placed themselves into the palm of God’s hand.
The men behind me will tell you that they are just the lucky ones. As one of them recently put it all the heroes are buried here. But we know what these men did. We knew how brave they were.
They came here and saved freedom. And then they went home and showed us all what freedom is all about.
The American sons and daughters who saw us to victory were no less extraordinary in peace. They build families. They built industries. They built a national culture that inspired the entire world. In the decades that followed, America defeated Communism, secured civil rights, revolutionise science, launched a man to the moon, and then kept on pushing to new frontiers. And today, America is stronger than ever before.
Seven decades ago, the warriors of the day fought a sinister enemy who spoke of 1,000 year Empire. in defeating that evil, they left a legacy that will last not only for 1,000 years, but for all time.
For as long as the soul knows of duty and honour, for as long as freedom keeps its hold on the human heart. For the men who sit behind me, and to the boys who rest in the field before me. Your examples will never, ever grow old. Your Spirit, brave, unyielding and true, will never die.
The blood that they spilled, the tears that they shed. The lives that they gave the sacrifice that they made, did not just win a battle. It did not just win a war.
Those who fought here won a future for our nation. They won the survival of our civilization. And they showed us the way to love, cherish and defend our way of life for many centuries to come.
Today as we stand together upon this sacred earth we pledge that our nation will forever be strong and united.
We will forever ever be together. Our people will forever be bold.
Our hearts will forever be loyal. And our children and their children will forever and always be free.
May God bless our great veterans. May God bless our allies. May God bless the heroes of D-day. And may God bless America.
Meanwhile, a service has begun at the Commonwealth cemetery in Bayeux. Prince Charles and Theresa May are among the those attending.
His Royal Highness Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Britsh Prime Minister, Theresa May arrive at the @CWGC's Bayeux War Cemetery. #DDay75 #WW2 pic.twitter.com/sQ5NMoolBW
— WarGravesCommission (@CWGC) June 6, 2019
Trump continued by highlighting the contributions of individual soldiers.
This beach, code named Omaha, was defended by the Nazis with monstrous fire power, thousands and thousands of mines and spikes driven into the sand so deeply. It was here that tens of thousands of the Americans came. The GIs who boarded the landing craft that morning knew that they carried on their shoulders not just the pack of a soldier but the fate of the world.
Colonel George Taylor, whose 16th InfantryRegiment would join in the first wave, was asked, “What would happen if the Germans stopped? Right then and there, stopped them, what would happen?” The great American replied: “The 18th infantry is coming in behind. The 26th Infantry will come on too. Then there is the 2ndInfantry Division already afloat. And the 9th Division and the 3rd Armoured and all the rest. Maybe the 16th won’t make it but someone will.”
One of those men in Taylor’s 16th Regiment was army medic Ray Lambert. Ray was only 23 but he had already earned three Purple Hearts fighting in North Africa, where he and his brother Bill served side-by-side. In the early morning hours, the two brothers stood together on the deck after the USS Enricho before boarding two separate Higgins landing craft.
If “if I don’t make it”, Bill said, “Please, please take care of my family.” Ray asked his brother to do the same.
Of the 31 men on Ray’s landing craft, only Ray and six others made it to the beach. There were only a few of them left. They came to the sector right here below us. Easy Red it was called. Again and again Ray ran back into the water. He dragged out one man after another. He was shot through the arm, his leg was ripped open by shrapnel, his back was broken, he nearly drowned. He had been on the beach for hours bleeding and saving lives when he finally lost consciousness. He woke up the next day on a cot beside another badly-wounded soldier.
He looked over and saw his brother Bill. They made it. They made it. They made it.At 98 years old, Ray is here with us today with his fourth Purple Heart and his third Silver Star from Omaha. Ray, the free world salutes you!
Trump adds:
Our debt to you is ever lasting. Today we express our undying gratitude. When you were young, these men enlisted their lives in a great crusade. One of the greatest of all times. Their mission is the story of an epic battle and the ferocious eternal struggle between good and evil.
On 6 June1944, they joined a liberation force of awesome power and breath-taking scale. After months of planning, the Allies had chosen this ancient coastline to mount their campaign to vanquish the wicked tyranny of the Nazi empire from the face of the earth.
The battle began in the skies above us, in those first tense midnight hours, 1,000 aircraft roared overhead with 17,000 Allied airborne troops preparing to leap into the darkness beyond these trees. Then came dawn. The enemy, who had occupied these heights, saw the largest naval armada in the history of the world. Just a few miles offshore were 7,000 vessels bearing 130,000 warriors. They were the citizens of free and independent nations united by their duty to their compatriots into millions yet unborn. There were the British, whose nobility and fortitude saw them through the worst of Dunkirk and the London Blitz, the full violence of Nazi fury was no match for the full grandeur of British pride.
There were the Canadians whose robust sense of honour and loyalty compelled them to take up arms alongside Britain from the very, very beginning. There were the fighting Poles, the tough Norwegians and the intrepid Aussies. There were the gallant French commandos, soon to be met by thousands of their brave countrymen ready to write a new chapter in the long history of French valour.
Finally, there were the Americans. They came from the farms of a vast heartland, the streets of glowing cities and the forges of mighty industrial towns.
Trump opens his speech with this:
On this day 75 years ago 10,000 men shed their blood and thousands sacrificed their lives for their brothers, for their countries and for the survival of liberty. Today we remember those who fell and we honour all who fought right here in Normandy. They won back this ground for civilisation.
Veterans of the Second World War who join us today, you are among the very greatest Americans who will ever live. You are the pride of our nation. You are the glory of our Republic and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Macron and Trump have presented Legion d’Honneur medals, France’s highest honour, to five American D-day veterans.
Macron: 'I just want to say thank you'
Macron paid tribute to the allied forces who liberated France.
Speaking through a translator, he said: “Today France has not forgotten those fighters for whom we owe our freedom. On behalf of France I bow down in front of their bravery. I bow down to our veterans and I say thank you.”
In a brief passage in English he said: “We know what we owe to you, veterans: our freedom. On behalf our our nation I just want to say thank you.”
Macron then joined in the applause.
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The Élysée Palace is live streaming the ceremony.
EN DIRECT | Cérémonie franco-américaine au cimetière américain, Colleville-sur-Mer. #DDay75https://t.co/zh7bfyDifa
— Élysée (@Elysee) June 6, 2019
We’re still waiting for the start of the ceremony at Colleville-sur-Mer. Once again Emmanuel Macron is running a bit late. Live footage from the cemetery showed the French president, and his wife Brigitte, arriving by helicopter. They were greeted by Donald and Melania Trump.
Donald Trump et Emmanuel Macron sont au cimetière américain de Colleville-sur-Merhttps://t.co/ppFdyDSEAY pic.twitter.com/SqOZX2aXuM
— franceinfo (@franceinfo) June 6, 2019
Marine One has arrived at the US cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer.
EN DIRECT - Donald Trump est arrivé au cimetière américain de Colleville-sur-Mer #dday75https://t.co/Qe1BY7hOr0 pic.twitter.com/zZevjEuToZ
— France Bleu Normandie (Calvados, Orne) (@fbleubnormandie) June 6, 2019
Pres Trump just landed at Colleville-sur-Mer, France https://t.co/omO1w1pqaB pic.twitter.com/aLq3T10NeW
— AIRLIVE (@airlivenet) June 6, 2019
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The last time Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump met in France for a major historical event – the world war one armistice commemorations in Paris last November — the atmosphere turned sour.
At that event, US president had bristled as he sat listening to Macron deliver a speech lambasting nationalism at the Arc de Triomphe.
Macron – who is the same age as Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr — had made implicit criticism of Trump’s personal brand of “America First” nationalism, leaving the US president irked.
A few days later, back in Washington, Trump launched an early morning Twitter storm against Macron, mocking him for “very low approval ratings” and saying Parisians had started to learn German during the second world war before the US saved them from occupation.
Macron’s office now stresses that the two presidents’ relationship remains “respectful” and strong.
There has since been “a lot of water under the bridge”, a French official said, adding that the two presidents have continued to speak regularly by phone in recent months, including Trump’s call to offer support after the Notre Dame cathedral fire in Paris.
Donald and Melania Trump have emerged from Air Force One and receive smattering of applause from the crowd in the American cemetery watching on big screens. The Trumps due here in 10mins from Caen courtesy of Marine One. pic.twitter.com/FV8IL0Gghu
— Daniel Boffey (@DanielBoffey) June 6, 2019
Trump arrives in France
Air Force One has landed in France pic.twitter.com/S8oVbelmPy
— Daniel Boffey (@DanielBoffey) June 6, 2019
Donal Trump est arrivé à Caen en avion. Il va se rendre au cimetière américain pour rejoindre Emmanuel Macron pour les commémorations du 75e anniversaire du Débarquement
— franceinfo (@franceinfo) June 6, 2019
https://t.co/EXRdUO1DIm pic.twitter.com/hqlIeoIGOT
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Pope: 'peace is based on respect for each person'
A message from Pope France is read out in French and English at the start of the service at Bayeux Cathedral.
The Pope’s message, read by Cardinal Marc Ouellet, said:
Normandy was decisive in in the fight against a Nazi barbarism, and it paved the way to the end of that war.
War which deeply ravaged Europe and the world. That’s why I make a grateful memorial of all the soldiers who coming from several countries, France included, were brave to join the army and give their lives for freedom and peace.
I confide in God’s merciful love these soldiers, as well as the millions of victims not forgetting those who, on the German side, fought obediently to a system of government motivated by a deadly ideology.
I express the hope that this commemoration event will allow all the generations in Europe and the whole world to strongly reassert that peace is based on the respect of each person, whatever his or her background, on respect for the law and the common good, on respect for the environment entrusted to our care and for the richness of the moral tradition inherited from the past.
And I ask God to help the Christians of all faith, those who have other religious beliefs as well as people of goodwill to promote a genuine worldwide brotherhood, fostering a culture of encounter and dialogue helpful with the weakest and the poor.
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Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has arrived at the Bayeux Cathedral service of remembrance.
75 years ago Allied forces landed in Normandy to liberate Nazi-occupied France.
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) June 6, 2019
Yesterday I met Jack Graham, a Royal Navy veteran who came ashore at Sword Beach on D-day.
Today we honour the courage of Jack and millions of others who defeated fascism and genocidal aggression. pic.twitter.com/p7G0tLlJa9
He is accompanied by shadow foreign secretary and shadow defence secretary Nia Griffith.
Travelling through Normandy with its fields of poppies, in a convoy of veterans with @jeremycorbyn @NiaGriffithMP. At the bridges and intersections the French police stand in silent salute. Deeply moving #DDay75
— Emily Thornberry (@EmilyThornberry) June 6, 2019
Prince Charles and Theresa May are also at the service.
Le prince Charles vient d'arriver à la cathédrale de #Bayeux avec Camilla pour la cérémonie œcuménique #DDay75 pic.twitter.com/0L1XdzHUjg
— France Bleu Normandie (Calvados, Orne) (@fbleubnormandie) June 6, 2019
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In his speech Trump will say American and allied forces who stormed the beaches of Normandy “won back this ground for civilisation”, AP reports.
Trump is gathering with other world leaders at The Normandy American Cemetery to honour those who died and participated in the battle that turned the course of the war.
In excerpts from the speech he will deliver, Trump will describe the 130,000 service members who participated in the invasion as the “citizens of free and independent nations, united by their duty to their compatriots and to millions yet unborn.”
He will also assure allies that “our bond is unbreakable.”
Trump says of the service members who participated in D-Day that their exceptional might came from an exceptional spirit.
Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament’s Brexit coordinator, has this:
Today, we honour the heroes that landed on the beaches of Normandy to free Europe from the horror of nazism.
— Guy Verhofstadt (@guyverhofstadt) June 6, 2019
We commit to fight to preserve and enhance our European unity against those who want to divide us.
We celebrate the fact that once we fought, now we talk! #DDay75 pic.twitter.com/HBCuYvqQSx
President Trump has tweeted a video featuring testimony from US veterans of D-day.
Heading over to Normandy to celebrate some of the bravest that ever lived. We are eternally grateful! #DDay75thAnniversary #DDay75 pic.twitter.com/rg15c32Gow
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 6, 2019
The stunning American cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, where some 9,000 graves overlook Omaha beach is the location for the big commemorative event of the day in France .
Around 15,000 people will join president Emmanuel Macron and president Donald Trump for a service and flyover of US and French jets.
There are 170 second world war veterans here, including 35 men who trod on the beaches of Normandy on 6 June 1944, as the allies launched the largest amphibious assault in history.
Omaha beach, just down the bluffs from the cemetery, was the scene of the bloodiest fighting. Of the 43,250 landed on 6 June, there were some 3,000 casualties as man of the 13,000 bombs dropped by the US Eighth Air Force to destroy the German defences had in fact harmlessly cascaded into the hedgerows well behind the beach and its machine gun posts.
Trump is due to arrive in Marine One at 9.45am (BST) followed by Macron 15 minutes later. There will be an honour guard followed by an invocation by a military chaplain.
The French president will speak before bestowing the Légion d’honneur on five veterans of the D Day landings.
Trump will then speak ahead of a laying of wreaths and a 21 gun salute. The two men and their wives will move to a point directly overlooking the beach where there will be a minute of silence ahead of the joint flyover by US and French fighter jets.
American cemetery in Colleville sur Mer, Normandy, where Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump will soon join 15,000 people to commemorate D Day. pic.twitter.com/Vdsih63NJT
— Daniel Boffey (@DanielBoffey) June 6, 2019
Updated
Veterans and their families are arriving for a service of remembrance at Bayeux Cathedral.
They will be joined by Theresa May, and the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall and Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon.
Beautiful morning in Bayeux as we prepare to remember those who landed on the beaches 75 years ago today to liberate France and Europe from Nazi occupation. #DDay75 #LestWeForget pic.twitter.com/RmUDsFf3em
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) June 6, 2019
May: 'they did their duty'
May pointedly paid tribute to the sense of duty shown by those who took part in the Normandy landings.
She said:
These young men belonged to a very special generation, the greatest generation, a generation whose unconquerable spirit shaped our post war world. They didn’t boast, they didn’t fuss, they served. They did their duty, as they laid down their lives, so that we might have a better life and build a better world.
The memorial that will be built here will remind us of this, of the service and sacrifice of those who fell under British command in Normandy of the price paid by French civilians, and our duty and our responsibility to now carry the torch for freedom, for peace and for democracy. I want to thank all those involved in this memorial.
May added:
It is incredibly moving to be here today. Looking out across beaches where one of the greatest battles for freedom this world has ever known, took place. And it is truly humbling to do so with the men who were there that day. It is an honour for all of us to share this moment with you.
Standing here as the waves wash quietly onto the shore below us, it’s almost impossible to grasp the roar courage, it must have taken that day to leap from landing craft and into the surf despite the fury of battle. No one could be certain what the 6th of June would bring. No one would know how this the most ambitious, amphibious and airborne assault in all of human history would turn out.
And as the sun rose that morning, not one of the troops on the landing craft approaching these shores, not one of the pilots in the skies above, not one of the sailors at sea, knew whether they would still be alive when the sun set once again.
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 June 1944. More than 156,000 men landed on D-day, of which 83,000 We’re from Britain under the Commonwealth. Over a quarter million more supported operations from air and sea. While the French Resistance carried out extra ordinary acts of bravery behind enemy lines. Many were terribly wounded, and many made the ultimate sacrifice that day. And in the fierce fighting that followed. As together, our allied nations sought to release Europe from the grip of fascism ...
Here in Normandy, the names of those British men and women who gave their lives in defence of freedom will forever sit opposite their homeland across the channel, along with those of our allies. Here in Normandy, we will always remember their courage, their commitment, their conviction, and to our veterans here in Normandy today. I want to say the only words we can: thank you.
Macron tells May 'we can be proud of our work together'
In his speech Macron paid tribute to May on one of her last official engagements as prime minister.
Speaking through a translator he said:
On a more personal level may I say to Theresa May how much friendship I feel for her and what a pleasure it’s been to work in confidence and trust with her.
Leaders come and go. But the work they do continues and the power of our link goes beyond the events of a given moment. And dear Theresa May I believe that we can be proud of the work we’ve done together. The causes we’ve supported together in our two countries and internationally. We can be proud of the results achieved. This memorial is not the least example of it.
Long a friendship between our two different countries. And thank you to all those men and women who fought so that the fresh soil could once again be free.
Macron also talked of the lasting bonds between France and the UK despite the “debates of the present”.
He said This monument will be a great symbol of the significant links between our two nations: France and the UK.
Nothing will erase this, nothing will ever take away those links built of blood spilled and shared values. The debates of the present, in no way takeaway from the past. On the contrary, from this power of our shared, past and common future. Always with the Prime Minister, we have ensured that the relationship between our two countries should be under the seal of confidence, friendship. And we I will always continue along that path. Because our history goes beyond us, because our veterans force us to this.
Breaking into English he said: “We owe our freedom to our veterans, we will never surrender. And whatever it takes, we will always stand together. Because this is our common destiny.”
Emmanuel Macron célèbre le #Debarquement et rend hommage à Theresa May lors de son service à Ver-sur-Mer https://t.co/D5SKVl1Np3 https://t.co/3mqlT0S2ak
— UK in France (@UKinFrance) June 6, 2019
Updated
For the pro-European French president Emmanuel Macron, today’s D-day commemorations in Normandy are about stressing the importance of modern multilateralism, peace-building and “Europe-building”.
Macron’s early morning ceremony with the prime minister Theresa May to launch the construction of a British memorial at Ver-sur-Mer is intended to show how cooperation between London and Paris, particularly on defence and military issues, will always be strong despite Brexit.
A source close to the president said the ceremony would illustrate “the strength of French-British friendship and joint engagement, whatever the context.”
At the Elysée it was seen as symbolic that one of May’s last official engagements as prime minister will be at Ver-sur-Mer.
When May and Macron held their first meeting after he was elected president in 2017, May had raised the issue of building this memorial at Ver-sur-Mer and they had both agreed at the time that the project had to be ready to start construction on the 75th anniversary of D-day.
Macron has arrived (a little late) at Ver-sur-Mer and was greeted by May. The two leaders chatted together as they walked to where veterans have gathered for the start of the ceremony.
Macron and May shook hands with some of the veterans.
Arrivée de Theresa May et de Emmanuel Macron au futur Mémorial Britannique #DDay75 pic.twitter.com/UDyCPVOtZv
— France Bleu Normandie (Calvados, Orne) (@fbleubnormandie) June 6, 2019
Theresa May kept waiting for at least 10 minutes by Macron before he arrives at Normandy memorial... nice way to finish off as PM, eh? pic.twitter.com/IIdjTKo5GI
— Natasha Clark (@NatashaC) June 6, 2019
Updated
Theresa May has arrived for the start of the ceremony at Ver-sur-Mer on the Normandy coast, close to Gold beach.
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, is due to join her in the next few minutes. Earlier defence secretary, Penny Mordaunt, joined veterans at the ceremony.
Updated
D-day veteran, Harry Billinge, is making a final pilgrimage to Normandy to see how thousands of pounds he has raised is helping the construction of a national memorial honouring his fallen comrades, PA reports.
Billinge managed to raise more than £10,000 for the Normandy Memorial Trust by relentlessly collecting donations in St Austell high street near his home.
The 93-year-old has become a local celebrity in the Cornish town where he says market days - and the summer when tourists flock to the area - are particularly prosperous.
As an 18-year-old Royal Engineers soldier, he landed on Gold Beach at 6.30am on 6 June 1944 as part of the first wave of troops to arrive in Normandy for the operation.
Billinge said:
“When I went over to Normandy it made a big impression on me that I am unable to forget today. I wanted to help all the fellas that never came back. When I heard about the monument I thought ‘This is what I’ve been kept for - to collect for that’.”
“I had to do that, it was a must.I shan’t be going again I don’t think. This is my swansong.”
The memorial will pay tribute to more than 20,000 members of the British armed forces who died in Normandy in the summer of 1944. Billinge will lay wreaths as part of an inauguration event attended by Prime Minister Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron.
A sculpture created by David Williams-Ellis will be unveiled during the event, marking the beginning of construction.Anticipated to be completed within a year, it is being built on a hillside in Ver-sur-Mer overlooking Gold Beach and will include a roll of honour of the names of 22,442 members of the British armed forces who died in the D-Day landings and Battle of Normandy.
Donald Trump is looking forward to “a big and beautiful day”
A big and beautiful day today!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 6, 2019
The weather forecast for Normandy is good, which means Trump is likely to turn up this time.
Last November he skipped a ceremony at Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, attended by Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel, because of rain. The anniversary marked the moment American and French troops repelled the Germans in 1918.
The French daily Liberation has accuses the American and British government’s of hypocrisy and of turning their backs on the principles of international cooperation celebrated at the commemorations in Portsmouth.
It says Donald Trump is constantly fighting against multilateralism and trying to weaken the European Union. It adds that the UK which came to the rescue of occupied Europe now seeks to detach itself from the EU.
The Guardian’s Martin Kettle has similar concerns:
The uneasy relationship between Wednesday’s major commemorations at Portsmouth and those that will take place on Thursday in France illustrates Britain’s change of stance. In recent decades, Normandy has overwhelmingly been the main place to commemorate D-day. But now here is Britain mounting a large parallel event. Fair enough, in one sense. Britain was the base from which the war in the west was won. It is easier for the 90-year-olds to get to Portsmouth than France. But it is also as though Britain is choosing to reassert a closed-off version of its own national wartime myth alongside – and even in opposition to – the previously more established international one.
Welcome to live coverage of ceremonies to mark the 75th anniversary of D-day.
Attention switches from Portsmouth to Normandy as veterans of Operation Overlord gather on the northern French coast as they 75 years ago today.
They will be accompanied by world leaders including Donald Trump, Emmanuel Macron, and Theresa May on her penultimate day as leader of the Conservative party.
The ceremonies began at 7.26am local time when a lone piper marked the minute the invasion began 75 years ago at Arromanches overlooking Gold beach.
Pipe Major Trevor Macey-Lillie, of 19th Regiment Royal Artillery (The Scottish Gunners) performed Highland Laddie as crowds gathered on the beach below him and lined the promenade, applauding his performance.
Here’s a timetable for the rest of the day (all times BST):
8am: May and Macron will attend the inauguration of a memorial to British servicemen at Ver-sur-Mer, overlooking Gold Beach.
9am: a UK remembrance service begins at Bayeux Cathedral.
10am: The main event of the day will see Trump and Macron give speeches at the American cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer where over 9,000 graves overlook Omaha beach. The French president will also bestow the Legion d’Honneur, France’s highest honour, on five American veterans.
11am: Prince Charles will attend a service at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission at Bayeux. Later there will be a march of some of D-day veterans. While others will reenact more parachute jumps onto Normandy soil.
12.30pm: Trump and Macron will hold bilateral talks and lunch at Caen.
3pm: The start of the French ceremony at Colleville-Montgomery.
5.30pm: Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau will attend a ceremony at Juno beach, where Canadian forces were in charge of the assault.
Our correspondents Daniel Boffey, Angelique Chrisafis and Caroline Davies will be providing updates from various ceremonies throughout the day.
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