OMAHA BEACH, France (AP) — Veterans were gathering Friday on the beaches of Normandy to mark the 81st anniversary of the D-Day landings — a pivotal moment of World War II that eventually led to the collapse of Adolf Hitler's regime.

Tens of thousands of onlookers are expected to attend the commemorations, which include parachute jumps, remembrance ceremonies, parades, and historical re-enactments.

Many will be there to cheer the ever-dwindling number of surviving veterans in their late 90s and older. All will remember the thousands who died. • FILE - This photograph is believed to show E Company, 16th Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, participating in the first wave of assaults during D-Day in Normandy, France, June 6, 1944. (Chief Photographer's Mate Robert M. Sargent, U.S. Coast Guard

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