The Tour de France gets underway tomorrow in the Normandy commune of Mont Sant Michel and among the 189 riders taking part are two Irishmen, Sam Bennett and Dan Martin.

RICHARD “Dick” Winters, the Easy Company commander whose World War II exploits were made famous by the book and television mini-series Band of Brothers, died last week in central Pennsylvania.

Richard “Dick” Winters, the Second World War US officer made famous by the Band of Brothers TV series, has died aged 92 following a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.

LEADERS from more than a dozen countries yesterday put aside disputes over Iraq to thank the Allied forces who fought one of the most decisive military battles ever in the D-Day invasion that broke Nazi Germany's grip on Europe.