U.S. soldiers rest in peace in France before old comrades' last D-Day tribute

COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER France (Reuters) - Little disturbs the peace at the Normandy American Cemetery of Colleville-sur-Mer, with just the sound of the waves of Omaha Beach, the chirp of birds and an occasional lawnmower breaking the silence.

Here, under perfectly spaced white marble headstones, lie 9,387 U.S. soldiers who fell 70 years ago during the Normandy campaign, that audacious test of grit and human sacrifice that began as history's largest amphibious assault and ended with the crushing of German defences, ultimately hastening the end of World War Two.