[indiscernible] [speaking french]

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[speaking french] [applause]

[speaking french] you represent 19 countries

france in united with order to celebrate conservation, muston, and the tribute we pay to all veterans who are here with us today. i wish to welcome our veterans because they are living witnesses of what happened here on the sixth of june 1944. [applause] this ceremony of the 70th anniversary is unique in its magnitude.

it is exceptional because of the extraordinary fervor it has timeed and the exceptional at which we are meeting together . it is the duty of memory to all military or whether or then, whether allied german victims of nazism. [applause] we wish to convey a message to thet the ceremony person to participate.

it is a requirement for the united nations that intervene wherever necessary for security tois a message to europe enable these after having been the constant of war throughout the first half of the 20th century. , before this very beach,this beautiful ,housands of young soldiers under deadly fire, move towards german forces. they were 20, take or leave a year or two. that being 20say was the best time in my? -- in life?

commitment andof the age of sacrifice. they were called, they were afraid. in june, inoday 1944, it was made of battle and explosions. todayters that we see where phil is a fraud of landing barges -- were filled with the froth of landing barges. what did these men think in the face of this? , they have in mind their mothers, their worried

childhood, which was so close in their lives. the horizon was blocked by a war. rex the defined bullets -- they defied bullets. they moved forward and kept moving forward to free us and long last. -- at long last. battalion, 177 frenchmen.

men who enabled french to free france. made up the 4th commando of the special brigade. small in numbers but great in value. further down in much higher division.e third they were in charge of taking .ver the beach troops the canadian

that conducted the assault. and our american forces which paid a heavy tribute to the operation overlord when they landed on omaha beach. soldier on june 6, 1944 on omaha beach was a hero. although more here is. all the soldiers they kept moving and moving forward for the sin of our freedom. -- sake of our freedom. [applause] the battle which took place throughout the summer of 1944 battle greatest sea-air in history.

5000 ships, 10,000 aircraft, 40,000 soldiers from the british , canadian, and american. perished. 3000 are killed. .he soldiers had succeeded they had stepped foot on french soil. on june 1984 they started liberating france. setting on the longest day the bright light of europe.e on an enslaved on the beaches of normandy still lingers the memory of a very struggle.uncertain a decisive struggle. on the peaceful beaches of theandy still lingers

lives.s who gave their on these pieces -- peaceful beaches regardless of the passing of time and regardless of changing of seasons still blows the wind of freedom and it still blows today. of france thatf the regions be you listed under the unesco world heritage. [applause] are standing on a global heritage. recall these places

and we want to preserve them , well, new generations which will [inaudible] and they will want to understand how things happened. veterans, survivors, they are here with us today. in the spot where they landed 17 years ago. with their parachutes were they fought. with their struggle. were they were wounded. i want to fraternally welcome all the president -- veterans who are present city. andk you for being here being there in the summer of

1944. thank you for still being with us. 6, 2014, and you will still be with us here in your mind and soul. you always be on these beaches of the allied landing. daschle will always be on these beaches of the allied landing. i would like to express my gratitude for all fighters. canadian,british, polish, mall citizenships and nationalities who fought classified with the allies. todayu can live in peace we can leave security if we can live sovereignty protected by the laws created we decided [inaudible]

who gave their lives. the gratitudefirm of the french republic will never die, will never with her. -- wither. when coming here regardless of how old or young we are, regardless of who we are emma where we come from we are struck are the same emotion. what still strikes us today when we move from laced a place and sometimes from cemetery to cemetery is actually the courage of the soldiers who fought here. whocourage of your troopers jumped in the middle of the night to prepare the attack. courage of british soldiers.

who boosted his men, who were nailed by the violence of german fire. they came from all over the world to conquer meter after meter, inch after inch of the beaches. also the courage of french resistance that we dated the existence of the operation. because of the french to join dan. and the courage of civilian populations in normandy who whoered the bombing, suffered considerable losses. the pain of losing their dear ones or the joy of having

conquered their freedom. and here want to pay to renew to the courage of the red army which far from here in the face of 160 divisions was able to push them back and defeat them. this can never he overstated. thent to emphasize contribution of the people's who are called the soviet union. also mistake knowledge that the erieple and against-- a victory naziism. i would attribute to the courage

of germans who were victims. they were led into a war that weld have been there's and really want them to pay, as -- .n homage epic recalls a very simple truth which we should always keep in mind in all circumstances.

on the normandy beaches a few years ago democracies united to fight for just cause. this just cause is still hours today. today it is no longer the allied toces which should stand up .ight for freedom it is the united nations which are in charge. they should be up to the mission they were interested with after the war. our should ensure

collective security. [inaudible] is something in war but is necessary. courage in peace is just as crucial. soldiers who landed here 70 what motivated them, they were motivated by an idea that they'll had common area and when they set foot on these it ins they had the dream their midst. of reach.d out what was theht

dream about? it should be about the promise our world free from tyranny and war. meant a society that would be thatjust and fraternal. ambition had been worded two years before i the two heads afford -- of war. the atlantic charter recalled the point. recalled the determination for complete collaboration in the field of economics in order to guarantee water all economic progress security.

a month before the allied landing many had adopted the whichelphia declaration said that all human beings have a right to pursue material progress and freedom and dignity. this is a heroic campaign. this was the determination to eradicate evil. party, injustice, oppression. us have to face this.

we still have to do our duty. we still have to keep and preserve the heritage that was given. [inaudible] arm -- allenslaved of the world and that is a concern for all of us. it is also our duty to ensure all over the world, if [inaudible]

wherever it is threatened so that conflicts did not turn into wars. against is to fight extremists, fundamentalists, nationalists. this is where we stand in society. it is up to us to have the same encourage, to have the same determination and the same willpower as those who came 70 years ago. our evils are terrorism for crimes against amenity. these are terrible evils and we have to find -- fight a humanitarian crisis and the turmoils of the financial system . there is no comparison.

cohesionblems certain in our nation and sometimes cause conflict. a very special thing happened. notugh best june 6 is an -- an ordinary day. the living have an obligation to remember the dead. asis up to us be -- to keeps to the promise. it is up to us to be true to their sacrifice by building and their behalf. i want to pay tribute to the dead. i want to pay tribute tell theterans and

heads of state and veterans i am grateful they are here today. more thanead of us is a duty. it is an obligation for the world and an obligation towards all of those who fought on these now that we are their followers. thank you.

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♪ >> europe is under the nazi jackboots. ther four years of war, sign of the swastika is bringing hardship and suffering to the people. in a number of countries, collaborationist are working with the enemy. [gunshot] ♪

there are men and women prepared for the ultimate sacrifice, zi oppression.

all over europe in elgin, the netherlands, czechoslovakia, denmark, and norway, political and armed resistance is growing. in yugoslavia, italy, greece, and france, those who of prayer -- prefer death to oppression art joining the -- are joining the [inaudible]

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everywhere, allied armies on the offensive. on the eastern front after the germans capitulated in stalingrad in 1943, the red army's advance is. in july 1943 it wins a herculean tank that'll. most of the german divisions are fighting on the russian front and in the pacific, american soldiers backed by australia and new zealand are fighting the japanese from island to island in a cruel and atrocious war. after midway in june 1942 and quad oakland all in 43 and in 1944, the allied forces liberated the philippines. after north africa in july of 1943, the allies learned -- theed sicily and began march to italy.

♪ in tehran, true jewel -- churchill and stalin begin operation overlord. landing allied troops on the northwest coast of france and this will be completed by operation and bill on the shores of the mediterranean. stalin agrees to launch a huge red army offensive to coincide with the normandy landings. general eisenhower is to be it iscommander-in-chief.

a crucial gambit. hitler is convinced the confrontation will be to the west. the coastline has been concreted over. from norway to the spanish border thousands of reinforced honkers succeed each other on the coast. in france, 59 the -- german divisions await the allied

landing.

preparations for the normandy landing have required colossal logistics. tons of material and millions of men have had to be dispatched. artificial torts and pipelines had to be devised. every single day the allied chief command plans to land 12,000 tons of provisions and 2500 vehicles.

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>> the french resistance is to

play an important role in the landing but in spring of 1944 the french forces comprise 100,000 men. the resistant network can supply information about the atlantic and, german garrisons, depots. the allies are really with more -- details. members of the resistance received orders to go into action. executing the plans that have been agreed a attacked convoys and destroyed bridges and electric power cables. thanks to what they have done the theater of operations is totally cut off. --man reinforcements

during the night of june 5, 900 andes dropped the 101st u.s. air divisions on normandy. simultaneously the men of the sixth reddish airborne division protect the eastern flank of the beachhead. gliders dropped commanders on strategic objectives, not without casualties.

add-on and armada delivered 50,000 soldiers to their fate.

after intense bombing, landing operations begin on the five selected beaches. ♪

on omaha beach, the first and 29th u.s. into effect -- infantry divisions suffered terrible losses. the first wave is decimated. there is total chaos. ♪ towards midday after six hours of fighting, the beach is taken. 2500 men are either dead, wounded, or missing.

on utah beach, the men of the fourth u.s. infantry division take the beach in less than an hour. on golden june beaches the british 50th division and the canadian third division managed to make their way inland. ♪ here on sword beach, the british third division infantry troops quickly take control. the crab tanks super minefields. -- plays thece bagpipes throughout the salt. fusiliers andal the commander despite heavy losses take the casino,

transport them -- transformed into a fortified unger. -- fortified bunker. ♪

by the evening of june 6, one hundred 32,000 men and 20,000 vehicles have landed on the beaches. operation overlord has been successful. the strip of land a few kilometers wide is enough to beommodate the allied

which is growing stronger by the hour. [applause]

that morning, general eisenhower announces the normandy landings to the world. >> people of western europe, a landing was made this morning on the coast of france i troops of the allied expeditionary forces. >> in the evening general de gaulle speaks from london by radio. french]g >> the battle for normandy is a terrible one. it lasts 80 days and becomes a tactical struggle for position. the elite german troops dug in fight fiercely. the reinforcements that they are they counted on do not come. blocked by the red army offensive promised i stalin in tehran. -- i stalin in turin.

tehran. ♪ right up to july 9 allied forces are bogged down. the town has become a field of rubble. 2000 people have died under the bombs. towns bombing of normandy causes 14,000 civilian casualties.

after the breakthrough on july 30 and the battle for the first -- where the first polish division excels itself, the gates to paris are open. backed by the fourth u.s. infantry division the second armored division the rates the insurgent french capital. on august 26, de gaulle receives nothing short of a popular consecration. further 260,000 file -- fighters to follow. africa and from

nigpean and night grab -- reb origin. the resistance hopes to increase the speed of the advance. the liberation of france is contributed to. finally achieved in 1944. allied bombs are transforming piles ofties into rubble. hundreds of thousands of to the roadke didn't flee. troopsh 1945 allied crossed the rhine. on april 25 american troops fraternize with soldiers of the red army.

♪ april 25, 1945 is the getting of the battle for berlin.

after several days of intense ishting, the soviet flag hoisted on the reichstag building. ♪

on may 8, people everywhere celebrate the return of peace. in london, harris, new york, and moscow. -- paris, new york my and moscow. ♪

three months later bombs ring about the capitulation of japan. the war is over. the deaths -- a civilian populations have suffered tremendously. the opening of the death camps reveals a new image of hell to the eyes of the world create when general eisenhower discovers the human corpses at a concentration camp he said the american fighter does not know what he is fighting for. at least he will know what he

is fighting against. ♪ [applause]

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