The British operation to capture Pegasus Bridge was one of D-Day's most audacious military operations.
Thousands of Allied troops flew or parachuted in during the early hours of June 6, 1944, catching the German army by surprise.
Major John Howard led his men in the successful capture of the bridge and a second bridge nearby with the loss of only two men, the first allied casualties of D-Day.
More than 650 ex-servicemen are reported to have made the journey to Normandy to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the invasion which changed the course of the Second World War.
Prince Charles today led the tributes at Pegasus Bridge to the men that took part in the first wave, as warplanes including a Spitfire and Lancaster Bomber flew overhead.
Major Howard died in 1999, but his daughter Penny Bates was at the bridge to lay a wreath together with Jen Wallwork, widow of Staff Sergeant James Wallwork, the first glider pilot to land, and veteran Major Hugh Pond.
Major Howard's granddaughter Kerry Bates-Ricketts has vowed to keep the D-Day legacy alive for future generations.