Today (June 6) marks the 80th anniversary of D-Day, when thousands of men died on the beaches of Normandy, France.
Officials have begun commemorations to honour the fallen, to pay tribute to the 156,000 Allied soldiers in World War Two who fought on the beaches of Normandy, to topple Adolf Hitler from power on June 6, 1944.
But can we, as a nation, honour the bravery of the fallen on June 6?
Here is what you need to know.
What is D-Day?
D-Day, also known as the Normandy Landings and ‘the Longest Day’, was the biggest seaborne invasion in military history. Troops from Great Britain, the Commonwealth, France, and the USA landed on the beaches of Normandy at several points along the coast to take the Germans by surprise.
Their mission was to free France from German occupation and the Allied victory that day signalled the beginning of the end of World War 2 and was a pivotal turning point in the conflict.
A minute’s silence for D-Day?
For most military commemorations, countries will remember those that have fallen with a minute’s silence and D-Day is no different, with the tradition observed in the UK, France, US and the Commonwealth.
Armistice Day silences take place on the hour and day the World War One Armistice was signed, at 11am on November 11.
But D-Day does not focus on one hour alone, and also does not mark the end of World War Two, which didn’t conclude until months after the 1944 operation.
There are a number of services in place over the UK and Europe, where a silence will follow appearances from political and religious leaders.
The biggest commemoration of the day normally takes place at the American cemetery in Colleville-Sur-Mer, Normandy. This year, the cemetery will be closed to the public to allow for an all-day commemoration event, allow you can watch the livestream here from 6.30am.
