crossroads city for two months after d-day, and the destruction here was massive as the allies laid siege to the city. in fact, 70 years on, there still remains evidence of the ferocity of that battle. in fact, there are mixed memories across normandy. 87-year-old charl says his village never joins in the commemorations because his city was nearly destroyed in the fighting. still, a generation may see things differently. my gratitude is i m blessing every day the hareows that came to rescue us. he says it s not the way his generation thinks about d-day that worries him but whether they think about it at all, about its importance and how it changed thing. it is the beginning of the liberation, the victory in world war ii, and new conception of the world. i think people start to understand really the impact of it. reporter: for the veterans who remain, the impact is not