(NEXSTAR) – The American imprint continues to run deep throughout Normandy. American flags line the streets representing the support and commitment for the Allied cause during World War II that remains today.
“Every American leaves here a little prouder, and every foreigner leaves here [with] a little more respect for America,” Normandy American Cemetery Superintendent, Scott Desjardins said.
Today, thousands of soldiers who died on the shores of Normandy are buried at the Normandy American Cemetery.
“All of those guys who are buried there, that was a sacrifice for all of us here in this country,” Daughter of Pvt. Roy Talhelm, Donna Allen said.
Strategic planning for D-Day began in 1943 while President Frankin Roosevelt and his generals were aboard the USS Iowa on their way to the Tehran Conference.
It was there that the Western Allies committed to launching the D-Day invasion, code named “Operation Overlord.” On June 5, 1944, thousands of ships and close to 200,000 troops began the journey to Normandy, in what would be the largest air, land and naval operation in warfare history.
By June 30, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and supplies had landed on the Normandy shores. Fighting by Allied forces on the Western Front, and Russian forces on the Eastern Front, led to the defeat of the German Nazi forces.
