Allied leaders have been paying tribute to veterans of D-Day, as they marked the 65th anniversary of the landings in France at a series of events in Normandy.
President Barack Obama said the bravery and selflessness of a few changed the course of a whole century.
President Nicolas Sarkozy of France thanked the Allies for liberating France and Western Europe.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Stephen Harper of Canada also recalled the Allies' sacrifices in their speeches. Prince Charles also attended.
Saturday's events began in Bayeux and continued at an American cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer overlooking Omaha Beach, which was the scene of fierce fighting on 6 June, 1944.
Other beaches were codenamed Utah, Gold, Juno and Sword.
The Allies suffered 215,000 casualties on D-Day and in the Normandy campaign. Germany suffered similar losses.
Veterans of the landings were among the invited audience. Mr Sarkozy awarded the Legion d'Honneur, France's highest military honour, to an American, a Briton, a Canadian and a Frenchman.
