Laurent graveyard, which was established by the U.S. The cemetery is on the site of the temporary St. Most of the soldiers buried here were involved in the Normandy D-Day landings and the battles that followed.
Hallowed ground, the American Military Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer holds 9,387 American graves. For a reflective view, its upper floor affords a gorgeous view of Normandy's now tranquil coastline.įind the Musée du Debarquément Utah Beach at 50480 Sainte-Marie-du-Mont. The museum is surrounded by monuments to soldiers, like the striking obelisk at its entrance. Perhaps the most visually impressive display is a windowed hangar-style concourse that houses a huge Martin B-26-G bomber. There’s a very good mix of films and objects in the museum's collections and dioramas, including a complete briefing room illustrating the Allied invasion strategy. At 10 minutes past midnight, Lieutenant Norman Poole of the British Army's Special Air Service landed on Utah Beach, the first allied soldier to set foot on French soil. But on June 6, 1944, it was a very different scene. Today, it’s a popular place for windsurfing in the breeze, swimming in clear waters, and strolling along the shore. The Utah Beach Museum, or Musée du Debarquément Utah Beach, stands on the sandy dunes of a beautiful stretch of Normandy coastline. It's a name known with reverence across the world: Utah Beach. The Musée Airborne is located at 14 rue Eisenhower. Classic film buffs might recognize Sainte-Mère-Église as a backdrop in the epic The Longest Day. But he and fellow soldiers escaped Steele found his division and rejoined the battle.
He played dead for two hours dangling in his parachute harness but was finally captured by the Germans. There are plenty of stories to learn in Sainte-Mère-Église and the Airborne Museum, including about Private Steele. A third building houses Operation Neptune, an interactive display that transports visitors to the frenetic and momentous scenes of D-Day. A second hall houses a Douglas C-47 Dakota plane that dropped paratroopers into the Norman countryside and towed gliders. In front of one hall is a restored a Waco glider. It's unmissable, as its domed buildings are designed to look like air-filled parachutes. The town was vital to the Allies in protecting nearby landings at Utah Beach.ĭiscover the many details of Sainte-Mère-Église in its Musée Airborne, or Airborne Museum, located next to the church. Private John Steele was part of the attack by the American 82nd and 101st Divisions, and the effort was ultimately a success: On the night of June 6, 1944, it became the first town liberated. The first sight as you drive into the picturesque Sainte-Mère-Église is a lifelike model of a paratrooper hanging from his flapping parachute caught on the village's centuries-old Catholic church. The Mémorial de Caen is located at Esplanade Général Eisenhower, 14050 Caen. Nevertheless, it's a fulfilling experience that shines a spotlight on the value of peace and the sacrifices made on Normandy's beaches.
This comprehensive view of World War II is a lot to absorb and can leave visitors drained. The memorial includes dioramas of the attack on Pearl Harbor and the Battle of Normandy and details the harrowing atomic destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.Ī visit here should be the focus of the day.
#D day beach full
The memorial is full of objects and films made during the war and after that dramatically convey the global history of the war, including as personal stories of the soldiers. Housed in a modern, purpose-built structure on the outskirts of the charming city of Caen, the huge exhibition takes you from the build-up of World War II through the end of the Cold War. Visiting the Mémorial de Caen first upon arriving in Normandy will give you a broad overview of World War II and the essential role of the region's beaches played in on fateful Tuesday, June 6, 1944.