Allied troops remembered in Normandy amid coronavirus lockdown

A small ceremony was held on Omaha Beach in Saint-Laurent-Sur-Mer on Saturday morning to honour the sacrifice of those who died in the D-Day landings.

Compared to 12 months ago, when many tens of thousands came to the northern French beaches of Normandy to cheer the dwindling number of veterans and celebrate 75 years of liberation from Nazi oppression, the coronavirus lockdown turned this year's remembrance into one of the eeriest ever.

When the sun rose the other side over the English Channel there was no customary rumble of columns of vintage military vehicles and cheers to be heard.

Still, the French would not let this day slip by unnoticed, such is their attachment to some 160,000 soldiers from the United States, Britain, Canada and others who spilled their blood to free foreign beaches and fight on to finally defeat the Nazis almost one year later.

"Whatever happens, on June 6th in Normandy, we can't forget," said Philippe Laillier, the mayor of Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, where he led the ceremony around the Omaha Beach monument.

The pandemic has wreaked havoc across the world, infecting 6.6 million people, killing over 391,000 and devastating economies.

It poses a particular threat to the elderly - like the surviving D-Day veterans, most of whom are now in their late nineties or older.