Show of unity as D-Day sacrifices remembered

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.

French President Jacques Chirac welcomed President Bush at the American cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, where 9,387 fallen US fighters are buried.

The ceremony at Omaha Beach, the bloodiest fight of all five landing zones, started with a 21-gun salute directed by one of the veterans of the Normandy fighting.

Both leaders sought to reinvigorate the US-European bonds that were cemented during and after World War II. Mr Chirac, a leading critic of Mr Bush's foreign policy, thanked America for the sacrifices made to defeat Adolf Hitler. "France will never forget," Mr Chirac said. "It will never forget those men who made the supreme sacrifice to liberate our soil, our native land, our continent, from the yoke of Nazi barbarity and its murderous folly. Nor will it ever forget its debt to America, its everlasting friend."

In a moving speech, Mr Bush said their sacrifice threw back the "marching mechanised evils of fascism".

He praised the strength of the US's alliance with Europe, saying that unity in the cause of freedom was strong but "still needed today".

Hollywood star Tom Hanks and director Steven Spielberg, makers of the movie about the invasion, Saving Private Ryan, sat discreetly in the audience alongside aging veterans proudly wearing their medals and military uniforms, many in wheelchairs.

Gerhard Schroeder became the first German chancellor to take part in D-Day anniversary ceremonies, symbolising Germany's transformation from mortal enemy to trusted partner.

Shortly before a luncheon banquet, a smiling Mr Schroeder and Mr Chirac embraced outside the ornate city hall in nearby Caen. Schroeder then kissed the hand of France's first lady, Bernadette Chirac.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also attended.

A pomp-filled ceremony in Arromanches, near the midpoint of the five code-named beaches where roughly 156,000 soldiers mostly American, British and Canadian stormed in from the English Channel on D-Day.

With more than 20 world leaders arriving in Normandy at a time of high terror threat, France deployed fighter jets, surface-to-air missiles and 15,000 gendarmes and soldiers for security. Access to the region was restricted by police.

Some 1,300 soldiers from 14 countries marched in parades or played national anthems with military bands. American, Belgian, British, Dutch, Norwegian and French planes soared overhead. Seven nations took part in a naval flotilla near Arromanches.

Tens of thousands of people turned out on Saturday for public events to honour the sacrifices of the war veterans and fallen soldiers.

Casualty estimates for the Allied forces vary, but range from 2,500 to more than 5,000 dead on D-Day. But one thing is clear: the waves on Normandy shores ran red with blood.

Allied soldiers scurried across heavily mined and obstacle-covered shores, while others flew into the back country in gliders or by parachute some getting snagged in trees or buildings.

The weekend commemorations amount to one of the final honours for the aging veterans.

"I'm getting near death. I'm 82, and I'm not getting any younger," said Harry Hudec of Cleveland, Ohio, a "Red Devil" of the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the US 82nd Airborne Division who landed inland from Utah Beach.

"It's gratifying that people remember," said 83-year-old James Coleman, of Oregon, of the 82nd's 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment. "I lost a lot of friends."