D-Day ceremonies in pictures
World leaders take part in the ceremonies to remember the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings by Allied troops in Normandy.
Honoring the dead
D-Day led to the liberation of Europe - and to the death of some 98,000 people. French soldiers marched in Ouistreham to honor soldiers who fell on both sides of the war while French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and German Chancellor Angela Merkel laid a wreath at the War Cemetery in Ranville.
Long-time allies
French President Francois Hollande and his American counterpart, Barack Obama, attend a D-Day commemoration ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-mer. "France will never forget what it owes these soldiers, what it owes the United States," Hollande said at the cemetery.
The queen remembers
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles commemorated D-Day at a British War cemetery in Bayeux, where nearly 5,000 soldiers from the British Commonwealth are buried. The queen also attended a lunch with 20 other world leaders at the Chateau de Benouville.
Diplomacy on the sidelines
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin met at the sidelines of the D-Day ceremonies in Deauville. The atmosphere during the meeting "appeared chilly," according to correspondents from the German dpa news agency. Though relations between the West and Moscow are currently tense, Russia was a part of the Allied force that defeated the Nazis in World War II.
Commemorating D-Day
People watch fireworks over Ouistreham on the eve of D-Day. Commemorations for the 70th anniversary are taking place in several venues along the coast in France. "Our commitment to liberty, our claim to equality, our claim to freedom and to the inherent dignity of every human being - that claim is written in the blood on these beaches, and it will endure for eternity," Obama said in a speech.
Memorial jump
Hundreds of World War II veterans were attending the ceremonies to mark the 70th anniversary of D-Day. Among those were 93-year-old US veteran Jim Martin, who completed a tandem parachute jump as part of the commemorations. Some 1,000 veterans returned to Normandy for the anniversary.
Visiting Omaha Beach
Obama and Hollande overlook Omaha Beach near the American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-mer where the Allied troops landed on D-Day.
Hoping for peace
D-Day marked the beginning of the fall of the Nazi regime and the eventual return to peace to the European continent. Just how fragile that peace is, however, continues to be shown by conflicts and crises that still flare up in Europe. Hope for a world without war also remains a distant dream.