06/06/2014 Newsround

Good afternoon. It is 4. 20pm and today is a special day. The 70th

anniversary of D-Day. To mark the occasion Nel has a special programme

for you, from France. Welcome to Newsround, with me Nel t. A place

that -- with me Nel. A place here looks very different than it did in

1944. It was one of the fiercest battles

of World War II. Today, the beach is littered with people, who have

travelled from around the world to be part of the special events. The

commemorations began at midnight with fireworks. This morning world

leaders including David Cameron and Barack Obama paid tribute to the

soldiers who fought here. These people fought wars so we may be

free. They fought in hopes of a day when we would no longer need to

fight. We are grateful to them. The Queen is also here with Prince

Charles. She laid a wreath and met some of the hundreds of ex-soldiers

who have come to remember those they fought alongside. It is the biggest

seaborne attack in military history and was of huge significance in

helping the allies eventually win in World War II.

??FORCEWHITE NEWSREEL: As down broke, the greatest Armada

of ships the world has ever seen went through the narrow waters.

France and Europe are under the control of German forces. After

years of careful, top-secret planning, America, Britain and

Canada came one a plan to begin invading Europe. The day it began

will forever be known as D-Day. ??FORCEWHITE NEWSREEL:

Once again we were back on the soil of France. In the early hours of

June 6th, 7,000 ships carrying British, American and Canadian

forces arrived here, off the coast of Normandy. It was to be the

largest gathering of an invading force in history.

It was the worst experience of my life. I was scared. I was on that

beach and I was scared. I never moved until we got to France because

it was so rough and there were ships on fire each side of us. You

survived. You had to, you had no choice. By midnight 100,000 troops

were taking control of the area, fighting through heavy German

defences. What they did had a huge impact on the Second World War. To

defeat Nazi Germany you have to get to Germany. The only way you can do

that is by invading continental Europe, getting into France, which

is the biggest country and sweeping eastwards. It was at a cost. Nearly

3,000 British troops alone lost their lives on D-Day. Ever since,

those who fought return here. There's terrific comradeship right

through your life. If you say to you are a Normandy

veteran you can talk to anything. -- anybody it is great.

It is like a reconnection of friends.

Well, you can see more of those D-Day veterans talking about their

experiences on the Newsround website.

Thousands of their fellow soldiers did die in a battle. For those who

survived it has been an emotional day. It has been one they have been

able to share with their families. I have been speaking to Fred, who was

part of the Royal Navy. He is here with his granddaughters.

70 years on, why have you chosen to bring your granddaughters back here

again? I always say that the children should come here and see

really what I have told them. You have to remember all those that

didn't come back. What was it like to know that your granddad was

fighting here on D-Day? It is quite worrying to know that he was in them

seas behind us. And it is quite emotional. It makes

it even more special to think that my granddad fought to help save all

the people, even though many lost their lives. It is exciting to learn

about because two countries were at war and that could have been still

going on today if these veterans hadn't of gone and fought for their

country. The ceremonies and events will

continue here with Prince William and Catherine due to have tea with

veterans very shortly. You can catch up with everything that has happened

and learn about the history on the website. For now I will leave you

with some images of D-Day and its lasting effect.