Into_the_Jaws_of_Death_23-0455M_edit
  • Home
  • Blog
  • 1944-2014: the 70th anniversary of the D-Day Landings

Last Updated: 4 March 2020

I have also to announce to the House that during the night and the early hours of this morning the first of the series of landings in force upon the European Continent has taken place. […] This vast operation is undoubtedly the most complicated and difficult that has ever taken place.” At noon on the 6th June, 1944, some 70 years ago, the British Prime minister Winston Churchill announced the start of Operation Overlord to the House of Commons.


On the 6th June 2014, 20 heads of states will be present for a commemorative ceremony at Oustreham, Normandy, at the invitation of the French President, François Hollande: Queen Elizabeth II, American president Barrack Obama, Russian president Vladimir Putin, and Australian Prime minister Tony Abbott.

Into_the_Jaws_of_Death_23-0455M_edit
D-Day 1944

Two days ago, the newspaper The Guardian published a series of photos about the D-day landings in Normandy matching archive images from 1944 to photographs taken in the same locations today by Peter Macdiarmid. The D-day landings are part of the Operation Overlord, the largest seaborne invasion in military history. More than 156,000 Allied troops, including 3,000 Australians, stormed the beaches of Normandy, France.

Since the entry of Australia into World War II on the 3rd September 1939, nearly 1 million Australians had served in the army during World War Two in Europe, Northern Africa and Asia-Pacific. By the evening of the 6th June, 14 Australian soldiers had died and other lost their lives in the following weeks. There are 41 tombs of Australian soldiers found in the cemeteries of Bayeux, Hottot-les-Bagues, Hermanville, St-Desir, Banneville, St-Manvieu, Tilly-sur-Seulles, Bazenville, andRanville in Normandy.

Click here to view the interactive ‘then and now’ photos of The Guardian.

Check out www.le70e.fr/en for more information about the D-Day landings and its 70th anniversary.


 

Gems of Paris by French Moments
About the author

Pierre is a French/Australian who is passionate about France and its culture. He grew up in France and Germany and has also lived in Australia and England. He has a background teaching French, Economics and Current Affairs, and holds a Master of Translating and Interpreting English-French with the degree of Master of International Relations, and a degree of Economics and Management. Pierre is the author of Discovery Courses and books about France.

Like it? Leave a comment!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}

Transparency: Some blog posts and pages may contain affiliate or sponsored links. If you are planning a trip, the use of these links helps us to run the site. There is no additional cost to you. All you have to do is click on the link and any booking you make is automatically tracked. Thank you for your support!

Escape to France with every email! Get insider insights, travel guides, cultural gems delivered and exclusive offers to your inbox twice a week. Your journey to Paris and France begins when you sign up!

SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER AND GET THE FREE EBOOK

20 OFFBEAT PLACES IN PARIS

Ebook 20 amazing offbeat places in Paris front cover