CANBERRA, May 17 (Xinhua): Australia commemorates World War II with an exhibition at the Australian War Memorial.
The exhibition, "D-Day: the Australian story" which will run until September, explores the history of Australians fighting in Western Europe 75 years ago with a selection of items from the National Collection, including: textiles, photographs, diaries, letters, models, artwork, and digital displays.
Memorial Director Brendan Nelson said on Friday at the media preview that the stories told in the exhibition demonstrated an unwavering commitment to serving Australia.
"Some 3,300 Australian servicemen and servicewomen contributed to Operation Overlord," he said. "Thirteen Australians were killed on D-Day: two members of the Royal Australian Navy and 11 members of the Royal Australian Air Force. Australia's contribution and its sacrifice is a little-known story in one of history's most dramatic events."
On June 6, 1944, the Allied forces stormed ashore the heavily defended beaches of northern France. More than 6,500 Allied ships and landing craft put to sea from ports along the length of the British south coast, supported by 12,000 aircraft, in what was one of the most significant events of WWII.
Nelson noted that WWII was an important part in the history of Australia. At the time of WWII, Australian population was 7 million. One million Australians were mobilized. Australia saw half a million young people fight the WWII, he said.
He said the history was worth remembering by people, especially the younger generation.
