Veterans attend Normandy commemorations on 81st anniversary of D-Day

War planes fly over the US cemetery during a ceremony to commemorate the 81st anniversary of the D-Day landings in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy (Thomas Padilla/AP/PA)

Veterans gathered in Normandy on Friday to mark the 81st anniversary of the D-Day landings — a pivotal moment of the Second World War that eventually led to the collapse of Adolf Hitler’s regime.

Along the coastline and near the D-Day landing beaches, tens of thousands of onlookers attended the commemorations, which included parachute jumps, flyovers, remembrance ceremonies, parades and historical re-enactments.