Although it has been 80 years since Allied forces landed in German-occupied Normandy in France, the coastline still bears traces of D-Day on June 6, 1944. Here, bunkers, lookouts and ruins attract crowds of tourists every year.
A year after more than 150,000 Allied soldiers landed in Normandy, Nazi Germany surrendered. But the historic beaches are now threatened by rising sea levels and erosion as a result of climate change.
The landing beaches at Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juneau and Sword would be unrecognizable today to a soldier who was on D-Day, according to geographer Regis Lemarie.
– We are moving away from historical places to interpret history in other places instead, he told Agence France-Presse.
In the community of Gray-sur-Mer, the sea has taken over entire hideouts, and locals worry that history will be swept away with the tide.
Lemary believes the only thing left to do is try to adapt to the changes.
-We are approaching the end of landing sites as we know them. Nature will regain its rights.
On Sunday, paratroopers were seen in the now calm skies of Normandy, a sign of the many celebrations expected to mark the 80th anniversary. US President Joe Biden, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the British royal family are on the guest list when France calls for celebrations this week, the Associated Press news agency reported.
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