President Barack Obama on Saturday paid tribute to those who took part in the D-Day landings in Normandy, saying their bravery during the allied invasion of France during the second world war changed the course of a century.

In a speech to commemoration the 65th anniversary of the landings at the US military cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach, northern France, Mr Obama explained that the “sheer improbability” of success was why one of the greatest amphibious assaults in history held “such a revered space” in memory of the US and its allies.