World Leaders Honor D-Day Veterans-- Part 4: Germany There, But Not Russia

D-Day saw more than 150,000 Allied troops land on the beaches of Normandy in northwest France on June 6, 1944, carried by 7,000 ships and boats.  The Battle of Normandy, codenamed Operation Overlord, was a turning point in the war and helped bring about Nazi Germany's defeat in May 1945.

Wednesday's ceremony brought together presidents, prime ministers and other representatives of more than a dozen countries that fought with the Allies in Normandy.

The leader of the country that was the enemy in the invasion in 1944, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, also attended -- a symbol of Europe's postwar reconciliation and transformation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who attended the 70th anniversary commemorations in France has not been invited.  Russia (then the Soviet Union) was not involved in D-Day but was instrumental in defeating the Germans on the Eastern Front.

The ceremony sought to take people back in time, with world leaders reading the words of participants in the event.