LO, France (Reuters) -As world leaders gathered to celebrate the 80th anniversary of D-Day, French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to the thousands of civilian victims of Allied bombardments on that day and in the months-long Battle of Normandy that followed.

The 80th anniversary this week of the June 6, 1944, Allied invasion on D-Day that punched through Hitler’s western defenses and helped precipitate Nazi Germany’s surrender 11 months later brings

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday hailed the "spirit of sacrifice" of the soldiers who liberated Europe from Nazi occupation, as he prepared to join US President Joe Biden and King Charles III to mark 80 years since the World War II D-Day landings.