Eighty-one years after William Owens helped stop Nazi forces in Normandy, the Army posthumously awarded him the Distinguished ...

Veterans gathered Friday in 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.

The Normandy landings on D-Day -- June 6, 1944 -- began the end to World War II. IMAGE: US troops move onto Utah Beach, Normandy, June 6, 1944. Photographs: Kind courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

American inventions proved their worth in the Normandy campaign that began on June 6, 1944. They allowed Allied forces to shoot, move and communicate in the arduous D-Day landings.

Veterans are gathering on the beaches of Normandy to mark the 81st anniversary of the D-Day landings — a pivotal moment that eventually led to the collapse of Adolf Hitler’s regime.

Veterans gathered Friday in Normandy to mark the 81st anniversary of D-Day. Along the coastline and near the D-Day landing beaches, tens of thousands of onlookers attended the commemorations.

Historic photos illustrate the D-Day landings, which happened 81 years ago Friday. A reenactment in Conneaut, Ohio, happens later this summer.

How the Normandy landings led to Germany’s defeat in World War II . FILE - This photograph is believed to show E Company, 16th Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, participating in the ...

Veterans have gathered on the beaches of Normandy to mark the 81st anniversary of the D-Day landings — a pivotal moment during World War II that eventually led to the collapse of Adolf Hitler’s ...

Royal Navy D-Day veteran John Dennett, 101, at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer to mark the 81st anniversary of the landings (Gareth Fuller/PA) PA Wire ...