D-Day: 17 stunning photos from 1944 show how hard the Normandy invasion really was - USA TODAY

Ryan W. Miller USA TODAY

Published 10:40 AM EDT Jun 6, 2019

On June 6, 1944, Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy in Nazi-occupied France during World War II, forever reshaping the progress of the war and history during the D-Day operation.

Thousands of ships, planes and soldiers from the United States, Britain and Canada surprised Nazi forces.

More than 4,000 Allied soldiers, most of them younger than 20 years old, as well as more than 4,000 German troops died in the invasion. Up to 20,000 French civilians were also reportedly killed in the bombings.

In 2019, veterans and world leaders gathered to honor the soldiers who took part in the invasion, led by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower and known then as Operation Overlord.

To mark the historic day, here are 17 photos that show how the battle unfolded.

Contributing: Shelby Fleig, USA TODAY. Follow USA TODAY's Ryan Miller on Twitter: @RyanW_Miller

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2019-06-06 14:17:00Z
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German Nurse Convicted of Killing 85 Patients - The New York Times

OLDENBURG, Germany — A former nurse who confessed to killing more than four dozen patients in Germany was found guilty on Thursday of murdering 85 and was sentenced to life in prison, with the judge calling the scope of his crimes “incomprehensible.”

It was the third conviction for the nurse, Niels Högel, who is believed to be the most prolific serial killer in peacetime Germany, and perhaps the world. But for the families of the nearly 100 people whom he was accused of killing while in his care, the trial had aimed to serve as a form of belated justice by trying to find answers to why they had died.

The court also barred Mr. Högel from working as a nurse, emergency medical responder or any other job providing care. “We want to be sure that you never, ever again are able to work in such a job,” the judge said.

[Read our previous coverage: Hundreds of Bodies; One Nurse]

From the trial’s opening in October, the presiding judge, Sebastian Bührmann, had emphasized that the purpose of the trial went beyond a determination of guilt: It was to try to find answers about how and why the patients had died. But he acknowledged that in 15 other cases, the court had failed to find enough evidence to support a murder conviction.

“Despite all of our attempts, we could only lift part of the fog that hangs over this trial,” the judge said. “That fills us with a certain sadness.”

Throughout the more than 90 minutes that he read out the sentencing, Judge Bührmann directly addressed Mr. Högel. The former nurse, dressed in a black T-shirt and wearing a thick chain necklace, sat with his head resting in the palm of his right hand, listening passively.

“Mr. Högel, your actions are beyond comprehension,” Judge Bührmann said. “The human ability to understand capitulates when faced with the sheer number of deaths, week for week, month for month, year for year.”

Mr. Högel had been accused of administering overdoses of drugs that caused cardiac arrest so that he could try to revive patients heroically. His colleagues called him “Resuscitation Rambo.”

He confessed to killing 43 patients, spending the early days of the trial going through the medical files of each of the 100 patients he was accused of killing with the judge. For most of the others, he told the court that either he couldn’t remember or couldn’t rule out murdering the patient. He denied five charges outright.

But the court, citing his past behavior and expert testimony, questioned whether Mr. Högel’s statements had been truthful.

“The most difficult part was evaluating what you said,” the judge told him, citing specific cases in which written evidence contradicted the former nurse’s testimony. “You didn’t always tell the truth, and that makes it so difficult.”

Under German law, a person convicted of murder can be sentenced only to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 15 years, depending on the severity of the crime. Mr. Högel is already serving a life sentence for other murders, and the judge made clear that his record would ensure he is not eligible for early parole.

Citing the United States justice system, in which for each death a life sentence is handed down, the judge said that even if Mr. Högel were to serve 15 years for each of the 85 murders he carried out, it would add up to a sentence of 1,275 years in prison.

“That is an indication of what I call incomprehensible,” he said.

Officials believe Mr. Högel killed as many as 300 patients while working at two clinics in northern Germany between 2000 and 2005, although the true number may never be known. Reluctance on the part of the directors of the first hospital where he worked, in Oldenburg, to alert the authorities to their suspicions, followed by an unwillingness of previous state prosectors to take up the case once the second hospital did alert them, cost precious time and evidence.

“That was time we can’t get back,” Judge Bührmann said. “Years passed and evidence was lost.” Many witnesses could not remember, he said, while others deliberately sought to hide information.

In his decision, the judge condemned the director of the main Oldenburg hospital by name for failing to take action that could have stopped Mr. Högel and saved lives. Instead, the hospital moved him first to a different ward, then wrote him a glowing recommendation and let him go. Weeks later, he took his next job in a hospital in nearby Delmenhorst, about 20 miles away. There, he continued killing.

Judge Bührmann ordered eight of Mr. Högel’s former colleagues to be investigated for perjury because of suspicion that they had lied to the court or withheld evidence at the most recent trial.

Two doctors and two head nurses from the Delmenhorst hospital have been charged with manslaughter, and the authorities are investigating other hospital employees from Oldenburg. Mr. Högel could be called to testify in those trials.

Prosecutors had sought to charge him with 97 murders, but the defense argued that only 55 cases had been proved beyond a doubt. The defense said that Mr. Högel should be found guilty of attempted murder in 14 cases and acquitted in an additional 31.

The ruling can be appealed, but Mr. Högel’s defense team did not indicate whether it would do so.

After closing arguments on Wednesday, Mr. Högel read a prepared apology to the packed courtroom. “I would like to sincerely apologize for what I have done to each and every one of you,” he said.

For family members, his attempt at an apology fell flat. “He’s a liar through and through,” said Christian Marbach, whose grandfather was found to be a victim of Mr. Högel in a previous trial and had followed the recent proceedings.

More important, he said, other criminal investigations against the doctors and head nurses from the clinics where Mr. Högel worked and was allowed to kill would now be allowed to proceed.

“The wall of silence has been broken,” Mr. Marbach said. “Now it is very important that those who were in positions of power be brought to justice.”

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https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/06/world/europe/germany-nurse-serial-killer.html

2019-06-06 14:15:00Z
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German serial killer nurse sentenced to life in prison for murder of 85 patients - Fox News

One of Germany’s most prolific serial killers was handed his second life sentence Thursday after he was found guilty of killing 85 patients he treated while working as a nurse in Oldenburg.

Niels Hoegel, 42, was initially tried on 100 counts of murder but was found guilty in the deaths of 85 patients, ages 34 to 96, that he murdered sometime between 2000-2005. The court was forced to dismiss 15 counts on a lack of evidence.

Hoegal, who is currently serving a life sentence for two previous murder convictions, was handed a second life sentence by Judge Sebastian Buerhmann.

GERMAN POLITICIAN KNOWN FOR SUPPORT OF REFUGEES SHOT DEAD IN HIS GARDEN, MURDER INVESTIGATION LAUNCHED

“Your guilt is incomprehensible,” he said.

Hoegel worked at a hospital in Oldenburg between 1999 and 2002 and another hospital in nearby Delmenhorst from 2003 to 2005. The killings were said to have taken place between 2000 and 2005.

Niels Hoegel, 42, was initially tried on 100 counts of murder but was found guilty in the deaths of 85 patients, ages 34 to 96, that he murdered sometime between 2000-2005. The court was forced to dismiss 15 counts on a lack of evidence. (DPA via AP)

In his first trial in 2015, Hogel admitted to intentionally bringing 90 patients in Delmenhorst into cardiac arrest because he enjoyed the feeling of resuscitating them. However, many of those victims did not survive.

"The fact is sometimes the worst fantasy is not enough to describe the truth," Buehrmann said during Thursday’s sentencing.

MYSTERIOUS GERMAN CROSSBOW DEATHS MAY HAVE BEEN PART OF MURDER-SUICIDE PACT BY MEDIEVAL CULT: REPORTS

During the first investigation, Hoegel also admitted to killings in Oldenburg which led authorities to review more than 500 patient files and hundreds more hospital records. They also exhumed 134 bodies from 67 cemeteries, and questioned Hoegel multiple times, concluding that he had used a variety of drugs to attempt resuscitation of his patients, and was fully aware they might die.

While pleas are not entered in courts in the German judicial system, Hoegal admitted to 43 killings and disputed five in his most recent trial. He also said he could not remember the other 52 suspected killings.

Prosecutors noted that many of Hoegel's victims were not terminally ill patients, but were on the path to recovery.

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Hoegel, who suffered from personality disorders, said he a good childhood and came from a family of nurses. He apologized to the victim’s families during closing statements on Wednesday.

"To each and every one of you, I sincerely apologize for all that I have done.”

There are no consecutive sentences in the German system, but Buerhmann noted in his verdict the "particular seriousness" of Hoegel's crimes, a finding that all but ensures he will remain incarcerated after the standard 15-year term is up.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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2019-06-06 14:09:47Z
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Trump, Macron mark D-Day 75th anniversary at Normandy - ABC News

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2019-06-06 14:05:00Z
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German Nurse Niels Högel Convicted of Murdering 85 Patients - TIME

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https://time.com/5602121/german-nurse-niels-hogel-serial-killer/

2019-06-06 11:59:03Z
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German nurse who killed at least 85 patients jailed for life - CNN

Niels Hoegel, a 42-year-old former nurse who is considered Germany's deadliest post-war serial killer, was sentenced to life in prison at the District Court of Oldenburg.

While summing up the trial, the judge said Hoegel's actions were "incomprehensible: That's the word that characterizes this."

The health worker had previously confessed to killing 100 patients -- aged between 34 and 96 years old -- at two hospitals in northern Germany between 2000 and 2005. However Hoegel was acquitted of 15 cases on Thursday because there was not enough evidence.

Hoegel was accused of giving his victims various non-prescribed drugs, in an attempt to show off his resuscitation skills to colleagues and fight off boredom.

In past hearings, Hoegel said he felt euphoric when he managed to bring a patient back to life, and devastated when he failed.

Police suspect the true death toll may be as high as 200, but can't be certain as many patients were cremated before autopsies could be performed, reported Agence France-Presse news (AFP) agency.

The former nurse is already serving a life sentence for six convictions, including homicide and attempted homicide in 2008 and 2015. Those convictions led authorities to investigate hundreds of deaths and exhume the bodies of former patients in the clinics where he worked.

Hoegel asked his victims' families for forgiveness on Wednesday for his "horrible acts."

"I would like to sincerely apologize for everything I did to you over the course of years," he said during the hearing, AFP reported.

'Collective amnesia'

One of the biggest questions in the case is how Hoegel was able to murder so many people apparently under the watch of hospital staff.

Former colleagues at the Delmenhorst clinic where he worked admitted to having had their suspicions about Hoegel, according to AFP. But all the staff from the other hospital in Oldenburg who testified said they were oblivious to the rising death toll.

During sentencing Judge Sebastian Buehrmann criticized what he called staff's "collective amnesia," adding that Hoegel's killing spree was "incomprehensible."

About 126 relatives of the victims are co-plaintiffs in the trial, which has been running since October 2018.

CNN's Atika Shubert contributed to this story.

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2019-06-06 11:55:00Z
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D-Day 75th anniversary marked by Trump and world leaders: Live updates - CNN

Donald Trump greets veterans before starting his speech.  MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images

US President Donald Trump singled out another veteran, Private Pickett, describing his ordeal on the beaches at Normandy.

"And today, believe it or not, he has returned to these shores to be with his comrades. Private Pickett, you honor us all with you presence," Trump said.

Private Pickett then rose to a huge round of applause, before Trump walked over to hug him. "Tough guy," Trump said, after returning to the podium.

"Today, America embraces the French people, and thanks you for honoring our beloved dead," Trump went on. "To all of our friends and partners, our cherished alliance was forged in the heat of battle, tested in the trials of war, and proven in the blessings of peace. Our bond is unbreakable."

He turned back to US troops who took part in the Normandy landings. "They were fathers who would never meet their infant sons and daughters, because they had a job to do -- and with God as their witness, they were going to get it done."

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2019-06-06 10:18:00Z
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