France - WWII recommendations

BullBauld

Hi all

Heading to Des Ormes in a few weeks and hoping to do a day trip to some of the world war II sights up Caen direction, Omaha, Normandy etc.

Anyone any particular recommendations for places to visit or museums that are a must see?

Cheers

10-10-20

From doing this back in 2018, I would not miss the following:

• St Mere Eglise - Airborne Museum and general town.
• Pointe Du Hoc - Observe the aftermath of D-Day.
• OMAHA BEACH / Secteur Charlie at Vierville-sur-Mer - See the beach & landing equipment as depicted in Saving Private Ryan.
• Cimetière Américain de Normandie - Very poignant.
• Arromanches-les-Bains - See the Mulberry Harbor and museum alongside.

Also the Overload Museum is interesting too.

Others will be along with more recommendations shortly, I'm sure.

Tippman24

I was out at the Overlord beaches about 10 years ago. Omaha and the American Cemetery overlooking the beach is worth a visit. I went on an organised tour so we saw all the 5 landing sites, German, British and American Cemeteries. Also Bayeaux Cathedral is worth a visit. Brought to see the Tapestry in same. If you have an interest in history the place is worth a visit.

ollaetta

As you only have a day you'll have to be selective but there is plenty of interest to choose from. I've been going over regularly for more than 20 years and museums and sites of interest are being modernised and upgraded all the time to cope with the huge numbers who now visit.

I'd be inclined to concentrate on the stretch of coast from Utah Beach on the Cotentin peninsula to Arromanches as that stretch has been significantly less developed over the years. Most of the Sword, Juno and Gold beaches east of Arromanches were heavily developed as seaside resorts and look less like what they did in wartime than the western beaches. There are still some great sights though such as Pegasus Bridge and an excellent Canadian museum at Courseulles.

Arromanches is a great little place but the museum there is currently under extensive renovations. You get a great view of the remains of the Mulberry harbours and at the top of the hill on the eastern side is a great vantage point together with a 360 degree cinema showing an unusual take on the landings.

Going east from Arromanches you'll find a German Battery at Longues sur Mer where the original cannons are still in place in the bunkers. The observation post is also still there and intact. It's a great place to get a sense of the German defences.

Continuing west, before long you'll reach Colleville sur Mer which is the start of Omaha Beach and there are several museums and memorials in this area, not to mention the American Cemetery. Driving along the beach front and looking up at the high ground you still get a great sense of the task facing the landing forces.

Further on is Pointe du Hoc where American Rangers climbed the cliffs on rope ladders only to find the large guns in the Battery had been moved and were not active on D-Day. This site is falling into the sea bit by bit unfortunately and won't be there forever.

Due south of this is the German Cemetery at La Cambe which is starkly different from the cemeteries of the Allies. It's a very sombre place but well worth a visit.

You're past Omaha Beach at this stage but on the outskirts of Grandcamp Maisy is an interesting site. It's the Maisy Battery which was covered in earrth and forgotten about after the war. The land was bought by an English historian in the 2000's and he has been excavating it ever since and opened it to the public. Well worth a visit in my opinion.

Heading up on to the Cotentin peninsula you pass Carentan where there was a lot of action following D-Day. You're now on the road to Ste Mere Eglise but you will pass a place called Saint Come-du-Mont where there are two good museums for Band of Brothers fans. One has a simulator which puts you in a plane on the night before D-Day on you way to your parachute jump zone. Might sound corny but worth doing.

From here you can head up the main road to Ste Mere Eglise or head out the coast road to Utah Beach. Utah Beach remains very unspoiled and there is a very good museum there as well as loads of concrete bunkers to be explored. Ste Mere Eglise is a mecca for visitors and has changed hugely in recent years trying to cope with the numbers. Again it's got a good museum and the church square the parachutists landed on is more or less as it was.

Two other sites in this area that I'd mention are German batteries at Azeville and Crisbeq. They're only a few miles apart and demonstrate the extent and set up of the German defences. There are loads of bunkers etc. some set up internally as they would have been during the occupation.

To give you a sense of distance, Arromanches to Grandcamp Maisy along the coast is 40km max. and from Ste Mere Eglise out to Utah Beach is no more than 15/17 km.

Last thing, if you decide to head for Arromanches you'll go by Bayeux where there is another very good museum and a large British cemetery.

BullBauld

Hi, I didn't get to any WWII sites as part of my recent holiday but I'm head back in 4 weeks for 4 nights with a few friends to take it all in.

I note all the above, great recommendations thanks. But seeing as we have a few more days would it be worth going further afield, maybe over towards Dunkirk.

Thanks.

ollaetta

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119460855#Comment_119460855

My view is that it wouldn't be worth it not least because of the distance. From Pegasus Bridge at the eastern end of the invasion beaches to Dunkirk is the guts of 400km and that's a lot to undertake for relatively little benefit. The key attraction of the Calvados beaches for a lot of people is that they are where the invasion and the fighting over the subsequent two months happened. Upper Normandy is much more spread out and relatively less interesting with the exception of museums etc. on the Dunkirk evacuation and the disasterous attempt at a landing at Dieppe in 1942. There are some very good remanants of the Atlantic Wall in the area but other than for bunker fanatics who want to record the detail of every one of them there are examples in spades of similar all along the 5 beaches.

I think for a first visit you won't go wrong concentrating on the invasion beaches area. If you get the bug like I did then you'll be gumming to go further afield in return visits!

10-10-20

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119465086#Comment_119465086

Well done.

I'd have to agree - Dunkirk is too far. Focus on the Calvados beaches, and also enjoy the Calvados.