President Trump was spending Wednesday and Thursday with other world leaders commemorating the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Nazi-occupied northern France by Allied forces. The risky maneuver launched on June 6, 1944 saw thousands of American, British and other allied forces cross the English channel to halt the advance of Adolph Hitler’s war machine in Normandy, northern France. It would cost the Allies some 10,000 men, but it would become the turning point of World War II.
The president and first lady were to participate in commemorative events in Portsmouth, England on Wednesday, the first of two days of ceremonies. Portsmouth, on the southern English coast, was one of the primary points of departure for the Allied forces as they struck out across the English Channel to invade Normandy.
Mr. Trump was joining British Prime Minister Theresa May, Queen Elizabeth II and leaders from the other nations which took part in the Allied D-Day invasion (Canada, Australia, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Luxembourg, Denmark, France, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Poland) for the events on Wednesday.
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On Thursday, the president and first lady were to attend World War II commemoration services at the U.S. Cemetery in Normandy, where thousands of American D-Day casualties were laid to rest. Mr. Trump was to join French President Emmanuel Macron on that part of the trip.
“On June 6th, 1944, tens of thousands of young warriors left these shores by the sea and air to begin the invasion of Normandy and the liberation of Europe and the brutal Nazi occupation,” Mr. Trump said in a press conference with Prime Minister May on Tuesday. “It was a liberation like few people have seen before. Among them were more than 130,000 American and British brothers-in-arms. Through their valor and sacrifice, they secured our homelands and saved freedom for the world.”
Trump reads prayer from FDR
President Trump marked the D-Day anniversary by reading an excerpt from a prayer President Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivered to the nation by radio on the evening of June 6th, 1944, in which he spoke to the country for the first time about the Normandy operation.
“He may hurl back our forces but we shall return again and again and we know that by thy grace and by the righteous of our cause our sons will triumph,” Mr. Trump read.
Trudeau reads citation of WWII POW
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau read a citation of Col. Cecil Merritt, the first Canadian awarded a Victory Cross in WWII for his for his extreme bravery and inspirational leadership under fire during the D-Day invasion. After being wounded twice on the battlefields, Merritt was later taken as a prisoner of war.
Merritt went on to serve as a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of Canada.
D-Day survivors get a standing ovation
Living veterans of the D-Day invasion received a rousing standing ovation at the start of the ceremonies. Over 300 soldiers of “Operation Overload” joined the commemoration on the 75th anniversary.
Horns sound as Queen, Prince Charles arrive
As the National Anthem of England played, Queen Elizabeth II and her son, Prince Charles the next in line to the throne, arrived to the D-Day ceremonies. The Queen took her place on stage seated next to Mr. Trump and the first lady.
The day’s events started with a traditional marching of the Queen’s troops as black and white footage of WWII soldiers storming the beaches played behind them.
Trump in Portsmouth for D-Day events
President Trump and the first lady were arriving Wednesday morning in Portsmouth, Hampshire, on England’s southern coast, to kick off two days of events commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Allied D-Day invasion of northern France.
More than 130,000 Allied forces disembarked from southern England on June 6, 1944, to cross the English Channel and take on Hitler’s forces head-on. Thousands left from Portsmouth’s harbor. It was the largest sea-based military invasion in history, and was accompanied by more than 10,000 Allied aircraft.
Mr. and Mrs. Trump were joining Queen Elizabeth II, Prime Minister May and other world leaders for an official commemoration ceremony at the Portsmouth Naval Memorial on Southsea Common, just several hundred yards from the WWII Southsea Landing Zone, followed by a reception and a lunch for the leaders.
Following the events, the Trumps were to bid farewell to the queen after a state visit which saw them spend significant time with her. Mr. Trump was not scheduled to return to London for the remainder of the week. He was headed instead for Ireland later on Wednesday, before travelling to Normandy, France, for the culmination of the D-Day events on Thursday.
Trump’s visit marked by ceremony, some tension
Mr. Trump’s first official state visit to Britain has been largely ceremonial thus far, as the U.S. and Britain commemorate their longstanding “special relationship” and shared sacrifice on D-Day and since.
On Monday night, the president and Queen Elizabeth II both delivered brief speeches about that shared history at a Buckingham Palace dinner banquet.
“In the coming days, you will see some of our most treasured historical buildings, speak to the business leaders whose expertise and innovation drive our economies, and meet members of our Armed Services, past and present,” the queen said. “You will also travel to Portsmouth and Normandy to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of D-Day.”
“On that day – and on many occasions since – the armed forces of both our countries fought side-by-side to defend our cherished values of liberty and democracy,” the queen said. “Mr. President, in your State of the Union Address this year, you paid tribute to some of the American heroes who risked their lives, and we owe an immeasurable debt to the British, American and Allied soldiers who began the liberation of Europe on 6th June 1944.”
The warm welcome from the royal family and Prime Minister May aside, Mr. Trump’s visit hasn’t been relished by all. Thousands took to the streets of London on Tuesday to protest his presence, days after Mr. Trump sparred with London mayor Sadiq Khan, whom Mr. Trump called a “stone cold loser” before landing in the U.K.
