On June 6, the Allied landings will be 80 years old. An extraordinary event that we can relive by walking on the sand of the beaches where 133,000 soldiers arrived. Also discover the museums, the bocages where the Battle of the Haies took place, the towns and villages forever marked by this episode in history, a terrible echo of current events.
On Utah Beach which stretches from Sainte-Marie-du-Mont to Quinéville, the wind forces us to listen carefully to perfectly hear the words of Florent Plana, our guide. When the Americans landed there on June 6, 1944, they were “greeted” by fire from German soldiers supported by the guns of the batteries on the heights. “How many Germans are there?» asks Florent. The answer surprises: “Seventy-five. But at Omaha Beach (in Calvados), there were a thousand of them. » Which explains the lower human losses on this Channel beach where the Americans set foot at 6:30 a.m..” Yes, Utah Beach was “easier”. But it wasn’t a cakewalk! » says Florent.
PHOTO FLORENT MOREAU.
La Manche is an open-air museum. Getting lost in the countryside means discovering the bocages, where the Battle of the Haies took place, when the allies advanced step by step. Walking through the villages means coming across the still visible marks of the numerous bombings and battles that opened the way for the liberators. Saint-Lô, nicknamed “the capital of ruins» by the Irish writer and resistance fighter Samuel Beckett, was 91% destroyed then rebuilt with a lot of concrete which gave it its gray complexion.
The port of Cherbourg is the strategic objective of the allies. When they seized it, the Americans discovered it sabotaged. The Liberation Museum (which has as its theme the daily life of civilians), located at the top of the Roule mountain, offers a breathtaking view of the place, with the sea as its horizon.
Live the minutes before the jump
The landing also took place in the air. On June 5, 1944, some 13,000 American paratroopers boarded more than 1,000 planes. The first to touch French soil are the Pathfinders (the scouts) whose mission is to place beacons on the drop zones, in the middle of enemy territory. The D-Day Experience museum, in Carentan-les-Marais, allows you to board a flight simulator and experience the minutes leading up to the jump.
At the Airborne Museum, in Sainte-Mère-Église, you can see one of the gliders used during D-Day: a WACO CG4A with a length of 14.80 meters and a wingspan of 25.50 meters. A stone’s throw from the museum, the village square is dominated by the church tower on which a parachutist hangs for eternity. This is a mannequin representing John Steele, this American soldier (died in 1969, but immortalized in the film The longest day) who said he remained hanging on the building. He is one of the symbols of this event which changed history.
We liked From the novice to the initiated, everyone can understand disembarkation. The museums are numerous, varied and designed for all generations, including the youngest.
We liked less The honoring of these soldiers who crossed the sea to liberate us gives an idealized vision of the event.
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Tourism Leisure History Heritage Cherbourg-Octeville (Manche)
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