To the D-Day Landing Beaches and the Battle of Normandy - Visitor's Guide 2018 - www.normandy-dday.com
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www.normandy-dday.com
Visitor’s Guide 2018
to the D-Day Landing Beaches
and the Battle of Normandy
For more information see page 81
M
Map Museums, natural attractions
Destination
and military cemeteries
D-DAY
THE ALLIES PREPARE GOLD BEACH CAEN
FOR D-DAY 37 Arromanches 360 circular Cinema p.39 68 The Caen Mémorial museum p.6
01 Val Ygot p.15 38 The Landings Museum p.40 69 Digital tour of Caen p.62
02 Mont Canisy gun batteries
Onp.15 June 39 German
6th 1944 Gun Batteryand
of Longues-sur-Mer
duringp.41the70long The Bocage Breakout Museum p.62
03 Memorial of the 19th August 1942 p.15 40 Museum of undersea wrecks p.42 71 Museum of the Battle of Tilly-sur-Seulles p.62
04 The Blockhouses of Cape Fagnet
summer which followed, men from the world
p.16 41 America Gold Beach Museum p.43 72 Banneville-la-Campagne War Cemetery p.63
05 The Resistance and Deportation Museum over came to fight
p.16 42 Ryes War Cemetery in Normandy to defeat
p.43 73 Brouay War Cemetery p.63
06 The Station Blockhouse Nazism p.17 and to re-establish Freedom.74 Cambes-en-Plaine War Cemetery p.63
07 Kahl Bürg p.17 JUNO BEACH 75 Jerusalem War Cemetery p.63
08 The Resistance and Deportation MuseumNormandy p.17 43 Juno will
Beachbear
Centre the scars ofp.45 this 76
moment in War Cemetery
Fontenay-le-Pesnel p.63
09 The Alabaster Memorial Tour history
p.18 for ever. Every
44 Bény-sur-mer Canadianyear we remember
War Cemetery and War Cemetery
p.45 77 Hottot-les-Bagues p.63
10 The Bruneval Memorial
payp.18 tribute to the veterans from America, 78 Secqueville-en-Bessin War Cemetery
Britain, p.63
11 German military cemetery p.18 SWORD
Canada, Belgium, BEACH
Denmark, Holland, 79Norway, Saint-Desir War Cemetery p.63
12 Dieppe Canadian War Cemetery p.18 45 The Pegasus Memorial p.47 80 Saint-Manvieu War Cemetery p.63
Poland, Australia, France and to their brothers in
46 Merville Gun Battery Museum p.48 81 Tilly-sur-Seulles War Cemetery p.63
arms, to those many heroes who lost their lives
UTAH BEACH 47 Hillman Strongpoint p.49
here during that summer of 1944, and are at rest
SAINTE-MÈRE-ÉGLISE 48 1944 Radar Museum p.49 FALAISE POCKET
13 Utah Beach D-Day Landing Museum
in the cemeteries
p.21 49 N 4 CommandoMuseum
o to be found throughout p.50 CHAMBOIS
the area.
14 Airborne Museum It is often forgotten that
p.22 50 Atlantic Wall Museum The Bunker the people of Normandy
p.50 82 Mont-Ormel Memorial p.65
15 D-Day Experience alsop.23paid 51 a heavyWar
La Délivrande price in those p.51
Cemetery terrible battles.
83 Memorial Tour p.66
16 Normandy Victory Museum p.24 52 Hermanville War Cemetery p.51 84 The Liberation of Berjou Museum p.66
17 Azeville Gun Battery Thisp.252018 edition,
53 Ranville which is designed
War Cemetery p.51 as a 1944 Museum, L’Aigle
85 June p.66
practical
18 U.S Assault Landing Craft (Higgins boat) p.25 guide to help you plan your86visit, Bretteville/Laize Canadian War Cemetery p.67
19 1944 Historic Tour of Carentan invites BAYEUX
p.25 you to discover or rediscover 87 the main
National Necropolis of Les Gateys p.67
20 Airship Hangar p.26 54 Bayeux War Cemetery 88 Polish military cemetery
p.53 key p.67
memorial sites, the cemeteries, the sites to
21 The Fort of Tatihou p.26 55 Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy p.53
visit and the museums of destination D-Day,
22 Marcouf 44 p.26
important places imbued with the core NORMANDY
values of WILL
23 Crisbecq Gun Battery Museum p.27 CHERBOURG BEAR THE SCARS OF
Reconciliation, Peace and Freedom. At these key
24 World War II Museum p.27 56 The Roule gun battery p.55 WAR FOR A LONG TIME
25 Open air Museum
sites significant efforts are always being made
p.28 57 The Museum of The Liberation p.55 89 Falaise civilians in wartime memorial p.69
26 German military Cemetery
to ensure
p.28 that your visit is a special moment for
90 August 1944 Museum, Hell on The Seine p.70
you, your children
FROM SAINT-LÔ and your grandchildren.
91 The Philip Morris Cigarette Camp p.70
OMAHA BEACH TO AVRANCHES 92 Museum of the Second World War p.70
27 Overlord Museum Omaha Beach Welcome
p.31 58 The toArtNormandy!
and History museum of Avranches p.57 93 St-Charles-de-Percy War Cemetery p.7
28 La Pointe du Hoc p.32 59 Py Park at Folligny p.57 94 German military cemetery p.7
29 Big Red One Assault Museum p.33 60 Cobra Marigny Memorial p.57
30 Tour of Géfosse-Fontenay Blockhouse p.33 61 The Saint Michel Chapel p.58
31 Maisy Gun Battery p.33 62 François Mutschler Collection p.58
32 Liberation House p.34 63 Chapelle de la Madeleine US memorial p.58
33 Omaha Beach Memorial Museum p.34 64 The Fine Arts Museum p.59
34 The Omaha D-Day Museum p.35 65 German military cemetery p.59
Normandy Tourist Board
35 The German military Cemetery of La Cambe p.35 66 German military cemetery p.59
36 Normandy American Cemetery et Visitor Center p.36 67 German military cemetery p.59
2
Contents
Destination pages
EXPLORING
4
history like an open book 4
SHARING
common emotions 6
CROSS PATHS
with extraordinary destinies 8
FIND OUT
how the impossible became a reality 10
DISCOVER
a wide range of landscapes and places to visit 12
Guide pages
THE ALLIES PREPARE FOR D-DAY
14
after the disaster at Dieppe 14
UTAH BEACH
Sainte-Mère-Église 20
OMAHA BEACH
Pointe du Hoc 30
GOLD BEACH
Arromanches 38
JUNO BEACH
Courseulles-sur-Mer 44
SWORD BEACH
Pegasus Bridge 46
BAYEUX
The first town to be liberated in mainland France 52
CHERBOURG
The port of Cherbourg, a strategic objective 54
FROM SAINT-LÔ
Capital of ruins to Avranches 56
CAEN
Six weeks of fighting 60
FALAISE POCKET
Chambois 64
NORMANDY WILL BEAR THE SCARS OF WAR
for a long time 68
CONTENTS 3
Practical pages
EXCURSIONS
72
Guided tours 72
D-DAY FESTIVAL NORMANDY
Activities and Events 76
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Europe Remembers, the route of the Liberation 78
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Tourist Information Offices, commentj’yvais.fr, Move on the beach 82
MAP
Museums, natural attractions and military cemeteries 85
INDEX
Communes and military cemeteries Fold out
How to use this guide
To find places Key to symbols
CAEN Parking Picnic Area
N°67- C3
Bus parking Snacks
The colour
denotes the N° of the Disabled Access Animals allowed
type of place : place on
the map Tours accessible to
the hearing-impaired Animals not allowed
Museum
Location
of the place Toilets Picnics not allowed
Natural attraction on the map
Shop
Military cemetery Insert for
mobile apps
ANCV cheques
Mobile app
Labels
« Quality Tourism, a national Normandy Quality Tourism Tourism and Disability
brand of confidence » A regional label recognised The brand guarantees
State label awarded to tourism professio- by the governments efficient service perfectly
nals for the quality of their services. as part of its plan for adapted to the essential
Quality Tourism needs of the disabled
Exploring history like an open book History lives and breathes every day in Normandy
5 With its museums, its historical sites and its cultural and educational facilities, Normandy can be read like an open air history book, so you can understand not just the military strategies of the Allied and German forces in 1944 – 1945, but also the key elements of the beginnings of the Europe we know today.
Sharing common emotions Places where memory lives on
7 Contemplation, hope, awe, fraternity, gratitude, reconciliation… Normandy’s military cemeteries and sites like Pointe du Hoc are steeped in a range of living emotions for you to share on site through the accounts of veterans as well as with local people – on the occasion of the June 6th celebrations for example.
Cross
with
paths
extraordinary
destinies
They excelled themselves
for Freedom9 They were Canadian, American, British, Polish, French… For the most part they weren’t yet twenty years old, but they chose to cross oceans and continents to come to Normandy to defend the universal values of peace and freedom. Discover the courage, the heroism and the sacrifice of these young people without whom nothing would have been possible.
Find
how
out
the impossible
became a reality
The ingenuity of men
for the cause of Peace11 As the theatre of a battle which mobilised about fifteen countries, Normandy is also where the impossible became a reality. From the D-Day Landings on June 6th 1944 through to the Liberation, along with the creation of the artificial port of Arromanches, discover the amazing feats of this unprecedented technical operation, born of the ingenuity and technical prowess of the Allied engineers.
Discover
a wide range of
landscapes and
places to visit
So many different
places to explore13 From coastal scenery to traditional bocage countryside, from plains to cliffs, from the Dieppe Raid to the D-Day Landing Beaches and the Pocket of Falaise-Chambois, Normandy offers such a range of destinations that everyone will find something suitable for them whatever their age, or their interests. Whether you come by train, by car or by bike, as a family or with friends, there’s more than one way to explore the D-Day Landing Beaches and the sites of the Battle of Nomandy.
14
Dieppe
The Dieppe Raid,
19th August 1942
After the disaster
at Dieppe ,
the Allies prepare for D-Day
T
he Dieppe Raid, on These were manufactured on the
August 19th 1942, brought other side of the Atlantic, and then
heavy losses for the stocked in different camps across
troops involved, but at southern England. Photographs
the same time yielded a of the Normandy coast were
large amount of information for taken almost daily by planes and
the Allies’ intelligence services. submarines. Much vital information
Jubilee – the codename given to the (about German defences and/or
Dieppe Raid – was the first major the movement of troops) was also
reconnaissance expedition carried transmitted by resistance fighters
out by Allied troops, particularly risking their lives.
Canadian, and was destined to
test the German defences along While the American and British
the French coast. In human terms, were relentlessly manufacturing
it was a calamity. Furthermore, assault craft and Mulberry harbour
the failure of the operation was parts, from the spring of 1944,
exploited by the Nazi propaganda Allied planes started a systematic
machine to demonstrate the bombardment of road and rail
invincibility of the Atlantic Wall. infrastructure in northwest France.
The idea of a landing on the French The fateful day was fixed for the
coast was an old one. “We will beginning of June – the 5th, or
return” were the words of Winston failing that the 6th or 7th – these
Churchill in June 1940, when his days being ones that met crucial
troops escaped from Dunkirk and conditions, consisting of a dawn
returned to English soil. Germany assault in the middle of a rising tide,
being the enemy to defeat as a following a night with a full moon
priority, industrial production was for parachutists. The codename for
diverted towards the war effort: this great landing operation was
barges, artillery, planes and so on. also chosen: Operation Overlord.AFTER THE DISASTER AT DIEPPE 15
BÉNERVILLE-SUR-MER DIEPPE
N°02 - C3 N°03 - E2
> Mont Canisy > Memorial
gun batteries of the 19th
At an altitude of 110 m, Mont Canisy August 1942
dominates the Bay of the Seine and
the port of Le Havre. This strategic At dawn on August 19th 1942 an
position caused it to be used first Allied armada headed towards
as a French Naval artillery battery Dieppe as part of Operation Ju-
in 1940, then as a German batte- bilee, a raid on a huge scale. It in-
ry, composed of six French 155mm volved nearly 6000 men, mainly
guns housed in silos. Two British Canadian, over a quarter of whom
cruisers, the Warspite and the Ra- would lose their lives. The Ju-
millies, together with Allied planes, bilee Association and the town of
were tasked with neutralising the Dieppe have been paying tribute to
gun batteries on the Côte Fleurie, these men since 2002 at the Memo-
including the one on Mont Canisy. rial of August 19th 1942. Visits here
The Germans abandoned it without take an hour and a half and include
a fight during the night of 21st to 22nd a 40 minute long film from the
August 1944. INA archives, and a collection of
documents, photos, uniforms and
A large network of underground galleries weapons. At the end of your visit
ARDOUVAL (250 metres long, 15 metres beneath the you may also buy a cartoon about
N°01 - E2 surface) can be visited thanks to a team of the raid at the Memorial shop.
volunteers who conduct guided tours.
> Val Ygot The Memorial is situated in the old municipal
OPENING TIMES theatre of Dieppe, built in 1826 by the town
In the Eawy forest at Val-Ygot the Open for free all year round. of Dieppe for the Duchess of Berry.
launch base for V1s built in 1943
on an 8 acre site includes 13 buil- VISITS AND ENTRANCE FEES OPENING TIMES
dings (hangars, workshops and Parking available > from March 22nd to May 25th Thursdays, Fridays,
the launch ramp). This memorial You are recommended to bring a torch Saturdays, and Sundays from 2pm to 6pm
place from The Second World War Free guided tours from April to October at > from May 26th to September 30th daily from
is open all year and freely acces- 2.30pm (duration: 2 hours) [FR/GB] 2pm to 6.30pm – except Tuesdays
sible. > Tour of the surface workings and > Free entry on August 19th
underground galleries > from October 5th to November 11th Fridays,
Explanatory panels give essential April: Mondays 2nd and 30th Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from
information to visitors. Guided tours are May: Mondays 7th and 21st 2pm to 6pm
also available upon request. July: Mondays 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th
August: Mondays 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th VISITS AND ENTRANCE FEES
OPENING TIMES October: Monday 22nd Tour of about 1 1/2 hours including a 40 mi-
Open all year Meet at 2.30pm on the square at the ‘Belvédère’ nute (INA archive) video film and displays of
Gates open at 2pm documents, photos, uniforms and weapons.
VISITS AND ENTRANCE FEES > Tours as in the programme available in Adults: 3.50€ / Children (under 16): Free
Freely accessible. Tourist Offices and year-round for groups only Groups (of more than 10 people, by appoint-
Free guided tours from the 1st Sunday of April on reservation ment): 3€ per person
to September; groups every day by prior
appointment at 3€ per person.
Duration 1 1/2 hrs.
CONTACT CONTACT
Tourist Office Mémorial du 19 Août 1942
32 bis avenue Michel d’Ornano Place Camille Saint-Saëns - 76200- Dieppe
CONTACT 14910 BLONVILLE-SUR-MER Marcel Diologent : +33 (0)6 65 67 90 40
Association ASSVYA +33 (0)2 31 87 91 14 - amcinfos@wanadoo.fr marceldiologent@orange.fr
Mme Françoise DAUZOU www.mont-canisy.org Daniel Jaspart : +33 (0)2 35 83 70 65
+33 (0)6 84 29 67 05 dafra.jas@orange.fr
valygot@gmail.com Contact for groups : +33 (0)6 95 61 10 52
www.dieppe-operationjubilee-19aout1942.fr16 AFTER THE DISASTER AT DIEPPE
FÉCAMP
N°04 - D2
> The
Blockhouses of
Cape Fagnet
Built on the orders of the German
army, the blockhouses of Cape
Fagnet formed part of the famous
Atlantic Wall erected from 1942. A
visit of these reinforced concrete
constructions gives a better un-
derstanding of the role of this
important watch post. It is also a
chance to look at the question of FORGES-LES-EAUX OPENING TIMES
the economic collaboration invol- N°05 - E2 >October to March museum open from
ved in this military edifice. Tuesday to Saturday. Closed on Sunday and
> The Resistance Monday.
The second part of the tour takes you > Closed from December 23rd to January 7th.
along via a small woodland path to visit and Deportation >April to September museum open from
the supposed “German military hospital” Wednesday to Sunday. Closed on Monday
which was dug out of the rock. Museum and Tuesday. As the museum is staffed by
volunteers, days of opening may be changed
OPENING TIMES 40km/25 miles from Rouen, particularly during the summer season.
From May to September: check programme 50km/30 miles from Beauvais and > Museum closed on public holidays
In July and August: every Wednesday and 80km/50 miles from Amiens, the For groups of over 9 people, the museum is
Saturday at 3pm Resistance and Deportation mu- open all year round (except from 23/12 to 7/1 )
seum at Forges-les-Eaux offers a but only by advance booking.
TOURS AND ENTRANCE FEES retrospective of the dark years of
Adults: 5€ or 3€ the Second World War through TOURS AND ENTRANCE FEES
Children (under 18) free documents, uniforms and sundry 5 € per person for individuals
Reservation required for groups. objects displayed on two floors. 4 € per person for groups of over 10 paying visitors
Free for those aged under 18 France and its empire in the war, 2 € for school groups
the Allies, military operations;
Germany and Nazism, collabo-
ration; Deportation and the Re-
CONTACT sistance, from De Gaulle’s call to CONTACT
Cap Fagnet Blockhouse arms of June 18th 1940 through to Musée de la Résistance et de la Déportation
Maison du patrimoine the Liberation. Rue du Maréchal Leclerc
10 rue des Forts 76440 FORGES-LES-EAUX
76400 Fécamp Designed with education always in mind +33 (0)2 35 90 64 07
+33 (0)2 35 10 60 96 the museum is particularly oriented (if contacting us by telephone please call
patrimoine@ville-fecamp.fr towards older schoolchildren and students. between 2 and 6pm)
www.ville-fecamp.fr museedelaresistance@free.fr
www.musee-resistance-deportation-forgesleseaux.frAFTER THE DISASTER AT DIEPPE 17
LE TRÉPORT MANNEVILLE-SUR-RISLE
N°07 - E1 N°08 - D3
> Kahl Bürg > The Resistance
In the midst of the chalk cliffs of and Deportation
the Alabaster Coast and just a few
kilometres from the site of the Museum
HONFLEUR Dieppe landings, Kahl-Bürg is si-
N°06 - D3 tuated 60 metres above sea level, Opened in 1979, the Resistance
about 20 metres below the ground, and Deportation museum is a
> The Station and is 270 metres long. Of about showcase for the fruit of the re-
thirty rooms, you can visit three search carried out by the associa-
Blockhouse observation posts, a battle position tion of the same name. Founded in
still armed with its 75 mm gun, as 1972 its aim was to collect docu-
One of the last vestiges of The well as a German army command ments and objects relating to this
Second World War in Honfleur post. (245 and 348 ID). period in France’s history in the
stands close to the Carnot Ba- department of Eure. The museum
sin. Thanks to efforts of the town The place is imbued with the suffering of particularly puts the spotlight on
council and the Honfleur 1939 – the prisoners, mainly Ukrainian women, the activity of the most active re-
1945 Association, since 2014 it has who built it. Its architecture of vaulted brick sistance network in Upper Nor-
become a place of commemoration corridors is unique in the Atlantic Wall. mandy, the Surcouf Maquis.
where memories can be shared. In
a blockhouse of 3,500 square feet VISITS AND ENTRANCE FEES OPENING TIMES
you will find more than 50 period Visits are free. Open Sundays and public holidays from April
uniforms, documents and pho- The facility, which remains in its original 1st to September 30th 2018 from 2pm to 6pm
tographs, a 45 minute film with state, is not unfortunately accessible to the
eye witness accounts of the Libe- handicapped. VISITS AND ENTRANCE FEES
ration, and a tribute to the three Free Entrance
FFI (resistance) police officers Visit duration: 1 hour
arrested here and shot on August Bring warm clothes and walking shoes
24th 1944. (constant temperature of 11°)
CONTACT
OPENING TIMES Musée de la Résistance et de la Déportation
From 2nd June to 26th August 2018: Mairie de Manneville-sur-Risle
2.30-6.30pm CONTACT +33 (0)2 32 56 94 86
Le Kahl-Bürg mairie.manneville-sur-risle@orange.fr
TOURS AND ENTRANCE FEES Rue du 08 mai 1945
Volunteer member to conduct tours 76470 LE TREPORT
from 4€ / Private tours upon request +33 (0)6 81 07 22 95
www.kahl-burg.fr
CONTACT
Blockhaus de la Gare
Bassin Carnot, 14600 Honfleur
+33 (0)7 83 25 76 1218 AFTER THE DISASTER AT DIEPPE
PALUEL ST-JOUIN-BRUNEVAL
N°09 - D2 N°10 - D2
CHAMPIGNY-LA-FUTELAYE
> The Alabaster > The Bruneval N°11 - E4
Memorial Tour Memorial > German military
cemetery
This is a place steeped in history, its During the night of February 27th
strategic position making it a key to 28th 1942, Operation Biting, also This German military cemetery
element in the Atlantic Wall. The known as the Bruneval raid, was a contains the graves of German sol-
networks of bunkers assured the de- success : a British commando detach- diers who died in the departments
fence of the seafront and the estuary ment succeeded in getting hold of the of Eure, Orne, Seine-Maritime,
of Veulettes sur Mer by the army of main parts of a German radar (whose Eure-et-Loir, and in the former
occupation, as well as being a state- technology was then unknown to the department of Seine-et-Oise. 19
of-the-art air defence. The path is Allies) whilst making out that it had 809 German soldiers rest here
therefore punctuated by bunkers, been destroyed. Situated on the site of in 17 differently sized squares of
which are visible through the old the German defences which secured lawn. It was inaugurated on Sep-
trenches which have been partially the access to the beach, the Bruneval tember 12th 1964.
rebuilt, three of which have been Memorial was unveiled by Kenneth
converted into interpretative areas Holden, one of the last surviving vete-
on the following themes: rans of the raid. A project of the Bru- HAUTOT-SUR-MER
neval 42 association it was designed N°12 - E2
- The history of the German military by the architect Bruno Saas and built > Dieppe
base at Paluel by the town of Saint-Jouin-Bruneval. Canadian War Cemetery
- The Atlantic Wall and life under Commonwealth Cemetery
occupation for the local populace VISITS AND ENTRANCE FEES
- The place of memory Free access all year Allied combatants who died on the
Signs translated into English and beaches of Dieppe during The Se-
German. cond World War are interred in this
cemetery maintained by The Com-
With a stunning view of the Durdent CONTACT monwealth War Graves Commission.
estuary, the beach of Veulettes sur Mer and Mémorial de Bruneval About thirty British soldiers were bu-
the cliffs of the Catelier, Pont Rouge offers Chemin André Haraux ried here in 1940. After the raid of Au-
you a unique heritage tour combining an 76280 SAINT-JOUIN-BRUNEVAL gust 19th 1942 the Germans buried the
exploration of biodiversity and relics of the Mairie de Saint-Jouin-Bruneval Canadian and English casualties here.
Second World War. +33(0)2 35 13 10 10 The cemetery was made permanent
contact@bruneval42.com in 1949 with 955 graves of soldiers
OPENING TIMES AND TOURS www.bruneval42.com from Canada, the UK, New Zealand,
Open access year round Australia, Poland and a sole Indian.
Walking path of less than 1km including a All of the gravestones are arranged
section accessible to the disabled. back to back in symmetrical rows.
CONTACT
Tourist Office
+33(0)2 35 57 17 70
www.plateaudecauxmaritime.comAFTER THE DISASTER AT DIEPPE 19
20
Sainte-Mère-Église
The parachutists of the 82nd and 101st
Utah
Airborne Divisions were tasked with
capturing Sainte-Mère-Église and
securing the bridgehead at Utah Beach
Beach
Sainte-Mère-Eglise
C
hronologically, there Mère-Église and securing the
were three definable beachhead at Utah Beach. At 4 am,
phases to the operation Sainte-Mère-Église was stormed.
on June 6th 1944: the air
landings (which were At first light, the sea from the mouth
centred on Utah Beach in the west of the Seine to the Cherbourg
and Sword Beach in the east), the Peninsula was completely covered
air and naval bombardments of the with ships. Thousands of craft
Atlantic Wall, and the seaborne carrying men, vehicles and
landings on the five beaches (Utah, equipment, pushed their way
Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword) and towards the coast, while at the same
at Pointe du Hoc. time Allied aircraft bombarded the
fortifications along the Channel
So it was that by the early hours of coast, and naval guns opened fire.
the 6th June, the first airborne troops Men headed towards the coast on
had already set foot on the soil of the greatest endeavour of their
Normandy: the British in the east, lives. Utah Beach was rapidly
and the Americans in the west. taken without too many losses.
The German defences were soon
The American parachutists of the overcome, and breaches opened up
82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions to allow troops and heavy equipment
were tasked with capturing Sainte- to advance.UTAH BEACH / SAINTE-MÈRE-ÉGLISE 21
SAINTE-MARIE-DU-MONT
N°13 - B3
NEW FOR 2018
>The film “Victory Beach” in 7 languages
>The mobile app Utah Inside: with
additional material.
Temporary exhibition “A camp for German
prisoners of war at Foucarville 1944 – 1947”
OPENING TIMES
From October 1st to May 30th
10am to 6pm
From June 1st to September 30th
Utah Beach 9.30am to 7pm
Ticket office closes one hour before museum
D-Day Landing closes
Museum Annual closure from December 1st – 25th
inclusive and December 31st and January 1st
VISITS AND ENTRANCE FEES
Adults: 8 €
Children 6-15 yrs: 4 €
Built on the very spot where American troops landed Visit duration: 1 1/2 hrs
on June 6th 1944, the D-Day Landing museum re-
counts the events of D-Day in ten sequences, from Groups of adults (min 20 people):
its planning right through to its success. Unaccompanied visit: 6 €
Guided tour (booking required): 7.50€
On an in depth chronological tour you can get really Complete guided tour of Utah Beach site
involved in the history of the Landing and discover (booking required): 10€
a rich collection of objects, vehicles, and equipment.
Star of the museum is an authentic American Ma- Groups of schoolchildren (min 20 people):
rauder B26 bomber which is displayed in a special- Unaccompanied visit: 3.50 €
ly designed hangar. By watching the film “Victory Guided tour (booking required): 5€
Beach” you can relive the epic effort of the Ameri- Complete guided tour of Utah Beach site
can soldiers in this decisive battle, which was the (booking required): 7.50€
biggest amphibious operation in military history.
Hearing the moving accounts of the veterans, you Bookings: reservation@utah-beach.com
will get a real idea of their sacrifice which made Eu- Free: Children under 6 yrs old, People accom-
rope free once more. panying the disabled
CONTACT
Musée du Débarquement Utah Beach
50480 SAINTE-MARIE-DU-MONT
+33 (0)2 33 71 53 35
musee@utah-beach.com
www.utah-beach.com22 UTAH BEACH / SAINTE-MÈRE-ÉGLISE
SAINTE-MÈRE-ÉGLISE
N°14 - B3
Explore a new exhibition from March 31st to
September 30th 2018: “The secret War, the
Airborne Secret Services (SOE, OSS, BCRA) during the
Second World War”
Museum OPENING TIMES
From May to August: 9am to 7pm
April to September: 9.30am to 6.30pm
October to March 10am – 6pm
The Airborne Museum lets you experience the Closed in December and January except
invasion alongside the American paratroopers of during school holidays
the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions with spectacular
and realistic displays. You’ll find an amazing collection VISITS AND ENTRANCE FEES
of historical objects, as well as a real glider and a Individuals
C-47 aircraft, both of which took part in the D-Day Adults: 9.90 €
operations. Children (6 to 16 yrs): 6 €
Family
In the new “Operation Neptune” building get ready (2 adults and 2 children paying minimum)
to experience the parachute drops of June 6th 1944! Adults: 9 €
Board a night flight in a real C-47 aircraft and drop Children (6 to 16 yrs): 5 €
into the square of Sainte-Mère-Eglise in the midst Group of adults (15 pers. minimum)
of the fighting and take part in the operations which Unguided visit: 7.40 €
followed. Guided tour (20 people or more upon
reservation.): 8.50 €
New from May 15th 2018: Relive D-Day in Saint- Groups of children (15 pers. minimum)
Mere-Eglise. Using the HistoPad tablet you can enjoy Unguided visit: 5 €
360° immersion in the History of Sainte-Mere-Eglise Guided tour (20 people or more upon
under the Occupation and during D-Day: jump with reservation.): 6 €
the American paratroopers, take part in the fighting
to defend the town, meet the key participants in the
battle, use the weapons and equipment used by both
sides, and really feel what this historical event was like!
CONTACT
Airborne Museum
14 rue Eisenhower
50480 Sainte-Mère-Eglise
+33 (0)2 33 41 41 35
infos@airborne-museum.org
www.airborne-museum.orgUTAH BEACH / SAINTE-MÈRE-ÉGLISE 23
SAINT-CÔME-DU-MONT
N°15 - B3
D-DAY experience
According to General Eisenhower, the area around
Saint-Côme-du-Mont and Carentan was the most
crucial for the success of the Normandy invasion.
The paratroopers of the 101st US Airborne Division,
the famous “Screaming Eagles”, were among the
first Allied troops to land in Normandy on June 6,
1944. One of their objectives was the town of Saint-
Côme-du-Mont, a vital junction point between Utah
Beach and Omaha Beach. OPENING TIMES
Open every day – a warm welcome
Located at the heart of the American sector, the From October 1st to March 31st 10 am to 6pm
historical center consists in two museums: “D-Day From April 1st to September 30th 9.30am to 7pm
Experience” is dedicated to the US paratroopers, Last entry 1 hour before museum closing time
while the “Dead Man’s Corner” deals with the Ger- Annual closure on December 24th, 25th and 31st.
man forces they encoutered during the fighting Also January 1st 2019 (Paratrooper shop open)
for Carentan, particularly the “Green Devils” of Closed from January 7th to 13th 2019.
Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 6.
VISITS AND ENTRANCE FEES
You don’t just learn about history – you experience it! Adults: 12 €
Children (6 - 17 yrs): 9 €
“D-Day Experience” has the largest collection of Children (under 6) free
genuine and nominative items related to the Screa- Family Pass (2 adults + 3 children) : 40 €
ming Eagles and their participation in the battle of Adult group (over 10 people) : 10 € per person
Normandy. The museum also offers a unique in- Groups of children (over 10 children) : 6 € each
teractive immersion. Following a virtual briefing Unaccompanied visit: 1 1/2 hrs
by Lieutenant-Colonel “Bull” Wolverton, you will Guided tour (FR-UK) by advance booking
embark abord a real C-47 Skytrain that took part in
Operation Neptune on D-Day. Unique in the world,
this flight simulator will let you relive the crossing
of the English Channel – a “realistic attraction”, in CONTACT
the opinion of veterans who have experienced it. D-DAY EXPERIENCE
2, Village de l’Amont
50¸500 SAINT-CÔME-DU-MONT,
Carentan les Marais
+33 (0)2 33 23 61 95
Online shop: www.paratrooper.fr
contact@dday-experience.com
www.dday-experience.com24 UTAH BEACH / SAINTE-MÈRE-ÉGLISE
CATZ/CARENTAN
N°16 - B3
The +s: Simulators: tanks, strike aircraft,
Normandy parachute jumps and helicopter.
Excursions in armoured vehicles. 40’s
Victory Museum period bar restaurant open to all.
Cinema and conference hall.
OPENING TIMES
Open daily.
Check our website for opening hours.
The Normandy Victory museum is a unic place
where you can touch objects and walk through VISITS AND ENTRANCE FEES
realistic scenes. You will evolve among U.S soldiers Individuals:
and armored forces in 1944 from UTAH beach Adults: 9€ / Children (7 - 16 yrs): 5 € / (under 7): free
until the battle of the hedgerows ; the NVM is also Groups: Schoolchildren: 5€ / Adults: 6€
dedicated to women at war. Free guided tour – free entry for drivers, guides
and WWII veterans
From virtual reality to simulators and armored > Trip in armoured vehicle (10 mins): 39€ - free
vehicles to ride, you will live the history! entry for 1€ extra.
> Tanks and second world war equipment
On site a bar restaurant is open to share a pleasant simulators - 360° simulator: 25€
moment. > 1 entrance + 1 trip in armoured vehicle + 10 mins
in a simulator: 50€
Duration of visit: 1 1/2 hrs
CONTACT
Normandy Victory Museum P.A. La Fourchette
Avenue du Cotentin, BP 411
Carentan les marais, 50 500 CATZ
+33 (0)2 33 71 74 94
www.normandy-victory-museum.comUTAH BEACH / SAINTE-MÈRE-ÉGLISE 25
AZEVILLE
N°17 - B3
> Azeville
Gun Battery
With an impressive subterranean CARENTAN
network and a complete defensive N°19 - B3
system, the Azeville gun battery
was one of the main targets of the > 1944 Historic
Allies on June 6th 1944. It fell on
June 9th after intense fighting. Vi- Tour of
sitors can look round the pillboxes
camouflaged as ruined houses, as Carentan
well as an incredible network of
underground tunnels. On June 6th 1944 more than 13,000
American paratroopers were
As part of your tour there is an exhibition (Fr/ dropped into a sector forming a
Eng) which tells the story of the building of triangle including Sainte-Mère-
the battery, and shows daily life within the Eglise, Utah Beach and Caren-
German garrison, and its relationship with CARENTAN tan. One of the missions of the
the inhabitants of the village over nearly N°18 - B3 101st Airborne Division was to
three years, as well as a film with numerous take Carentan to establish a link
eyewitness accounts, and a book available > U.S Assault between the landing beaches of
in the shop. These are all based on historical Omaha Beach and Utah Beach so
research and previously unpublished archive Landing Craft as to form a single front.
material.
(Higgins Follow this route at your own pace in your own
OPENING TIMES vehicle and let us show you the way. At key
> April and October : 2pm – 6pm boat) points on the route panels tell you about the
> May and September:11am-6pm (except May 1st) history of the place in question. An entertaining
> June, July, August: 10am-7pm Although approx 22,000 Higgins trip out for the whole family. Download the App
Last tickets sold 1 hour before closing time boat were constructed during “Kit’M” onto your smartphone or tablet and
WWII and being widely used for preload the content of “Circuit Historique 1944
VISITS AND ENTRANCE FEES the Normandy landings during Carentan”. Touch tablets available for hire at The
Adults : 6.50 € the biggest amphibious operation Tourist Office with prior notice.
Children (7 to 13 yrs) : 3 € ever, only a very few are still
(14 to 18 yrs): 3.50€ visible today worldwide in such OPENING TIMES
Concessions (Heritage Pass, students, good state. > January, February, March, October, November,
jobseekers, disabled): 5€ December: Monday to Friday 9.30am –
>Adult groups (of over 15 people): from 3.50€ Completely restored and 12.30pm and 2pm – 6pm
per person seaworthy, the L.C.V.P. “PA30-4” > April, May, June, September: Monday to
>School groups: from 2.50€ per child is the only U.S landing craft of Saturday 9.30am – 12.30pm and 2pm – 6pm
>Family ticket (2 adults + 3 children): 19€ its kind in Europe now exhibited > July and August: Monday to Saturday 9am
Visit of the site with an audioguide afloat also navigating in exhibition –6.30pm – Sundays and public holidays
(F/Children/GB/D/NL/I/E) on major dramatic D Day’s 9.30am – 1.30pm
historical sites. Annual closure: December 25th and January 1st
OPENING TIMES VISITS AND FEES
CONTACT Check at Carentan port - quai de Caligny 8 € per device (1 device for 2-3 people)
Batterie d’Azeville, La rue, 50310 AZEVILLE (Summer season) 250€ deposit and ID
+33 (0)2 33 40 63 05
musee.azeville@manche.fr CONTACT
patrimoine.manche.fr Office de Tourisme de la Baie du Cotentin
Patrimoine et musées de la Manche CONTACT Bureau de Carentan
+33(0)6 86 88 49 51 24, place de la République
eliardh@challengelcvp.com 50500 CARENTAN
www.challengelcvp.com +33 (0)2 33 71 23 50
ot.carentan@ccdbc.fr
www.ot-baieducotentin.fr26 UTAH BEACH / SAINTE-MÈRE-ÉGLISE
SAINT-MARCOUF-DE-L’ISLE
N°22 - B3
> Marcouf 44
Command Post
The guided tour of the Command
Post of the Crisbecq gun batteries
will teach you about the history of
the most important German for-
tification point along the whole
ÉCAUSSEVILLE ILE TATIHOU stretch of the D-Day landing
N°20 - B2 N°21 - B2 beaches. It was the only one to be
equipped with 210mm guns with a
> Airship > The Fort range of over 30km. Shut in his com-
mand post, the captain in charge of
Hangar of Tatihou this strategic point, with a force of
400 men, was in charge of defence
A place which has known three wars No less than 30 structures were built by for 6 days. With 7 rooms laid out on
(14-18, 39-45 and the Cold War). Built the Germans within the defensive walls two levels, it was the only one on
as a maritime air station in 1916 to hunt of fort Vauban on the Island of Tatihou the whole of Utah Beach to have
down German submarines and mines, during The Second World War! The an observation post and firing posi-
the concrete hangar (150 metres long, casemates, the field gun emplacements, tion with a direct view over the sea.
40 metres wide and 31 metres high) is the tobruks, the machine gun posts, the
today the biggest in the world. From trenches etc formed a condensed ver- Its history inspired one of the scenes from
1936 to 1939 it was batteries of marines sion of the Atlantic Wall. These defen- the film ‘The Longest Day’. After a year of
who were based here. The Germans sive structures form part of the centu- restoration works, you can discover a major
took it over between 1940 and 1944. On ries old history of the island of Tatihou, historical site in conditions which have
June 9th 1944 the hangar was liberated with 350 years’ worth of coastal fortifi- hardly changed since D-Day
after a furious battle led by the US 8th cations overlapping in a single place.
Infantry. It remained a logistical base OPENING TIMES
for the maintenance of vehicles for the OPENING TIMES From 15/06 to 10/09:
Americans until 1945. Between 1967 • High season 31/3 to 7/10 Sunday to Thursday 10am-6pm
and 1969 (during the Cold War) the > Ticket office hours: 9am to 12.30pm and From 15/03 to 15/06 and from 20/09 to 15/12:
site became a base for the construction 1.15pm to 5.30pm (5pm on weekdays in April) Saturday and Sunday 11am-5pm
of balloons for nuclear tests. > Fort and museum open from 10am to 6pm Closed from 15/12 to 13/03.
• Low season
New for 2018: a new look for the museum > Ticket office hours: 1pm to 4.30pm VISITS AND ENTRANCE FEES
and an exhibition on aviation on the Cher- > Fort and museum open from 2pm to 5pm Adults: 5€ / Children (under 16): free
bourg Peninsula. on weekdays and 2pm to 5.30pm at the Groups (min 6 pers.): 3.50€
weekend and on public holidays.
OPENING TIMES • Weekend of October 13th/14th
> April – May: Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday • Autumn holidays
2pm to 6pm > From Saturday October 20th to Sunday CONTACT
> June: daily 2pm to 6pm (closed on Fridays) November 4th MARCOUF 44 Route de Crisbecq
> July – August: Daily 10am to 6pm Annual closure of the island over the 50310 ST MARCOUF DE L’ISLE
> September: Daily 2pm to 6pm (closed on Christmas holidays +33 (0)6 76 40 38 51
Fridays) www.marcouf44.com
Visits out of season by appointment VISITS AND CHARGES
Return boat trip, unaccompanied visit of the
VISITS AND ENTRANCE FEES maritime museum:
Adults : 5 € Adults: 10,50€ / Children (3 to 11 yrs old): 4.50€
From 8 to 16 yrs : 2 € Return boat trip
Free for under 8s. Adults: 8€ / Children (3 to 11 yrs old): 4€
CONTACT CONTACT
Association des Amis Tatihou Ticket Office
du Hangar à Dirigeables d’Ecausseville quai Vauban, 50550 Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue
+33 (0)2 33 08 56 02 +33(0)2 33 54 33 33 / Fax 02 33 23 90 70
contact@aerobase.fr tatihou.manche.frUTAH BEACH / SAINTE-MÈRE-ÉGLISE 27
SAINT-MARCOUF-DE-L’ISLE
N°23 - B3
> Crisbecq
Gun Battery
Museum
Visit the most powerful German
artillery battery on the Landing
beaches from where the first gun
fired at dawn on June 6th 1944!
You mustn’t miss this unique
place where you can explore a
complete gun battery and visit its QUINÉVILLE
22 blockhouses! And don’t forget N°24 - B2
the immersive area where visitors
can experience a battle from wit- > World War II
hin the battery! CRISBECQ GUN
Buy your 1€ Pass and get over BATTERY: where it all began! Museum
70€ worth of reductions
for museums, activities, natural sites and on Included in your subterranean tour: the Walking through 10,000 square
regional and craft products around Sainte Mère recently discovered and refurbished anti- feet of exhibition space, the visitor
Eglise, Utah Beach, and Carentan. aircraft L410 A command post consisting is transported back to life during
of 5 rooms! World War II, with realistic scenes
On sale from our partners and from the Tourist showing the atmosphere of the pe-
Offices of Carentan and Sainte Mère Eglise
OPENING TIMES riod as it really was. Wander down a
April - May – June – September-October - typical street from the 1940’s which
November has been completely reconstructed
More information at Every day 10am – 6pm complete with its shops and houses.
www.ot-baieducotentin.fr July - August Every day 10am – 7pm Many vehicles and items of the pe-
Closed from November 13th to March 31st inclusive riod, including a blockhouse form
part of the visit, with a view of the
VISITS AND ENTRANCE FEES anti-tank wall, which can still be
Unguided visits only (lasting about 1 hr) found on the beach of Quinéville.
Adults: 10 €
Students, military personnel: 9 € For the first time ever, you can experience
Children (aged 6 to 14): 6 € / (under 6) free the Second World War at 1/6th scale with
Groups of children: 4.50€ per child with many figurines and vehicles. A visit not
educational leaflet (6-12 yrs) to be missed just 10 minutes from Sainte-
Guided tours in French for groups with prior Mère-Église.
notice.
Reconstruction Groups with advance booking all year round. OPENING TIMES
of a café – grocery Last visit 1 hour before closure From April 1st to August 31st (10am-7pm) and
from September 1st to October 31st (10am to
store from the 1940s 6pm) and during the autumn half term holi-
Sylvie & Jean-Marie Caillard invite you to day. Ticket office closes 1 hour before closure of
their reconstruction of a 1940s café-grocery the museum.
store. Their doors are open from 11am to
11pm on the first Saturday of each month. CONTACT VISITS AND ENTRANCE FEES
The opportunity to discover this place with Musée de la Batterie de Crisbecq Unaccompanied visit: Adults 7 €
its collection of furnishings and objects Route de Crisbecq, 50310 ST-MARCOUF-DE-L’ISLE Children (aged 6-12 yrs) 5.50 €
from the 40s. +33 (0)9 82 57 61 92 / +33 (0)6 68 41 09 04 Visit Duration: 1 1/2 hrs
contact@batterie-marcouf.com
Monsieur et Madame CAILLARD www.batterie-marcouf.com
11 rue Jean Truffaut Batterie de Crisbecq
Carentan CONTACT
50500 CARENTAN LES MARAIS World War II Museum
Tél. 06 34 03 46 45 18, Avenue de la plage, QUINÉVILLE
+33 (0)2 33 95 95 95
memorial.quineville@wanadoo.fr28 UTAH BEACH / SAINTE-MÈRE-ÉGLISE
SAINTE-MÈRE-ÉGLISE OPENING TIMES ORGLANDES
N°25 - B3 > January, February, March, October, No- N°26 - B3
vember and December : 9.30am to 12.30pm
> Open air and 1.30pm to 5pm, from Monday to Friday. > German military
Saturdays during February, November and Cemetery
Museum Christmas school holidays from 10am to 1pm
and 2pm to 5pm. Located north of the village of Or-
Come and explore the key sites > April, May, June, September: from Monday to glandes this cemetery has 10,152
of the Landings using a GPS or Saturday 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 6pm. Sun- graves. The Volksbund, which
a tablet on a guided tour around days and public holidays 9.30am to 1.30 pm. maintains German military graves
Sainte- Mère-Eglise, Utah Beach > July and August: from Monday to Saturday began landscaping and architec-
and Sainte-Marie-du-Mont. Using 9am to 6.30pm. Sundays and public holidays tural works in 1958. The cemetery
your own vehicle, go on a tour 10am to 4pm. was inaugurated on September
of 50km (30 miles) interspersed > Annual closure: December 25th and January 1st 20th 1961.
with 11 key sites, a commentary
with archive images, videos and VISITS AND ENTRANCE FEES One of the memorials bears the
eyewitness accounts describing the Individual ticket: 8 €/device (1 for 2-3 people). names of 22 soldiers who died on
events which took place at these of- 250 € deposit per device and ID required October 25th 1945. These German
ten little known places. sappers lost their lives in the ex-
plosion of a load of dynamite at
An entertaining excursion for the whole Asnières-en-Bessin near Bayeux.
family. Device rented by advance booking. Their remains couldn’t be indi-
Courtesy of the Open Air Museum “Kit’M” vidually identified so they were
app do the tour with a touch tablet rented CONTACT buried in block 27, row 13, grave
from the Tourist Office. Office de Tourisme de la Baie du Cotentin 420/421.
Bureau de Sainte Mère Eglise
6, rue Eisenhower,
50480 SAINTE-MERE-EGLISE
+33 (0)2 33 21 00 33
ot.sme@ccbdc.fr
www.ot-baieducotentin.frUTAH BEACH / SAINTE-MÈRE-ÉGLISE 29
30
Pointe du Hoc
The 2nd Ranger Battalion was tasked
Omaha
with climbing 30 metres of cliff,
assaulting the German battery at
Omaha and destroying its guns.
Beach
Pointe du Hoc
O
n the other American and almost ended in a real disaster.
beach, the situation At the price of heavy losses,
was difficult. The the Americans finally emerged
beaches of Omaha victorious, and took possession of
were a real trap for the the coastal villages.
troops of the 1st and 29th Infantry
Divisions. The first assault wave At the same time, a little further to
was brutally cut down, while the the west, the 2nd Ranger Battalion
second left the beach strewn with was charged with climbing the
the wounded, the dead and broken 30-metre cliff at Pointe du Hoc,
equipment. Eventually, drawing assaulting the German battery and
on the last of their resources, the destroying its guns. In a few minutes,
soldiers managed to climb the the best climbers reached the top
cliff-like slope that overlooked the of the cliff. There they discovered
beach, and negotiate the barbed a complete field of ruins created
wire. Towards midday, they began to by shells and bombs from Allied
breach the German defences, and so naval ships offshore, but no sign of
the battle swung in the Allies’ favour. the 155mm artillery, which had been
withdrawn by the Germans a short
The assault on Omaha Beach time before. Towards midday Pointe
encountered numerous difficulties du Hoc was in American hands.OMAHA BEACH 31
COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER
N°27 - B3
10,000 unique items, 35 vehicles: scenes of
major operations in the Battle of Normandy
are reconstructed with great realism.
Sounds tracks and light effects complete
the feeling of total immersion in History.
See, discover, relive, understand, feel… an
unforgettable and emotional experience.
OPENING TIMES
Open every day from February 10th 2018
> February, March, October, November,
December 10am to 5.30pm
> April, May, September 10am to 6.30pm
> June, July, August 9.30am to 7pm
Annual closing December 24th, 25th and 31st
And from December 31st to mid-February
2019.
Overlord Museum VISITS AND ENTRANCE FEES
Full rate (adults over 18 yrs old): 7.80€
Omaha Beach Concessions : 5.70€
(with proof of status:
(with proof of status: children 10 – 17 yrs,
students, disabled, military personnel,
unemployed) Special rate: 6.80€
Right by Omaha Beach where American forces
landed, and in front of the roundabout to the Group rate
American cemetery of Colleville-sur-Mer, Overlord > Adults (20 people): 5€ per person
Museum retraces the time from the Allied Landings (one free ticket per 20 paying)
until the liberation of Paris. It relies on a previously > Secondary schoolchildren: 4€ per child
unseen collection mainly found in Normandy, (one supervisor free per 10 children)
gathered over a period of more than 40 years by > Primary schoolchildren: 3€ per child
a survivor of the period and a contributor to the (one supervisor free per 10 children)
reconstruction of Normandy. From the personal
effects of soldiers to the biggest armoured vehicles Free
of the time, the six armies present in Normandy are Upon presentation of proof : children
shown with life-size reconstructions. under 10 (individually), journalists, tourist
organisations, interpreter guides, employees
of national and regional museums, staff from
museums in the Historical Area, military
personnel in uniform, veterans.
CONTACT
Overlord Museum Omaha Beach
Lotissement Omaha Center
14 710 COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER
+33 (0)2 31 22 00 55
contact@overlordmuseum.com32 OMAHA BEACH
CRICQUEVILLE-EN-BESSIN
N°28 - B3
La Pointe Pointe du Hoc is one of the few places
still showing clear signs of the violence of
du Hoc the Landings in Normandy. Severely hit
by the fighting it allows you to imagine
the extreme conditions in which the
Rangers climbed the cliff under the fire
from German soldiers lying in ambush at
Pointe du Hoc was a strategic point in the German the top.
defences on the Normandy coast. The mission to
take it was given to the 2nd Ranger battalion. Under OPENING TIMES
the command of Lt. Colonel J.E. Rudder these sol- Free access year round
diers achieved the incredible feat of reaching the Visitor Centre reception:
top in just a few minutes despite the slope being September 16th to April 14th: 9am to 5pm
very slippery, the climbing ropes made heavy by April 15th to September 15th: 9am to 6pm
seawater, and intense fire from the defenders. In a Closed December 25th and January 1st
lunar landscape full of deep craters, the fierce bat-
tle which ensued was even bloodier than the climb. VISITS AND ENTRANCE FEES
And a big surprise awaited the Rangers: they found Pointe du Hoc is accessible free of charge
that huge wooden beams had been placed in the sta- year round
tions instead of artillery guns!
Today the site still bears the traces of the German
artillery battery as well as deep scars from the fierce CONTACT
fighting which took place here on June 6th and 7th Pointe du Hoc
1944, which cost the lives of 135 Rangers. 14450 CRICQUEVILLE-EN-BESSIN
0033 (0)2 31 51 62 00
normandy@abmc.gov
www.abmc.govOMAHA BEACH 33
COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER
N°29 - B3
> Big Red One
Assault
Museum
The first division of American
infantry of the US Army is nick-
named The Big Red One because
of its insignia consisting of a big
red ‘1’. After Operation Torch in
North Africa it fought Rommel’s GRANDCAMP-MAISY
Afrika Korps, then took part in N°31 - B3
the landing in Sicily. It was also
on Omaha Beach on June 6th 1944 > Maisy Gun
where it suffered heavy losses. At
the end of the war, in 1945, it had Battery
lost over 21,000 men (wounded
and prisoners included) or nearly Built after 1942 this German batte-
half of its numbers. ry was part of a military area of 44
GÉFOSSE-FONTENAY hectares (110 acres). Completely
OPENING TIMES N°30 - B3 forgotten for sixty years, it was
Open from March to November rediscovered in 2006. It covered
> From 01/03/2016 to 31/05/2016 : > Tour of Utah and Omaha Beaches. On
10am-midday / 2pm-6pm June 9th 1944 the final assault by
Except Tuesdays Géfosse- the 5th and 2nd American Rangers
> From 01/06/2016 to 31/08/2016 : 10am-7pm took place under heavy fire for five
> From 01/09/2016 to 30/11/2016 : Fontenay long hours.
10am -midday / 2pm-6pm
Except Tuesdays Blockhouse 2 1/2 km / 1 1/2 miles of trenches, tunnels
and other underground constructions,
VISITS AND ENTRANCE FEES Every Sunday morning at 10am as well as six 155¹mm artillery platform
Adults : 5 € the guide Luc Le Gleuher offers a emplacements are now open to the public.
Children : 3.50 € guided tour of the Géfosse-Fonte-
Unguided visits at all times nay blockhouse. Visitors can find OPENING TIMES
Average Duration 45 minutes out about this perfectly preserved Open every day from April to September
Languages spoken : French/English piece of the Atlantic Wall. The > From 01/04/2016 to 31/05/2016 : 10am-4pm
price of the visit is left to visitors’ > From 01/06/2016 to 31/08/2016 : 10am-6pm
discretion. > Until 30/09/2016 : 10am-4pm
CONTACT OPENING TIMES VISITS AND ENTRANCE FEES
Big Red One Assault Museum This place on the coast can be visited every Adults : 6 €
Le Bray Sunday at 10am Children 6-18 yrs : 4 €
14710 COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER Adult Group (over 10 people) : 5 €
+33 (0)2 31 21 53 81 VISITES School parties: 4 €
bigredoneassaultmuseum@gmail.com Visits possible by appointment
www.bigredonemuseum.com
CONTACT
CONTACT Batterie de Maisy
Pour tous renseignements Route des Perruques
+33 (0)6 74 72 25 15 14450 GRANDCAMP-MAISY
Départ tous les dimanches matin +44 7411 932197
au musée station 70 à Osmanville gary@maisybattery.com
(à proximité de Géfosse) www.maisybattery.com34 OMAHA BEACH
SAINT-LAURENT-SUR-MER
N°33 - B3
> Omaha Beach
Memorial
Museum
On the actual site of Omaha Beach
with a floor area of 1200m2 (12,000
sq ft) the museum exhibits uni-
forms, personal items, arms,
vehicles, a landing craft, Belgian
gates, a long Tom 155 mm gun, a
tank and more. Many scenes and
a wealth of photographic docu-
mentation will plunge you into
the heart of the history of the Lan-
dings. At the end of your visit a 25
minutes long film with witness
accounts from American veterans
will clearly explain the landings on
Omaha and at Pointe du Hoc. Mu-
seum with facilities for children.
There is a new shop open to all in the mu-
seum reception area.
OPENING TIMES
SAINT-LAURENT-SUR-MER from February 15th to February 28th: 10am-5pm
N°32 - B3 March: 10am-6pm
OPENING TIMES April/May: 9.30am-6.30pm
> Liberation May 1st to September 30th: 5pm – 7pm June: 9.30am-7pm
July /August: 9.30am-7.30pm
House VISITS AND ENTRANCE FEES September: 9.30am-6.30pm
>Unguided visits every Wednesday afternoon October/ November: 9.30am-6pm
Members of “Les Fleurs de la Ré- from 2pm to 6.30pm and by appointment Last entry one hour before closing time
sistance“ (Flowers of the Resis- >Guided tours (1 hour) every day at 6.30pm
tance) association, messengers of >Awaiting the vigil (by appointment) 7.45 VISITS AND ENTRANCE FEES
memory, welcome you to the first – 8.45pm: roasting the omelette of Pere Adult Full rate: 6.90 €
house to be liberated by the Ame- “O LARD”! Omaha vigils: (by appointment) Student : 5.50 € (16-25 yrs)
ricans on the morning of JUNE 8.45 – 9.45pm projection of photographs Child: 3.90 € (7-15 yrs)
6TH 1944 at Saint Laurent-sur-Mer. only / 9.15 – 11.30pm tour, witness account, Adult Group: 4.50 €
It is both a site of remembrance screening Student Group: 3.70 €
and a vestige of D-Day, dedicated > Total Immersion in the 40’s: spend a night School Group: 2.90 €
to the Resistance fighters, to the in a period bedroom or tent! Duration of unguided visit : 1 hr
little-known TOP SECRET ope- > Fees – Please make a donation as a token
ration of mission ASCAIN of the of your appreciation to the association “Les
SUSSEX/PROUST PLANS which Fleurs de la Résistance “
took place on the night of June 5th CONTACT
to 6th 1944 at OMAHA BEACH, Musée Mémorial d’Omaha Beach
to the paratroopers of the 101st Avenue de la Libération
Airborne Division lost on Omaha: CONTACT 14710 SAINT-LAURENT-SUR-MER
“the stela of memory” to the allies Maison de la Libération +33 (0)2 31 21 97 44
and civilians of the period. 27 rue du val musee-memorial-omaha@wanadoo.fr
14710 SAINT-LAURENT-SUR-MER www.musee-memorial-omaha.com
Omaha Beach
+33 (0)6 87 40 35 63
sebastien.olard@wanadoo.fr
www.maisondelaliberation.frOMAHA BEACH 35
LA CAMBE
N°35 - B3
VIERVILLE-SUR-MER
N°34 - B3
> The Omaha
D-Day
Museum
The Omaha D-Day museum is pri- The German
marily the work of an enthusiast by
the name of Michel Brissard. After
military Cemetery
of La Cambe
years of research he decided to ex-
hibit his collection so that as many
people as possible could enjoy it, so
paying tribute to the soldiers who
died in the Battle of Normandy. Lo-
cated in a period building (an Ame- Covering 7 ½ hectares or nearly 19 acres, this is
rican hospital during the landings), one of six Second World War German military ce-
the museum houses a private col- meteries in Normandy. The use of this land belon-
lection composed of rare objects ging to the French state was given in perpetuity by
(such as an Enigma machine, lan- the French government to the German nation. Here
ding craft and German equipment) lie around 21,222 German soldiers who lost their li-
which have remained in their ori- ves in Normandy. A permanent exhibition reminds
ginal state and illustrate technolo- us of the suffering which wars bring about, and en-
gical advances in wartime. deavours to promote peace.
OPENING TIMES A memorial chapel is situated at the entrance. Final-
Open daily from April to September ly 1,120 Acer globosum maples, planted in the Gar-
From April 1st to May 30th and from den of Peace in front of the cemetery and alongside
September 1st to 30th: 10.30am-6pm the access road are also symbols of peace.
From June 1st to August 31st: 10am-7pm
VISITS AND ENTRANCE FEES
Adult : 6 € / Student: 5 €
Child (8 to 15 yrs): 3.50 € German military cemeteries are maintained and managed by the Volksbund Deutsche
Adult groups from 8 people 4€ per person Kriegsgräberfűrsorge e.V. (The Maintenance of German Military Graves Service), a
Visit duration: 30/45 mins private non-profit making association under German law whose registered office is in
Free for children under 8 years old (accompa- Kassel (Germany).
nied by a paying adult), and WWII veterans.
OPENING TIMES CONTACT
Open every day Cimetière militaire allemand
Winter (October 31st until the end of March): 14230 LA CAMBE
CONTACT 8.30am to 5pm +33 (0)2 31 22 70 76
Musée D-DAY Omaha Summer (April 1st until the end of October) marie-annick.wieder@volksbund.de
Route de Grandcamp 8am to 7pm www.volksbund.de
14710 Vierville-sur-Mer Saturdays and Sundays opens at 9am and
+33 (0)2 31 21 71 80 closes at 5pm or 7pm depending on the season
d.dayomaha@orange.fr
contact@museeddayomaha.frYou can also read
