Le Debarquement et la Bataille de Normandie

With your driver-guide you will travel to Normandy in an air-conditioned minivan. Once you arrive in the Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy, you will stop at « Utah Beach » which was one of the two American landing zones in Normandy. This beach was created by British general Bernard Montgomery who wished to establish a beachhead directly in the Cotentin peninsula in order to capture Cherbourg faster, because of its deep water harbor and its major logistic importance. The amphibious assault, primarily by the US 4th Infantry Division and 70th Tank Battalion, was supported by airborne landings of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Division. The 4th Infantry Division landed 21,000 troops on Utah at the cost of only 197 casualties. Airborne troops arriving by parachute and glider numbered an additional 14,000 men, with 2,500 casualties. To commemorate their bravery and sacrifice,severals war monuments were erected there directly on the sand of the beach after the war. Around the monuments, german concrete bunkers, shell holes and traces of the battle are still visibles today. (photo stop on the spot) : .Monument of the 4th Infantry Division .The 90th Infantry Division Monument .U.S Navy Monument .Milestone 00 At Utah beach, you will have time to walk along the dunes and while you will take a look at sea just to imagine in your mind the hundred of american war ships and Landing Craft Assault who came offshore Utah Beach on D-day.

Musee du Debarquement Utah Beach

Built on the very beach where the first American troops landed on June 6, 1944, the Utah Beach Museum recounts the story of D-Day in 10 sequences, from the preparation of the landing, to the final outcome and success. This comprehensive chronological journey immerses visitors in the history of the landing through a rich collection of objects, vehicles, materials, and oral histories. Admire an original B26 bomber, one of only six remaining examples of this airplane still in existence worldwide, and relive the epic experience of American soldiers through the film “VICTORY IN THE SAND,” winner of a CINE GOLDEN EAGLE AWARD 2012 and the 2013 CINE SPECIAL JURY AWARD for best museum documentary. By the end of your visit, you will understand the strategic choices for the Allied invasion of Normandy and the reasons for the success at Utah Beach. Thanks to your visit, you will also have contributed to the safeguard of the site and the preservation of the memory of the Allied soldiers’ extraordinary sacrifices.