Every D-Day celebration flag is STOLEN and the walls are covered in anti-Emmanuel Macron graffiti in a French city where the president honors allied heroes

Every D-Day celebration flag was stolen and walls were left covered in anti-Emmanuel Macron graffiti in a French city where the president honored the Special Air Service’s D-Day heroes.

Macron arrived today in Plumelec, Brittany, at the start of commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of the Normandy beach landings.

Plumelec is a particularly sacred site because it was here that the first Allied soldier of the campaign was killed by German troops on June 6, 1944, after parachuting in from England.

But a spokesperson for the town hall confirmed that “all flags that were to be used in the ceremony were stolen on Tuesday.”

‘Graffiti has also appeared on a prominent bus shelter, referring to the president of France.’

US President Joe Biden steps off ‘Air Force One’ as he arrives at Orly Airport in Paris ahead of the D-Day commemorations

In total, the D-Day invasion involved 153,110 troops, supported by 10,440 aircraft and 6,330 ships, with paratroopers landing behind enemy lines prior to the main attack.

“Macron away from Brittany” was one of the messages still clearly visible after the vandalism, along with “This is not France!” and “Brittany is not for sale.”

The spokesperson for Plumelec Town Hall described the theft and vandalism as “shocking and deplorable” and said: “Video surveillance has been reviewed and will allow the perpetrators of these unacceptable acts to be identified.

“Those responsible will be prosecuted and punished, whether they are adults or minors.”

When a criminal investigation was launched, suspects included Breton patriots who objected to their region being expelled from Paris.

Despite the damage and vandalism, Macron’s visit to Plumelec went ahead.

He delivered a speech and paid tribute to the Saint Marcel maquis – a force of French resistance fighters during the Second World War – and the French SAS (Special Air Service) paratroopers, recalling the courage of Free French soldiers who were part of the British elite SAS.

They were among the first to invade Brittany as part of Operation Overlord, the Allied operation to begin the liberation of France.

The first fatality was Corporal Emile Bouétard, 28, a Frenchman who had attended a course at the Parachute Training School in Ringway, Manchester.

Macron’s visit to Plumelec went ahead despite the damage and vandalism, and he gave a speech recalling the courage of the Free French soldiers who were part of the British elite SAS.

US President Joe Biden (C) is welcomed by French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal upon arrival at Paris Orly Airport near Paris, on June 5

His Free French unit was incorporated into 4 SAS in January 1944 and he was part of 3 Squadron when he arrived in the French department of Morbihan.

Their mission was to delay the German reinforcement from Brittany to the Normandy bridgehead.

They landed behind enemy lines at 00:45 on June 6, but found themselves close to an enemy observation post.

Members of 3 Squadron were killed or captured while still gathering their equipment.

The theft and vandalism at Plumelec comes despite a large-scale security operation in Brittany and Normandy in time for the D-Day commemorations.

Heads of state arriving in France in time for the commemorations include King Charles, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Joe Biden.

A steel ring will be placed around world leaders and other dignitaries.

Stéphane Chavaux, commander of the Channel and North Sea Gendarmerie Group, said: “We are ready to respond to any threat and will use force if necessary.”

Eighty bomb disposal experts, including divers, checked Normandy beaches for explosives today, while 43,000 soldiers, police and gendarmes flooded the region and surface-to-air missiles were deployed along the coast of northern France.

What is D-Day?

Many historians describe D-Day as the ‘beginning of the end’ of World War II.

It represented the beginning of the withdrawal of Allied forces from what was the furthest Nazi occupation expanded during the war.

The landings, codenamed Operation Overlord, involved British, American and other Allied forces crossing the English Channel to launch an offensive against the Nazi occupation in Normandy. on June 6, 1944.

It involved boats and planes of all shapes and sizes, for different purposes, whether it was clearing the area further out for mines, or supplying the respective armies to France.

June 5 was the date originally selected for D-Day, but bad weather caused a one-day delay, with troops leaving the English coast on the night of June 5.

An American landing ship full of helmeted soldiers sails to the coast in Normandy on June 6, 1944

The forces arrived on the morning of June 6, when paratroopers had already landed behind enemy lines to begin the attack.

In total, the invasion involved 153,110 troops, supported by 10,440 aircraft and 6,330 ships, with paratroopers landing behind enemy lines before the main attack.

It became known as the largest amphibious invasion in military history.

After less than a week, all five beaches were secured and more troops, vehicles and equipment were delivered to the Allies.

This move meant that Germany was at war on three fronts: in France, Italy and Russia.

This task ultimately proved too much for Hitler’s army, securing Allied victory on the continent on May 8, 1945.