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D-Day at 80: A pivotal day for the Allies
On a cloudy, windy early morning 80 years ago, the largest amphibious invasion in military history began its quest to recapture most of the European continent from Hitler’s control in what has been called “The Longest Day.” On June 6, 1944, Operation Overlord stretched along five Normandy beaches, a massive drive to push the Germans back as allied troops planned to storm across France and eventually into Germany. The invasion, informally referred to as Operation Liberation by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, was immense with 56,115 U.S., British and Canadian troops,...
As 80th anniversary of D-Day approaches, vets get their messages out
By SYLVIE CORBET and DANICA KIRKA, The Associated Press COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER, France (AP) — World War II veterans from the United States, Britain and Canada are in Normandy this week to mark 80 years since the D-Day landings that helped lead to Hitler’s defeat. Few witnesses remain who remember the Allied assault. The Associated Press is speaking to veterans about their role in freeing Europe from the Nazis, and their messages for younger generations. “I am the luckiest man in the world,” D-Day veteran Jake Larson, a 101-year-old American best known...