Yes, I was always amazed at the hospitality shown to my passengers on the D-Day anniversary trips although unsurprisingly, there was a bit of reluctance on the 1974 one.Think Caen St Malo etc were virtually flattened around D.Day..think 20000 civilians died in the bombing.BUSBY.
Most of the French were not celebrating which was understandable especially when I saw the picture in the Newspapers from that time around Caen.
They said they would wait until the following year and the Liberation Day celebrations.