Photos: D-Day 80 beacon lighting in Thanet

Margate mayor and mayoress, mayor's cadet and Dunkirk mayor Photo Frank Leppard

Beacon lightings and services were held across Thanet yesterday (June 6) to mark the 80th anniversary of World War Two’s D-Day operations.

The Normandy landings, referred to as Operation Overlord and Neptune (for the planned amphibious attack), but collectively known as D-Day was meticulously planned and involved allies from all over the world, including sailors, soldiers, and airmen from the USA, Canada, Australia, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland and others.

Margate Photo Isabelle De Ridder

The invasion on June 6, 1944, is now described as a turning point in the war and often credited for shortening the war by several years.

Westgate Photo Wilfred Jenkins

The Allies used over 5,000 ships and landing craft to land more than 150,000 troops on five beaches in Normandy.

The landings began the liberation of German-occupied France from Nazi control and laid the foundations of the Allied victory on the Western Front.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Flags raised and services held to mark 80th anniversary of D-Day

3 Comments

  1. I assume the council new this was going to take place, but they never had the forethought to have the grass cut on Fort Hill beforehand. The whole site looked like an overgrown mess. Another great advert for Margate and it’s hopeless councillors 😔

Comments are closed.