World War II Sites & Memorials in Normandy

The Airborne museum is in the heart of the town of Sainte-Mère-Eglise, near the site of the 82nd Airborne parachute drops. The entrance is in front of the bell tower of the church on which the parachutist John Steele hung. Using historic artefacts and archival images, exhibits explore all aspects of the D-Day landings, from preparation in England to the liberation of Normandy. These exhibits are extensive, spread over five buildings. It is one of the more popular attractions relating to D-Day, attracting many thousands of visitors, and with an active programme of events.

The circular cinema comprises nine screens, on which is shown archival images (still and moving) that recount 100 days of the Battle of Normandy. Maps cover the walls of the passage leading into the cinema, detailing the stages of the battle. The screens are above head height, and there are no seats. You either stand or lean against rails. The cinema is situated on top of the Arromanches cliff, with a good view onto one of the two artificial Mulberry harbours the Allies set up for the D-Day landings. Sections of a floating roadway, codenamed ‘whales’, can be seen next to the car park.

With 21,245 German soldiers laid to rest at La Cambe, this is the largest German cemetery in Normandy. Initially, only those soldiers who died during the D-Day landings were interred here, only a few kilometres from Omaha Beach. Later, the remains of over 12,000 soldiers from some 1,400 makeshift graves scattered throughout Normandy were brought here.  The main feature is a burial tumulus, which contains the remains of 207 unknown and 89 known soldiers. There are no individual grave markers, only groups of crosses that bear no names. An exhibition in the Visitor Centre  tells the stories of the death and suffering of locals during the war.

Located on a 60 m high cliff overlooking the English Channel, the battery designated Widerstandsnest 48 is the only one in Normandy to retain a number of its original guns. Part of the defensive Atlantic Wall, it shelled Allied forces as they were landing on Gold and Omaha Beaches on 6 June 1944. Shore bombardment by the Allied forces severely damaged the facility, and it was captured on 7 June. A signposted walking circuit, which takes about 30 minutes, includes all the surviving casemates and bunkers.

Established on 8 June 1944, the American cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer is the first American cemetery on European soil in WWII. It covers an area of 172.5 acres, with the graves of 9389 soldiers.  The Walls of the Missing have a further 1557 names inscribed on them. Most of these men fell during the D-Day landings.  An onsite Visitor Centre has a series of exhibitions that include a mix of artefacts and text, photos and film to tell the personal stories of the the soldiers. Designed to enhance your experience of visiting the cemetery, interactive displays outline the significance and meaning of Operation Overlord.

Omaha Beach is the codename for an 8 km stretch of the Normandy coastline from west of Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes to east of Vierville-sur-Mer. Taking Omaha was the responsibility of United States Army during the D-Day landings. Taking the beach was necessary to link the British to the east at Gold Beach with the Americans landing to the west at Utah Beach. Today the beach is marked by remnants of German bunkers, the Normandy American Cemetery, museums and monuments honouring the soldiers’ immense sacrifice.

The river crossings over the Caen Canal and Orne River at Ranville and Bénouville were crucial in the early success of the D-Day landings. At 00h26 on 6 June 1944, parachutists and gliders from a British Airborne Division captured both bridges. Securing the river crossings were essential for the break out of troops landing on the beaches. After the war, the bridges were renamed Pegasus Bridge and the Horsa Bridge. The bridge we see today, also a bascule bridge, was replaced in 1994. The original, built in 1934, is now in the grounds of the nearby Memorial Pegasus.

Not far from the site of the famous bridge crossing of the Caen canal is a memorial museum, dedicated to telling the story of the capture of the bridge, and other events in the immediate aftermath of the capture. Numerous artefacts, photographs and archival film footage pay tribute to the 6th Airborne Division. The original bridge, subsequently named Pegasus Bridge, can be seem in the gardens, along with a Bailey bridge, several artillery cannons, and a life-size replica of the Airspeed Horsa glider.

The Point du Hoc is a promontory with a 35 m cliff overlooking the English Channel. This was the site of one of the most daring operations of the Allied landings on 6 June 1944. The promontory was a strategic post for the Germans, with a number of casemates and observation bunkers. Just after 7 am on 6 June rangers scaled the cliffs, they held the promontory until midday on 8 June when relief arrived from soldiers who landed at Omaha Beach. A film is shown in the Visitor Centre, while information panels outline the events of June 1944.