FRESH from the spectacular VE Day celebrations, another momentous anniversary is on the horizon - D-Day.

Seventy-six years have passed since the Normandy landings - the largest seaborne invasion in history - on Tuesday, June 6, 1944.

This was the Allied invasion of Normandy, as part of Operation Overlord, during the Second World War.

It began the liberation of German-occupied France - and later western Europe - and laid the foundations of the Allied victory on the Western Front.

Codenamed Operation Neptune, D-Day, as it is often referred to, is one of the most seismic moments in world history.

But in addition to having a major impact on the war, there are also strong local links with north Essex.

The 56th Fighter Group, with their three fighter squadrons - the 61st, 62nd and 63rd - arrived at Boxted Airfield on April 18, 1944.

The group consisted of 3,000 men and approximately 80 P47 Thunderbolt Fighter Aircraft.

The day before D-Day, the commanding officer at Boxted, Hubert Zemke, was summoned to a meeting at Bushey Hall, near Watford, the regional HQ.

Security was tight, with guards posted.

The meeting confirmed that June 6, 1944 was to be D-Day and the 56th would patrol an area from Boulogne to the north of the Seine.

Zemke returned to Boxted at 11pm.

The base then became a fortress, no-one was allowed out and the door was locked.

Maintenance crews were ordered to paint invasion stripes on all aircraft and missions were to be flown throughout the day.

Francis Gabreski led the first mission at 3am.

Pilots used cots in the ready room so they could get some sleep and all their meals were brought to them.

The commanding officers were not allowed to fly on the early missions because of their knowledge of the events.

Zemke finally led a mission at 6.45pm and his account of the early part of the mission was recorded.

"I led 31 aircraft of the 61st and 62nd squadrons off at 6.45pm," he said.

"We skirted round the invasion beachhead to Rouen and Evreux, where the 61st dive-bombed the airstrip at Fanville.

"I saw a single F.W 190 trying to sneak up on one of our lower aircraft.

"Turning right and down to attack him, he saw me coming and tried to flee to the west.

"Because of my superior altitude, I rapidly overtook him in the dive.

"He broke right to engage me and as I came in behind him he tightened his turn, suddenly losing control and spinning down straight into the ground.

"I never fired a shot."

The operation gained a foothold that the Allies gradually expanded over the coming months but the landings came at an almighty loss, with Allied casualties thought to total at least 10,000.

Some 4,414 were confirmed dead while German casualties have been estimated at 4,000 to 9,000 men.

By RICHARD TURNER