D-Day 75th anniversary programme, Imperial War Museums

The Imperial War Museum is embarking upon an ambitious programme involving multiple sites, in order to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings. Central to this is a flight display at IWM Duxford before a cross-channel flight to Normandy on 6 June 2019.

A flight display will be staged at IWM's Duxford site, which will host the largest collection of Douglas C-47 Skytrain Dakota aircrafts in one location since the Second World War. Renowned for their role in the D-Day landings, these aircraft will be available to view in person from 4-6 June, before their cross-channel flight to Normandy. The planes will be flown in to Duxford by their respective owners, especially for this historic occasion. 250 parachutists from around the world will board the planes in full WWII allied uniform, complete with military parachutes, in order to more closely replicate the journey and landings.

The IWM will also be holding events to commemorate the roles of HMS Belfast and the Churchill War Rooms. The events in Belfast will take place on the 8 and 9 June, with visitors treated to bespoke group tours on board one of D-Day's largest warships. There's also the promise of interactive activities, allowing visitors to 'step into the shoes of the people who made D-Day happen'.

Meanwhile, the Churchill War Rooms allow you to walk in Churchill's footsteps, through the underground tunnels that acted as Britain's hidden headquarters. Each of these locations has been chosen due to the integral part they played in the D-Day landings, helping to change the course of the war.

As well as these events, the IWM site in London will be re-telling the story of D-Day through its Second World War collection. Further events connected to the 75^th anniversary programme will be announced over the coming months.