The ceremony was held in the French town of Arromanche where key events in operation Overlord took place in June 1944.
The leaders of 16 countries attended the ceremony. The heads of state and government gave a standing welcome to the veterans who in 1944 broke through the Atlantic Wall — the formidable fortifications erected by the German army along the west coast of France.
Following the ceremony's traditional 21 volleys of gunfire and the singing of the Marseillaise, French President Jacques Chirac awarded 14 veterans France's highest decoration, the Order of the Legion of Honour.
In his short speech Mr Chirac said that, ”Today we remember history anew in Arromanche“. The French President paid tribute to the valour and courage of the soldiers who sacrificed their lives to liberate Europe and also particularly noted the contribution made by the soldiers of the Red Army in the battles of Moscow, Kursk and Stalingrad. ”They opened the road to victory. They led a powerful and unstoppable attack on the enemy,“ Mr Chirac said.
Before the ceremony a lunch for the heads of state arrived in France was given in a city hall. During the lunch President Vladimir Putin had talks with US President George W. Bush, Polish President Alexander Kwasniewski, Canadian Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson, German Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and other heads of state.