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LANDING BEACHES IN NORMANDY
8 thematic trails were created by the Departmental Tourism Committee in a form of road signs and information markers. Their emblem is a flying seagull. They include 60 museums, 8 memorials and 24 military cemeteries (16 British, 5 German, 2 American, 2 Canadian, 1 Polish, and 1 French) totaling 96,000 graves.
From Merville-Franceville to Bayeux : Sword, Juno and Gold Beach via Pegasus Bridge.
Sword Beach at Ouistreham
Among the troops of Sword Beach, the No. 4 Franco-British commando landed under the command of Commander Kieffer and freed Riva Bella. Sword Beach in Ouistreham was chosen to host the international ceremony for the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings in 2014.
To visit :
Sword Beach
The Bunker Museum of the Atlantic Wall
The No. 4 Commando Museum
Juno Beach at Courseulles-sur-Mer
The Juno Beach area was assigned to the Canadians. On June 6, 1944, 14,000 Canadians and 9,000 British landed. They suffered heavy losses in this sector. Juno Beach in Courseulles-sur-Mer was chosen to host the international ceremony for the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings in 2019.
to visit :
Juno Beach
Center Juno Beach
Gold Beach at Arromanches
This area, located in the centre of the landing zone, was assigned to General Graham’s 50th Northumbrian Division. In Arromanches, a large artificial harbour has been built and its vestiges still testify to the war's history. The Landing Museum details the design and construction of the port. Arromanches 360 offers a circular cinema that presents the complete history of the Battle of Normandy.
To visit :
Gold Beach
The Landing Museum
Arromanches 360
From Bayeux to Carentan via Saint-Lô : Omaha Beach and la Pointe du Hoc.
Omaha Beach to Colleville-sur-Mer
If there is a place where D-Day almost failed, it is on the Omaha Beach, located in Colleville-sur-Mer. The heavy losses that American troops suffered on D-Day earned him the sad nickname of Bloody Omaha. On the sand of Omaha Beach, in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer more precisely, stands the memorial Statue les Braves.
Inaugurated in 1956, the American cemetery of Colleville, was built in the heart of a 70 hectares space granted by France to the United States. It shelters 9387 headstones perfectly aligned on a majestic grassy esplanade. The emotion is great, almost palpable.
To visit :
Omaha Beach
The American Cemetery of Colleville-sur-Mer and the Visitor Center
Memorial Museum of Omaha Beach
Overlord Museum
La pointe du Hoc to Cricqueville-en-Bessin
It’s impossible to talk about D-Day without mentioning la Pointe du Hoc. Taken by Colonel Rudder’s Rangers in the morning of June 6, la Pointe du Hoc was one of the strongholds of the German fortifications. It is a powerful symbol of the courage of young American soldiers. The site is an exceptional testimony of the violence of the fighting.
To visit :
Omaha Beach
The American Cemetery of Colleville-sur-Mer and the Visitor Center
Memorial Museum of Omaha Beach
Overlord Museum
From Carentan to Cherbourg : Utah Beach and the Port of Cherbourg.
Sainte-Marie-du-Mont at Utah Beach
From Sainte-Marie-du-Mont to Quinéville, this sector was chosen by the Allies in order to be able to seize the port of Cherbourg more quickly. Built in the same place where the American troops landed on June 6, 1944, the Utah Beach Museum offers a complete chronological itinerary. An authentic B-26 bomber is the highlight of the museum's collection.
To visit :
Utah Beach
The Landing Museum of Utah Beach
