Day, the first day of the Normandy landings that laid the foundations for the Allied defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

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.

This week marks the 25th anniversary of the opening of the National World War II Museum, which opened its doors on June 6, 2000, as the D-Day Museum.