Recently updated on January 21st, 2020 at 07:17 pm
One of the most poignant excursions a traveller could take is to the battlefields of Normandy, where the D-Day landings took place. Along this coastline of northern France, the region’s sandy shores, flanked by white-chalk cliffs, now draw people in to pay their respects to the thousands of soldiers who fought here, and to hear the story of the events that unfolded while looking out to sea from the very same windswept shores.
It was here on June 6th 1944 that around 156,000 allied American, British and Canadian troops (codenamed Operation Overlord) with 7,000 naval vessels, landed along the shores of five beaches – Utah, Omaha, Sword, Arromanches and Juno – a 50-mile stretch, which during that time in WWII was heavily fortified as a part of the German occupation zone. It is still the largest amphibious invasion to have ever taken place.
Paying tribute to the soldiers who fought on these shores, a number of memorials have been dedicated to their efforts, simultaneously giving visitors a greater insight into the British, Commonwealth and American involvement in this battle of great historical significance.
Omaha Beach has several memorials including the dramatic Les Braves monument, which was erected in dedication to the Americans who liberated France, created in 2004 to mark the 60th anniversary of D-Day. The Normandy American Cemetery overlooks Omaha Beach too, which, situated in Colleville-sur-Mer, is the burial site of 9,387 American military. Wander between the monuments, the chapel and the 22-foot bronze statue, ‘The Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves’, before finding out more in the visitor centre.
From the coast, many visitors move on to the small medieval town of Bayeux where, having remained relatively unscathed from WWII, reflects its history through the half-timber houses that border the Aure River and line each of the cobbled streets, with the town’s Norman-Gothic cathedral sitting majestically among them.
This town retains its historical significance as the first French town to have been liberated after D-Day – on the morning of June 7th – and the setting for Bayeux War Cemetery, which as the burial site for over 4,500 soldiers is the largest of 18 Commonwealth military cemeteries in Normandy. Opposite is The Bayeux Memorial, dedicated to the 1,800 Commonwealth soldiers with no known burial site.
But Bayeux’s history of battle goes back even further than this, having been at the forefront of the Norman invasion in 1066, almost 900 years before the 1944 invasion from allied troops took place. Bayeux Museum is well worth a visit to find out about both of these battles, but the main attraction is the museum’s famous 68-metre, 11th century tapestry, Tapisserie de Bayeux, which depicts the 1066 Norman invasion of England in 58 scenes. Embroidered a few years after William the Bastard, Duke of Normandy became William the Conqueror, King of England, the tapestry was the inspiration behind Overlord Embroidery, which – dedicated to the Allies who defeated Nazi Germany – is on display in the Portsmouth D-Day and Overlord Embroidery Museum.
The final stop on a journey through the battle that ensued following D-Day is the capital of the Lower Normandy region, Caen. Within the streets surrounding Chateau de Caen – which was built in around 1060 by William the Conqueror – is the museum and war memorial Mémorial de Caen, commemorating the Battle of Caen in WWII, which continued for a period of two months after D-Day, destroying much of the medieval old town.
Having uncovered this fascinating chapter of Normandy’s past, delve further into French history by continuing on your journey to more of the country’s most significant sites in battle.
Visit the Battlefields of Normandy, alongside other significant sites across France, Belgium and The Netherlands on the WWI and WWII Battlefields trip with Trafalgar.
Image credits: Cover photo of Utah Beach © iStock / Joel Carillet. Arromanches Les Bains in Normandy © iStock / cavallapazza. Omaha Beach Memorial © iStock / gianlucadc. Bayeux Cathedral, Normandy © iStock / KIVILCIM PINAR. Bayeux, Normandy © iStock / cirano83.