quite calm, funnily enough, saying, do you think we ve had it? suddenly, there was an almighty crash and a shell came and it plum hit the vehicle, went right through to the bottom. when the dust cleared, i turned round and the man laying where you are to me, he was dead and black from head to foot, cos he must have taken the whole force of the blast. and all the others, the company commander, sergeant major, the driver they were all killed except me. i remember when i got myself up and found out they were all dead and ifelt this burning, i thought, i must be on fire. i remember going on the ground and rolling and that didn t do much good. so that was a nasty experience, being the only person of seven who survived. live from london. this is bbc news. d day veterans are at the heart of commemorations in normandy on the 80th anniversary of the allied landings on the beaches of normandy. our obligation to remember them, what they stood for and what they achieved for us all
26 man squad for germany. good evening from normandy where world leaders havejoined some of the last remaining veterans to mark the 80th anniversary of the d day landings. at the british normandy memorial this morning, a service of commemoration attended by more than a0 british veterans overlooking one of the beaches where allied troops first came ashore on 6thjune 191m british, american, canadian and french troops landed along this coastline on beaches that were named sword, juno, gold, omaha and utah more than 150,000 men fought in the d day landings. it was the largest ever seaborne invasion. there ve been events right along this coastline and this afternoon at omaha beach an international event attended by the us president and ukraine s president zelensky. our first report comes from our correspondent daniela relph. bagpipes. memories fade. the living testimonies dwindle. but at dawn today, on the beaches of normandy, they remembered. making their own 80th anniversary n
overlooking one of the beaches where allied troops first came ashore onjune 6th, 1944. never before or since have so many troops from so many nations landed by sea to liberate an occupied country. the british, american, canadian, and french troops landed on five beaches sword, juno, gold, omaha and utah as the airborne troops dropped behind enemy lines to secure the roads and bridges. 156,000 troops overwhelming the germans they had taken by surprise. the main event this afternoon was at omaha beach, where heads of state stood alongside the veterans to pay tribute and remember. more on that in a moment but first, our correspondent daniela relph takes a look back at all the day s events in the company of some of the british veterans who were there to see it. bagpipes memories fade. the living testimonies dwindle. but at dawn today, on the beaches of normandy, they remembered. making their own 80th anniversary normandy landing, a group of royal marines, wading ashore as t
the world. exactly 80 years ago, tens of thousands of allied troops mounted the greatest seaborne invasion in military history. one that would change the course of the second world war. today, d day veterans and world leaders are taking part in major commemorations in northern france. at a new memorial above gold beach, where british troops landed, the king has laying a wreath. close to where american forces encountered the fiercest german resistance, presidentjoe biden has given a speech warning that democracy in europe and around the world remains fragile. this is in the wake of russia s invasion of ukraine. the prince of walesjoined russia s invasion of ukraine. the prince of wales joined the prime minister of canada. and alongside the solemn ceremony, it has also been a chance for attendees, including the king, to meet and speak to the guests of honour, the veterans themselves, each of whom played such a crucial part in one of the defining days of european history. as you
but at dawn today, on the beaches of normandy, they remembered. making their own 80th anniversary normandy landing, a group of royal marines, wading ashore as those before them had done in 1944. but these are now peaceful waters, thanks to the sacrifices made on d day. archive: this is it, | they re on the beach. few truly understood the onslaught they d face. young men, thrust into the brutality of war. 80 years on, those who survived and grew old honoured lost friends. it is all because of gummy s quick thinking, his desire to help those around him, that i can stand before you today. i wish i could tell him i have never taken his sacrifice for granted. and we ll always remember him and ourfriends. so, gummy, thank you, my old friend. a tribute, from the one who made it home. at the british normandy memorial, the service of commemoration put the veterans centre stage. relegated to the back rows, the king and queen, and president macron. watching the service wasjoe mines. he