COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER, France (AP) — Germany has gone from being a vicious foe to a trusted friend since Allied troops fought their way onto beaches in northern France to free Europe from Adolf Hitler's forces.

The transformation is evident at this week's observances for D-Day's 75th anniversary, where Germans are being welcomed instead of reviled like the Nazis who came before them.

Daniel Pommer had a German flag on his shoulder as he stood amid the 9,388 white crosses at the Normandy American Cemetery on Tuesday.

Pommer said the U.S. soldiers buried there "freed Europe, and that includes Germany."

Some differences persist between the Allies and Germany when it comes to D-Day. Few of the war re-enactors in Normandy this week are wearing German uniforms.

And few German flags will fly alongside the flags of the United States, Britain and Canada.

Follow all the AP's coverage of D-Day at https://apnews.com/WorldWarII