Make-believe pilots in faded flight suits. Men in steel helmets, driving lovingly restored jeeps. Women dressed as French resistance fighters or wartime factory workers.
The 75th anniversary on Thursday of the D-Day landings in Normandy saw thousands turn up for the commemorations in World War II-era garb.
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Sevak Hancerli, 23, from Paris, sits in a trenches in the WWII reenactors camp of Old Abe next to Saint-Come-du-Mont, Normandy, France, Monday June 3, 2019. Dressed as an American soldier, he is attending the D-Day commemorations for the first time. (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
Fred Herve, 45, from Britany, poses at the WWII reenactors Arizona camp at La Cambe, in Normandy, France on Wednesday June 5, 2019. Dressed as a French Foreign legionnaire, Fred is attending the D-Day commemorations for the second time. (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
Keith Taylor, a 73-year-old retired transport worker, dressed as a World War II fire officer poses for a photo after watching parachutists jump Wednesday June 5, 2019, over the Normandy town of Carentan, which was one of the initial objectives of the June 6, 1944, D-Day invasion. Taylor said his father, William Taylor, served as a firefighter in the East End of London during the Blitz, the mass bombing raids of the British capital and other cities by the Luftwaffe in 1940-1941. "He went through a lot," Taylor said of his father. "He had post-traumatic stress, we reckon, after the war." (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
Manusak Harceli, 55, poses at a photo in Old Abe WWII reenactors camp next to Saint-Come-du-Mont, France, on Monday June 3, 2019. Dressed as a nurse, Harceli is attending the D-Day commemorations for the second time. (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
OIliver Ofrijo, 48, from Germany, poses with an old BMW vehicle, in the WWII reenactors camp of Old Abe next to Saint-Come-du-Mont, France, on Monday June 3, 2019. Dressed as a soldier, Olivier is attending the D-Day commemorations for the first time. (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
Adolpho Ferraro, from Italy, poses at a WWII reenactors camp at La Cambe, in Normandy, France on Wednesday June 5, 2019. His grandfather fought in both World War I and WWII. Dressed as an American paratrooper, he is attending the D-Day commemorations for the second time. (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
Laetitia Herve, 43, left, and her daughter Sarah, 17, pose in Arizona Camp set up for WWII reenactors, in La Cambe, France, on Wednesday June 5, 2019. Laetitia grew up in Normandy, close to Utah Beach were U.S. troops landed. She has a great aunt who was born on D-Day, and he parents married one month before the invasion. She has long attended D-Day commemorations and feels the atmosphere "was different before." (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
Allen Triegue, 43, military personnel from Australia, who currently lives in Houston, Texas, poses after his parachute jump in Carentan, France, on Wednesday, June 5, 2019. His grandfather fought in the Pacific during WWII. Dressed as a paratrooper, Allen was attending the D-Day commemoration for the first time. (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
Raymond Gaona'h, 60, a construction worker from Quimper, France, dressed as a resistance fighter, poses in a WWII reenactors camp in La Cambe, in Normandy, Wednesday June 5, 2019. Gaona'h's father, a mechanic, served with the French resistance. He lived next to a Nazi headquarters and was arrested and deported to a camp in Germany for attempting to sabotage vehicles. He later escaped from the camp with three friends. Raymond Gaona'h attended the D-Day commemorations for the first time this year. (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
Curtis Sneddon, 24, from England, dressed head to toe in an expensively assembled U.S. Air force uniform, nearly all of it World War II-vintage, as he watched parachutists jump on Wednesday June 5, 2019, over the Normandy town of Carentan, which was one of the initial objectives of the June 6, 1944, D-Day invasion. Sneddon, who works as a civilian contractor in England for the U.S. Air force, sources his gear from specialist vendors and collectors in the United States. He splashed out 850 pounds ($1,100) for his parachute alone. Sneddon said he's been fascinated by things American "since I was a little kid" but also dresses up to preserve the history of World War II and those who fought in it. "If nobody did it, in years to come, everybody would forget about it," he said. "It's about educating the younger generation that don't know." (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
Laetitia Herve, 43, left, and her daughter Sarah, 17, pose in Arizona Camp set up for WWII reenactors, in La Cambe, France, on Wednesday June 5, 2019. Laetitia grew up in Normandy, close to Utah Beach were U.S. troops landed. She has a great aunt who was born on D-Day, and he parents married one month before the invasion. She has long attended D-Day commemorations and feels the atmosphere "was different before." (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
Adolpho Ferraro, from Italy, poses at a WWII reenactors camp at La Cambe, in Normandy, France on Wednesday June 5, 2019. His grandfather fought in both World War I and WWII. Dressed as an American paratrooper, he is attending the D-Day commemorations for the second time. (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
OIliver Ofrijo, 48, from Germany, poses with an old BMW vehicle, in the WWII reenactors camp of Old Abe next to Saint-Come-du-Mont, France, on Monday June 3, 2019. Dressed as a soldier, Olivier is attending the D-Day commemorations for the first time. (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
Sevak Hancerli, 23, from Paris, sits in a trenches in the WWII reenactors camp of Old Abe next to Saint-Come-du-Mont, Normandy, France, Monday June 3, 2019. Dressed as an American soldier, he is attending the D-Day commemorations for the first time. (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
Fred Herve, 45, from Britany, poses at the WWII reenactors Arizona camp at La Cambe, in Normandy, France on Wednesday June 5, 2019. Dressed as a French Foreign legionnaire, Fred is attending the D-Day commemorations for the second time. (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
Raymond Gaona'h, 60, a construction worker from Quimper, France, dressed as a resistance fighter, poses in a WWII reenactors camp in La Cambe, in Normandy, Wednesday June 5, 2019. Gaona'h's father, a mechanic, served with the French resistance. He lived next to a Nazi headquarters and was arrested and deported to a camp in Germany for attempting to sabotage vehicles. He later escaped from the camp with three friends. Raymond Gaona'h attended the D-Day commemorations for the first time this year. (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
Allen Triegue, 43, military personnel from Australia, who currently lives in Houston, Texas, poses after his parachute jump in Carentan, France, on Wednesday, June 5, 2019. His grandfather fought in the Pacific during WWII. Dressed as a paratrooper, Allen was attending the D-Day commemoration for the first time. (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
Curtis Sneddon, 24, from England, dressed head to toe in an expensively assembled U.S. Air force uniform, nearly all of it World War II-vintage, as he watched parachutists jump on Wednesday June 5, 2019, over the Normandy town of Carentan, which was one of the initial objectives of the June 6, 1944, D-Day invasion. Sneddon, who works as a civilian contractor in England for the U.S. Air force, sources his gear from specialist vendors and collectors in the United States. He splashed out 850 pounds ($1,100) for his parachute alone. Sneddon said he's been fascinated by things American "since I was a little kid" but also dresses up to preserve the history of World War II and those who fought in it. "If nobody did it, in years to come, everybody would forget about it," he said. "It's about educating the younger generation that don't know." (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
Herman Harceli, 45, poses in the Old Abe camp next to Saint-Come-du-Mont, Normandy, Monday June 3, 2019. Herman bought the land, which was a former German military position, to set-up a reenactors camp for D-Day commemoration. In this way he wants to raise awareness of the daily life of soldiers during the WWII. "Here we make history alive" he says. (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
For some, playing soldier is harmless fun.
Sevak Hancerli, 23, from Paris, sits in a trenches in the WWII reenactors camp of Old Abe next to Saint-Come-du-Mont, Normandy, France, Monday June 3, 2019. Dressed as an American soldier, he is attending the D-Day commemorations for the first time. (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
For others, there's a more serious message: Keeping alive the memory of June 6, 1944, and the veterans who endured its horrors.
"If nobody did it, in years to come, everybody would forget about it," said Curtis Sneddon, 24, dressed head to toe in an expensively assembled U.S. Airforce uniform, nearly all of it World War II-vintage.
Donning clothes from another era sometimes means discomfort.
Fred Herve, 45, from Britany, poses at the WWII reenactors Arizona camp at La Cambe, in Normandy, France on Wednesday June 5, 2019. Dressed as a French Foreign legionnaire, Fred is attending the D-Day commemorations for the second time. (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
Matt Ferdock, 56, felt it with the darn reproduction war boots he's lumbered with for another two weeks during his travels along battle routes in France and Belgium.
"Quite frankly, they're terrible," he said, coming back from an unsuccessful shopping mission to find comfier insoles in La Cambe, a Normandy village where thousands of Germans are buried and where he attended a ceremony on Wednesday.
After pondering the purpose of his appearance for a moment, Ferdock said that looking the part "just feels like I may get a better sense of who these people were. I don't know what it felt like to walk in these boots."
Keith Taylor, a 73-year-old retired transport worker, dressed as a World War II fire officer poses for a photo after watching parachutists jump Wednesday June 5, 2019, over the Normandy town of Carentan, which was one of the initial objectives of the June 6, 1944, D-Day invasion. Taylor said his father, William Taylor, served as a firefighter in the East End of London during the Blitz, the mass bombing raids of the British capital and other cities by the Luftwaffe in 1940-1941. "He went through a lot," Taylor said of his father. "He had post-traumatic stress, we reckon, after the war." (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
He knows now.
Just across the village square, named after the 29th U.S. Infantry Division that liberated La Cambe on June 8, 1944, stood Heather Van Doorn. She hangs out in restored jeeps with her children Phoebe, Fiona and Max, all dressed as though wartime heartbreak, sacrifice, suffering and rationing were still present.
Heather's drab maintenance coverall more than served its purpose. "You just blend better," she said. "You are part of it."
Manusak Harceli, 55, poses at a photo in Old Abe WWII reenactors camp next to Saint-Come-du-Mont, France, on Monday June 3, 2019. Dressed as a nurse, Harceli is attending the D-Day commemorations for the second time. (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
Getting in on the history often doesn't come cheap. Ferdock said shipping two trucks and a jeep from the United States cost him about $20,000.
Some of those in uniform have served in the military, and say they're fine with others following in their footsteps, or at least wearing their boots.
"This is a huge celebration of Western democracy winning," said Robert Schaefer, a retired lieutenant colonel with the U.S. Army's Green Berets who served in Afghanistan. He took part in a jump over the D-Day town of Carentan, carrying the dog tag and wallet that his grandfather, George J. Ehmet, had with him when he fought as an artillery man in France.
OIliver Ofrijo, 48, from Germany, poses with an old BMW vehicle, in the WWII reenactors camp of Old Abe next to Saint-Come-du-Mont, France, on Monday June 3, 2019. Dressed as a soldier, Olivier is attending the D-Day commemorations for the first time. (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
"If it becomes a celebration rather than a commemoration, everybody learns something."
Follow all the AP's coverage of D-Day at https://apnews.com/WorldWarII
Adolpho Ferraro, from Italy, poses at a WWII reenactors camp at La Cambe, in Normandy, France on Wednesday June 5, 2019. His grandfather fought in both World War I and WWII. Dressed as an American paratrooper, he is attending the D-Day commemorations for the second time. (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
Laetitia Herve, 43, left, and her daughter Sarah, 17, pose in Arizona Camp set up for WWII reenactors, in La Cambe, France, on Wednesday June 5, 2019. Laetitia grew up in Normandy, close to Utah Beach were U.S. troops landed. She has a great aunt who was born on D-Day, and he parents married one month before the invasion. She has long attended D-Day commemorations and feels the atmosphere "was different before." (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
Allen Triegue, 43, military personnel from Australia, who currently lives in Houston, Texas, poses after his parachute jump in Carentan, France, on Wednesday, June 5, 2019. His grandfather fought in the Pacific during WWII. Dressed as a paratrooper, Allen was attending the D-Day commemoration for the first time. (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
Raymond Gaona'h, 60, a construction worker from Quimper, France, dressed as a resistance fighter, poses in a WWII reenactors camp in La Cambe, in Normandy, Wednesday June 5, 2019. Gaona'h's father, a mechanic, served with the French resistance. He lived next to a Nazi headquarters and was arrested and deported to a camp in Germany for attempting to sabotage vehicles. He later escaped from the camp with three friends. Raymond Gaona'h attended the D-Day commemorations for the first time this year. (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
Curtis Sneddon, 24, from England, dressed head to toe in an expensively assembled U.S. Air force uniform, nearly all of it World War II-vintage, as he watched parachutists jump on Wednesday June 5, 2019, over the Normandy town of Carentan, which was one of the initial objectives of the June 6, 1944, D-Day invasion. Sneddon, who works as a civilian contractor in England for the U.S. Air force, sources his gear from specialist vendors and collectors in the United States. He splashed out 850 pounds ($1,100) for his parachute alone. Sneddon said he's been fascinated by things American "since I was a little kid" but also dresses up to preserve the history of World War II and those who fought in it. "If nobody did it, in years to come, everybody would forget about it," he said. "It's about educating the younger generation that don't know." (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
Laetitia Herve, 43, left, and her daughter Sarah, 17, pose in Arizona Camp set up for WWII reenactors, in La Cambe, France, on Wednesday June 5, 2019. Laetitia grew up in Normandy, close to Utah Beach were U.S. troops landed. She has a great aunt who was born on D-Day, and he parents married one month before the invasion. She has long attended D-Day commemorations and feels the atmosphere "was different before." (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
Adolpho Ferraro, from Italy, poses at a WWII reenactors camp at La Cambe, in Normandy, France on Wednesday June 5, 2019. His grandfather fought in both World War I and WWII. Dressed as an American paratrooper, he is attending the D-Day commemorations for the second time. (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
OIliver Ofrijo, 48, from Germany, poses with an old BMW vehicle, in the WWII reenactors camp of Old Abe next to Saint-Come-du-Mont, France, on Monday June 3, 2019. Dressed as a soldier, Olivier is attending the D-Day commemorations for the first time. (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
Sevak Hancerli, 23, from Paris, sits in a trenches in the WWII reenactors camp of Old Abe next to Saint-Come-du-Mont, Normandy, France, Monday June 3, 2019. Dressed as an American soldier, he is attending the D-Day commemorations for the first time. (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
Fred Herve, 45, from Britany, poses at the WWII reenactors Arizona camp at La Cambe, in Normandy, France on Wednesday June 5, 2019. Dressed as a French Foreign legionnaire, Fred is attending the D-Day commemorations for the second time. (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
Raymond Gaona'h, 60, a construction worker from Quimper, France, dressed as a resistance fighter, poses in a WWII reenactors camp in La Cambe, in Normandy, Wednesday June 5, 2019. Gaona'h's father, a mechanic, served with the French resistance. He lived next to a Nazi headquarters and was arrested and deported to a camp in Germany for attempting to sabotage vehicles. He later escaped from the camp with three friends. Raymond Gaona'h attended the D-Day commemorations for the first time this year. (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
Allen Triegue, 43, military personnel from Australia, who currently lives in Houston, Texas, poses after his parachute jump in Carentan, France, on Wednesday, June 5, 2019. His grandfather fought in the Pacific during WWII. Dressed as a paratrooper, Allen was attending the D-Day commemoration for the first time. (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
Curtis Sneddon, 24, from England, dressed head to toe in an expensively assembled U.S. Air force uniform, nearly all of it World War II-vintage, as he watched parachutists jump on Wednesday June 5, 2019, over the Normandy town of Carentan, which was one of the initial objectives of the June 6, 1944, D-Day invasion. Sneddon, who works as a civilian contractor in England for the U.S. Air force, sources his gear from specialist vendors and collectors in the United States. He splashed out 850 pounds ($1,100) for his parachute alone. Sneddon said he's been fascinated by things American "since I was a little kid" but also dresses up to preserve the history of World War II and those who fought in it. "If nobody did it, in years to come, everybody would forget about it," he said. "It's about educating the younger generation that don't know." (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
Herman Harceli, 45, poses in the Old Abe camp next to Saint-Come-du-Mont, Normandy, Monday June 3, 2019. Herman bought the land, which was a former German military position, to set-up a reenactors camp for D-Day commemoration. In this way he wants to raise awareness of the daily life of soldiers during the WWII. "Here we make history alive" he says. (AP PhotoRafael Yaghobzadeh)
