The sites, beaches, museums and memorials associated with D-Day.
There are a whole series of D-Day 80 events planned to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day that took place on 6th June 1944. INTERNATIONAL CEREMONY, THE MAIN D-DAY 80 EVENT – THURSDAY 6TH JUNE The main event will be held on the morning of 6th June at the Normandy American Cemetery on Omaha Beach….
D-Day took place on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 and was the Allied invasion of Normandy during World War II. Today, the D-Day sites are a key visitor attraction for those wanting to pay their respects. The video below shows original footage of American troops landing in Normandy. Five strategic beachheads were established in Normandy across…
Omaha Beach, was the code name for one of the five sectors of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France on D-Day. The beach is approximately 5 miles long (8 km) and stretches from Vierville-sur-Mer to Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes. The villages of Colleville-sur-Mer, Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer and Vierville-sur-Mer are where the majority of the Omaha Beach sites are. La Pointe…
Sword Beach is the most easterly of the D-Day beaches stretching west from Caen’s ferry port of Ouistreham. The original D-Day plan was not intended to extend this far east and was due to end at Courseulles-sur-Mer. However, the British and American military commanders, Montgomery and Eisenhower, insisted on the front going east as far…
Juno Beach was one of five beaches of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings. The landings took place on 6 June 1944 during the Second World War. The beach covered the area from Courseulles, Bernières and Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer. Juno is located between the British beaches of Gold and Sword. The landings at…
Gold Beach stretches east from the port of Arromanches and includes the villages of Asnelles and Ver-sur-Mer. Action in Arromanches was deliberately avoided on D-Day. This meant it could be kept clear for the floating pre-fabricated Mulberry Harbour that was put in place after the invasion. Aerial and naval bombardments before the troops landed had…
Introduction D-Day took place on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 and was the Allied invasion of Normandy during World War II. Today, the D-Day landing beaches are a key visitor attraction for those wanting to pay their respects. The events were the start of the liberation of German-occupied France from Nazi control. They laid the foundations…
The British Normandy memorial officially opened on 6th June 2021 in Ver-sur-Mer. The ceremony had been due to take place the previous year but was cancelled due to the Covid pandemic. A subsequent ceremony planned for September 2020 was also cancelled. The names of over 22,000 soldiers are inscribed on it. The site at Ver-sur-Mer…
There are five landing beaches – Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. Utah Beach is the most westerly of the beaches and is around 50km south east of Cherbourg. It is an extensive stretch of coastline; it goes from the beach beyond the village of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont to the beach at Quinéville. Utah beach is separated…
Ryes War Cemetery is a Commonwealth cemetery in Normandy. There are almost a thousand soldiers buried here and the majority of them are British. On 6th June 1944 Allied troops landed on Normandy beaches. This action was a turning point in World War 2 resulting in France being liberated almost three months later. Many of…
The recently installed Arromanches D Day garden pays tribute to the veterans of the Battle of Normandy. The garden is known as D-Day 75 Garden and was first exhibited at the RHS Chelsea Garden Show in May 2019. It was officially opened at its new permanent site in Arromanches on the 75th anniversary of D-Day….
In June 2019 I went on a guided tour in Roncey, a small Normandy village in La Manche region. The tour was part of the commemorations for the 75th anniversary of D-Day. For over an hour we heard the story of how Roncey was liberated on 29th July 1944, the destruction the village endured and…
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