Commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the Allied landings in southern France have been partly cancelled due to the risk of thunderstorms.
French President Emmanuel Macron was due to host a reception with other heads of state on board the helicopter carrier Dixmude, but the event has been cancelled.
Plans to reenact the Toulon landings were also cancelled.
The landings in Provence played a key role in the liberation of France during World War II, allowing the Allies to retake much of southern France.
Sometimes referred to as the forgotten D-Day, the event took place shortly after the much more famous landings in Normandy.
The Elysee Palace announced shortly before the celebrations began that the reception on board the Dixmude would no longer take place.
Meanwhile, the local government of the Var region said in a statement that the reenactment on Lido beach in Mourillon had been cancelled due to “adverse weather conditions and a significant risk of storms”.
Severe storms and heavy rain are forecast for the area, with winds of up to 140km/h (87mph).
The Provence landings began when some 100,000 American, British and Canadian troops landed on the beaches of the French Riviera on August 15, 1944.
This was followed by 250,000 soldiers recruited mainly from French colonies in North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa.
However, it took decades for their role in commemorating military campaigns to be highlighted.
“France forgot us, but they are making up for lost time,” Oumar Dieme, a former Senegalese infantryman who attended the ceremony, said according to AFP news agency.
Speaking at a ceremony at the Boulouris National Cemetery in the town of Saint-Raphael, Mr Macron said the men who took part in the landing had fought for “their right to self-determination, sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
He praised the crucial role of African soldiers, who were often conscripted and came from what are now Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Gabon, Togo, Morocco and Niger.
“They all completed, that day and in the days that followed, a job they knew was incredibly dangerous. But they did it with undeniable courage and strength.”
The French president was joined by six African leaders, including Paul Biya of Cameroon and Faustin-Archange Touadera of the Central African Republic.
In his speech, Mr. Biya said: “There would be no Allied victory without the contribution of other peoples, without foreigners.”
“Brave soldiers from West Africa, Equatorial Africa, Madagascar or the Indian Ocean have performed their duties with distinction,” he added.
“They paid a heavy price for victory. They were exemplary warriors, often heirs to long traditions of warfare, admired for their courage, daring and loyalty.”
The Provencal landings – known as Operation Dragoon – played a key role in capturing the important Mediterranean ports of Marseille and Toulon and increasing pressure on Nazi forces by opening a new front.
