CAEN, France: US President Donald Trump landed in France Thursday to join other world leaders on the beaches of Normandy in a tribute to the veterans and dead heroes of the D-Day landings that shaped the outcome of World War II. Despite being largely blamed for growing international discord, Trump headed to join in the attempted show of transatlantic harmony on the 75th anniversary of the assault.
"Headingover to Normandy to celebrate some of the bravest that ever lived,” the USleader tweeted on arrival in France. "We are eternally grateful!” FrenchPresident Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Theresa May earlier paidtribute to D-Day veterans at the start of Thursday’s commemorations for thesoldiers who surged onto the Normandy beaches on June 6, 1944. On an occasionmixing high politics with poignant historical remembrance, Macron met firstwith May at Ver-sur-Mer, where they laid the first stone for a new Britishmemorial to fallen soldiers.
"Standinghere as the waves wash quietly onto the shore below us, it’s almost impossibleto grasp the raw courage it must have taken that day to leap from landing craftand into the surf, despite the fury of battle,” May said. Under a bright bluesky, she finished her speech by addressing the assembled veterans, whosenumbers dwindle with each major anniversary.
"Iwant to say the only words we can: thank you,” she said in her finalinternational appearance before she steps down as leader of the Conservativeparty on Friday.
Britain’sdelayed departure from the European Union, which has cost May her job as prime minister,is just one of many rifts that has opened recently among Western allies, whosealliance forged in World War II is under unprecedented strain.
Theman blamed for most of the discord, Trump, was set to arrive in northern Francefor a ceremony at the US military cemetery at Colleville-sur-Meroverlooking Omaha Beach where 9,400 US servicemen are buried.
Overlooked heroes
Bothleaders will give speeches, while the French president will also bestow theLegion d’Honneur, France’s highest honor, on five American veterans. Macron andTrump—whose once warm relations have chilled due to mounting publicdisagreements on Iran, climate change and trade—will then meet for privatetalks followed by a working lunch. Macron will end the day with an homage at CollevilleMontgomery for the Kieffer Commando, the only French soldiers to storm aNormandy beach on D-Day which opened a new front against the Nazis and led tothe liberation of France and much of western Europe.
The177 men, who were given the honor of being the first to touch French soil, hadlong been little more than a footnote in France’s official histories of thewar—an oversight officials in Macron’s office said the president is eager tocorrect. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will attend a ceremony at JunoBeach, where Canadian forces were in charge of the assault.
D-Dayis seen by many as one of the great symbols of transatlantic cooperation, asyoung American and Canadian servicemen sacrificed their lives in the struggleto end the Third Reich’s grip on Europe. The June 6, 1944 landings by Alliedforces on five Normandy beaches were the biggest naval operation ever in termsof the number of ships deployed and the troops involved.
Bythe end of what became known as "the longest day”, 156,000 Allied troops and20,000 vehicles had landed in Nazi-occupied northern France despite facing ahail of bullets, artillery and aircraft fire.
‘Shared values’, strained ties
Tensof thousands of French and foreign visitors, many donning WWII uniforms ordriving vintage military vehicles, have converged on Normandy to honor theveterans. Trump arrived in France from a three-day state visit to Britain,where he attended a ceremony in Portsmouth to mark D-Day alongside QueenElizabeth II and over a dozen other world leaders. In a joint proclamation, the16 nations present in Portsmouth affirmed their shared responsibility to ensurethat the horrors of World War II are never repeated.
Theyreaffirmed their commitment to "shared values” and vowed to work together todefend freedoms "whenever they are threatened”. President Vladimir Putin, whowas invited in 2004 on the 60th anniversary of the invasion, did notreceive an invitation to either ceremony, a snub indicative of the West’sstrained relations with Russia. Russia’s foreign ministry said Wednesday thatthe Allied invasion on D-Day did not determine the course of World War II andits importance should not be exaggerated. Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova toldjournalists that it was the efforts of the Soviet Union, which entered the warin 1941, that secured victory.--AFP