French President
Francois Hollande, left, stands beside the French Army's chief of staff
Pierre de Villiers, right as they review troops along the Champs
Elysees
The
symbolic gesture was intended as a powerful symbol of peace and to
remember the sacrifice of those killed and wounded in the war.
President
Francois Hollande said: 'Ten million soldiers were killed or died of
their injuries on countless battlefields. We owe them gratitude,'
President Francois Hollande said in a message ahead of the march.
The message took on special meaning amid renewed violence in Gaza and Iraq, and as French troops fight extremists in Africa.