D-Day 70th Anniversary Commemoration
D-Day 70th Anniversary Commemoration
Friday, June 6, 2014 ~ 11:00 a.m.
World War II Memorial
Washington, DC.
It is hard to believe that it has been nearly 70 years since 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. More than 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion, and, by day’s end on June 6, 1944, the Allies gained a foot- hold in Normandy. The D-Day cost was high -- more than 9,000 Allied soldiers were killed or wounded -- but more than 100,000 soldiers began the march across Europe to defeat Hitler and paved the way for an Allied victory.
To commemorate this significant date in history, Friends of the National World War II Memorial will host a D-Day 70th Anniversary Commemoration on June 6th at the Memorial. Renowned historian and author of the upcoming book, Neptune: The Allied Invasion of Europe and the D-Day Landings, Craig Symonds, will serve as event’s Master of Ceremonies and Expert Historian.
As part of the ceremony, representatives from each of the Allied Nations that took part in the Normandy Campaign will lay wreaths at the Freedom Wall of the National World War II Memorial.
Click the link below to read an excerpt from Chapter 12 of NEPTUNE: The Allied Invasion of Europe and the D-Day Landings (Oxford University Press, 2014) by Craig L. Symonds.NEPTUNE: The Allied Invasion of Europe and the D-Day Landings
The D-Day 70th Anniversary Commemoration is jointly co-hosted by Friends of the National World War II Memorial and the National Park Service.
