Events marking the start of WW2 were axed due to weather

Commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of the Allied landings in southern France have been partially canceled due to the threat of thunderstorms.

French President Emmanuel Macron was due to host a reception with other heads of state inside the Dixmude helicopter carrier, but that has now been put on hold.

The planned regeneration of Toulon accommodation has also been axed.

The arrival of Provence played a major role in the liberation of France during the Second World War, allowing the Allied forces to retake most of southern France.

Sometimes called the forgotten D-Day, it took place shortly after the landing of the better-known lands in Normandy.

The Elysee Palace said shortly before the commemoration began that Dixmude’s reception would no longer take place.

Meanwhile, the local authorities of the Var region in a statement that the renewal of the rules on the Lido beach in Mourillon has been canceled due to “bad weather and the high risk of storms”.

Strong winds and heavy rain are forecast in the region, with winds of up to 140km/h (87mph).

The occupation of Provence began when about 100,000 American, British and Canadian troops landed on the French Riviera on August 15, 1944.

They were followed by 250,000 soldiers recruited mainly from French colonies in northern Africa and sub-Saharan Africa.

However, it has taken decades to highlight the role they played in the commemoration of military service.

“France has forgotten, but it is making up for lost time,” said Oumar Dieme, a former Senegalese youth who attended the event, according to the AFP news agency.

Speaking at a ceremony at the Boulouris National Cemetery in the city of Saint-Raphael, Mr Macron said the men who took part in this area were fighting for “the right to self-governance, their sovereignty, and the integrity of their territory”.

He honored the important role played by African soldiers, who were often forcibly recruited and who came from what is now Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Gabon, Togo, Morocco and Niger.

“They all accomplished, on that day and the following, a task for which they knew great dangers. Yet they did it with bold courage and indisputable strength.”

The French president was joined by six African leaders, including Paul Biya of Cameroon and Faustin-Archange Touadera of the Central African Republic.

In his speech, Mr Biya said: “There would not have been an Allied victory without the contribution of other people, apart from immigrants.”

He added: “These soldiers who are warriors from West Africa, Equatorial Africa, Madagascar or the Indian Ocean stand out in an amazing way.

“They paid a very heavy price for victory. They were exemplary fighters, often the heirs of ancient martial traditions, admired for their courage, bravery and loyalty.”

The troops in the Provence area – called Operation Dragoon – played a major role in capturing the important Mediterranean ports of Marseille and Toulon and increased the pressure on the Nazi forces by opening up a new army.