Arromanches: Arromanches is best known for its famous artificial “Mulberry Harbour”, prefabricated at coastal sites all around Great Britain, then towed 126 miles across war torn open seas, to be installed a few days after the initial landings. Intended for use just until the ports at Cherbourg or Le Havre could be captured, in fact over the next 10 months, the Mulberry carried on to unload some 2,5 million troops and all their supplies. A similar port was built at Omaha Beach but did not survive a major storm in mid June.
See the surviving structure, and visit the museum.
Longues sur Mer Coastal Gun Battery: One of the best preserved “Atlantic Wall” gun emplacements along the whole Normandy coastline, the Longues Battery is the only one with its shell holed and battle damaged guns still in place. Featured in the 1962 film epic “The Longest Day”, its 4 bunkers were controlled from a cliff-top observation post and had a range of some 13 miles. The battery was a serious threat to the ships off the Omaha and Gold landing beaches, which made it a critical target on that June 6th morning.
Pointe du Hoc: Jutting some 40m out of the sea, this most famous cliff face protected a large and heavily fortified German gun emplacement that threatened both Omaha and Utah landing beaches. Equipped with rocket propelled ropes and firemen’s ladders, in one of the most extraordinary feats of D-Day, Col Rudder and his Rangers scaled the cliffs and while suffering great losses, subdued the menace.
Today, the land given by France to the United States remains unchanged.
A moving testimony to the fierce fighting.
Omaha Beach: Together with Utah Beach, Omaha was one of the two assault beaches under US command. Heavily defended by the Germans with both heavy firepower and mined obstacles on the beach, Omaha was a killing ground which went on to record almost half of all the entire allied losses suffered on the 6th of June. Standing where they fought, we will attempt to explain exactly what took place on that singularly bloody day.
The American cemetery, Colleville sur mer: A place sacred to the memory of American servicemen killed in the Battle of Normandy, 9386 bodies lie in the calm and beauty of this cemetery above Omaha Beach. Inaugurated on July 18th 1956 by French President René Coty and American General George Marshall, the plot of 70 hectares was given in perpetuity to the United States. We will show you some specific graves, stand by the great wall commemorating another 1557 listed as “Missing”, as well as experience the excellent and unique visitor centre.
