Spitfires will be on display at a controversial Duxford air show

The Imperial War Museum said servicemen and women involved in Normandy landings in 1944 must pay �8 to attend the show at Duxford in Cambridgeshire on 6 June.

A museum spokesperson said the charge was necessary to pay for a marquee.

But Hamish Campbell, 70, who lives in Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire, said the charge was "insulting".

Officials say the charge - a �5 reduction on the price of tickets for pensioners - is necessary to cover the cost of providing a special marquee for Normandy veterans.

What sort of country have we become when we ask those who sacrificed so much and saw unimaginable horrors to 'pay a reduced rate' Hamish Campbell

"The Imperial War Museum could not fund the cost of this," said a spokeswoman. "So we are asking those who want to come and commemorate with us to pay a small charge of �8."

Hamish Campbell said: "What sort of country have we become when, to celebrate a turning point in history, we ask those who sacrificed so much and saw unimaginable horrors to 'pay a reduced rate' to take part in a tribute to their very own efforts?"

Mr Campbell, an information technology lecturer, spent more than 30 years in the RAF.

He said: "If it were an air show commemorating the Battle of Britain, would they be charging Douglas Bader to attend? At an air show to mark the 60th anniversary of D-Day, those who took part should be VIP guests."