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Alexandria marked the 81st anniversary of D-Day on June 1 with a Market Square ceremony honoring the Allied forces who stormed the beaches of Normandy during World War II.

The commemoration featured military reenactors, historical displays and a demonstration drill by the U.S. Coast Guard Honor Guard. A 1940s jazz band and swing dancing also evoked the era.

On June 6, 1944, approximately 156,000 American, British and Canadian troops landed in Normandy, France, beginning the battle known as D-Day. The offensive to liberate Europe from Nazi occupation was code-named Operation Overlord.

Led by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, the unprecedented assault brought together the largest coalition of ships, troops, aircraft and vehicles ever assembled for an amphibious invasion. More than 4,900 service members were killed, reported missing or left unaccounted for during the fierce fighting.

More than 2,500 Americans died on D-Day itself, while another 73,000 Allied troops were killed during the Battle of Normandy. The campaign became a turning point in the war and helped pave the way for Allied victory the following year.

At least four Northern Virginia service members who died in the campaign are memorialized at the Normandy American Cemetery. Sgt. Charles Couse, Staff Sgt. Clyde H. Harris and William E. Lumsden are buried there. Pvt. William H. Fisher, who was also killed in action, is listed on the cemetery’s Tablet of the Missing.

Reenactor Steve Hayes displayed equipment typical of what soldiers in the 29th Division Regiment would have carried during the invasion. Retired Army officer Dave Ostrander brought a 1944 Willys Army Jeep.

Gerald Krueger, commander of VFW Post 609, presented a display honoring Alexandria service members from World War II and the Korean War. His father was among the first troops to land on Omaha Beach on D-Day.

Krueger said the monument at Alexandria’s train station was erected in 1940 and therefore lacks a plaque naming local troops who died in World War II. The VFW hopes to raise enough money to install a plaque by the next Memorial Day honoring those lost in World War II and Korea.

“We want to make this right,” Krueger said.

The annual event, now in its 15th year, was organized by the Alexandria-Caen Sister City Committee. Caen, in western Normandy, became the center of some of the heaviest fighting after Allied forces landed on nearby beaches.

Sponsors included Alexandria Toyota, Doug and Wendy John, Alexandria Radio Club and Alexandria Restaurant Partners.