In Photos: The World’s Largest D-Day Reenactment

D-Day comes alive every year in the town of Conneaut, Ohio.

Reenacting D-Day: “Czech hedgehogs,” which are scattered on the beach, were contraptions made of steel beams designed to trap tanks and trucks. They also served to deter ground units. Wayne Heim; Thomas Pajot/iStock/Getty Images

Each summer, the largest annual D-Day reenactment in the world takes place on the shores of Lake Erie in Conneaut, Ohio. The site bears a considerable resemblance to Omaha Beach in Normandy, France, from its sloping bluffs to the 250-yard-long stretch of sand.

It started in 1999, when a small group of people came together to recreate the June 6, 1944, Normandy landing. Over the years, the event grew in scope and size; it now draws over 1,500 reenactors every year, while remaining completely donation-driven.