Benicia State Parks Association is continuing its commemorations of significant World War II events with an event that honors the 71st anniversary of the Normandy invasion, D-Day, which took place June 6, 1944.

“This commemoration will take on the theme of a ‘Fireside Chat,’ similar to those held by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during World War II,” BSPA President Carol Berman said.

Benicia Poet Laureate Don Peery and Poet Laureate Emeritus Joel Fallon will give readings, Berman said.

The parks association celebrated the 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe (V-E) Day on May 3, an event that gathered surviving San Francisco Bay Area World War II veterans to the Benicia Capitol Historic State Park.

Stories describing the work of some of those who served in the war effort were told through a fashion show.

At the D-Day celebration, veterans again will be recognized, and attendees will be able to listen to first-person accounts given by local former service personnel, BSPA spokesperson Mike Caplin said.

The event is a collaborative effort by the Benicia State Parks Association, California State Parks Foundation, California State Parks, Benicia Arts and Culture Commission, Benicia Old Town Theatre Group and Benicia Girl Scouts Troops 20625 and 20297.

Berman called the celebration “an interactive presentation with time for questions and answers at the end of the event.”

The Normandy landings were codenamed “Operation Neptune,” and were part of Operation Overlord, the allied invasion of German-occupied Normandy, France, during World War II.

Preceded by bombardments from air and sea, it was the largest seaborne invasion in history.

Normandy was one of four sites considered for the invasion, and was chosen because it would allow Allied forces to threaten the port of Cherbourg and Brittany coastal ports and to travel by land toward Paris and ultimately to Germany.

The date, June 6, 1944, often is called D-Day, from the military term for the date on which an attack or operation is to start.

Planning for the invasion started in 1943, and involved extensive deceptions that misled the Germans about when and where the Allied forces might land.

After seeing the initial strategies, Generals Dwight D. Eisenhower and Bernard Montgomery expanded the attack that ultimately involved 39 Allied divisions and more than one million troops.

Though the weather was inhospitable the day of the landing, postponement would have meant an extensive delay before the timing of the moon and tides would be considered suitable.

About 24,000 airborne troops from the United States, Great Britain and Canada landed just before midnight, and infantry and armored divisions began landing some hours later, all under heavy gunfire from beach overlooks.

Those making it to shore encountered mines, buried wooden stakes, barbed wire and other obstacles.

Only two of the five targeted beaches were linked the first day; the rest didn’t become Allied footholds until June 12, and some nearby cities weren’t captured for a month.

Allied forces lost at least 4,414 confirmed dead the first day, compared to German losses of about 1,000. Total Allied casualties numbered at least 10,000.

But Allied bombing that disrupted transportation, and the French Resistance that interfered with Germany’s ability to send in supplies and troops, were among the reasons the costly invasion succeeded.

The BSPA “Our Fathers War: D-Day 1944” commemoration will begin at 2 p.m. in the Senate Chamber of the Benicia Capitol at the Benicia Capitol State Historic Park, 115 West G St., and end about 4 p.m.

Refreshments will be served in the state park’s Victorian Garden. Admission is $5 for adults. Children will be admitted without charge.

Those interested may visit the BSPA website, www.protectbeniciastateparks.org, or call 707-745-3670.