June 6, 2024 marked the 80th anniversary of D-Day. For decades, visitors from across the world have traveled to France to commemorate those who fought to liberate France and other areas of Europe from Nazi German occupation. Numerous official and private monuments and museums dedicated to the events are scattered across the Normandy region. This article explores seven must-see D-Day Landing sites connected to the Normandy campaign in WWII. Visiting these locations offers a moving sense of the planning, execution, and human cost of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy.
A Brief Overview of D-Day and the Normandy Campaign, 1944
At the Quebec Conference in 1943, Allied leaders agreed to invade Hitler’s Fortress Europe via a Cross-Channel invasion of France from the UK. Codenamed “Operation Overlord,” over 150,000 troops from the USA, Britain, Canada, and a dozen other nations stormed the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944.
Author Robert J. Mueller notes that the invasion force, led by British General Bernard Law Montgomery, targeted five beaches. From east to west, these beaches are best known by their codenames, Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha, and Utah (2009, 323).
The seaborne invasion occurred in conjunction with a preliminary airborne assault. Indeed, Mueller points out that the first Allied troops to step foot on French soil since the failed Dieppe raid of 1942 were members of the 6th British Airborne Division (2009, 325).
We consider D-Day (or Jour J in French) to be one of the Second World War’s decisive chapters. However, the D-Day Landings of June 6, 1944, were only the beginning of a 76-day intense battle with defending German forces for control of Normandy.
Following heavy fighting during the so-called Normandy Breakout, Allied forces liberated the region from German occupation. Historian Stephen Badsey explains that the Allies triumphantly entered Paris on August 25, 1944 (1990, 91).
Historians Douglas Brinkley and Ronald Drez point out that the term “D-Day” originated in the American war effort in France during WWI. Moreover, they say the term was associated with nearly every planned Allied military offensive during WWII before 1944 (2004, 6). However, only one event—the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944—would be remembered as “D-Day.”
1. D-Day Landing Sites: Caen Memorial Museum
The Caen Memorial (Le Mémorial – Un Musée pour la Paix) is an excellent museum to explore as a starting point for any tour of D-Day and Normandy campaign-related sites.
It features a detailed overview of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy. While focused on the fighting in Normandy in 1944, the museum documents the history of 20th-century conflicts from WWI to the Cold War.
Historian Stephen Badsey points out that British and Canadian forces secured control of Caen through heavy fighting between July 8 and 20, 1944 (1990, 56).
Caen also boasts a rich history beyond the Normandy campaign. William the Conqueror is often associated with Caen. For example, Robert Mueller notes that William the Conqueror built Caen’s citadel and fortifications in the eleventh century. These were heavily damaged by the fighting in 1944 (2009, 333).
2. Arromanches-les-Bains
Logistic concerns are often overlooked in popular conceptions of D-Day. However, logistics were at the forefront of Allied planners’ thoughts in the months and days leading up to the invasion. The Allies turned to artificial marinas, codenamed “Mulberry Harbors,” to keep the massive invasion force supplied.
As historian Stephen Badsey points out, these artificial harbors ensured that Allied reinforcements exceeded casualties, and there were never severe shortages of fuel, ammunition, or supplies. On the other hand, the German defenders faced massive logistical problems and suffered heavy losses in attempting to hold on to territory surrounding the beachheads (1990, 45).
You’ll find remnants of a Mulberry Harbor known as Port Winston just off the coast of Arromanches-les-Bains. Robert Mueller notes that the massive Mulberry Harbor at Omaha Beach was destroyed in a major storm a few weeks after the D-Day landings (2009, 342).
Arromanches is also home to a museum dedicated to the D-Day invasion and an impressive 360-degree Circular Cinema. From the heights near the cinema, Mueller points out that the British Royal Hampshire Regiment, which had landed at nearby Gold Beach, attacked and captured Arromanches (2009, 342).
3. Omaha Beach
Known as “Bloody Omaha,” American troops storming ashore here faced the heaviest fighting on D-Day. According to historians Douglas Brinkley and Ronald Drez, German defenses successfully resisted the early waves of attacking Americans and inflicted heavy casualties (2004, 132).
Despite the difficulty the Americans encountered on Omaha Beach, Stephen Badsey says that the Allies’ most significant setback on June 6 occurred during the British assault on Sword Beach (1990, 35).
On most summer days today, most of Omaha Beach is back to being a playground for beachgoers. Indeed, the Normandy coastline has been a popular summer beach destination for tourists for over a century.
However, remnants of the fighting in June 1944 are present on the beach and nearby in the form of monuments, concrete bunker ruins, and the American cemetery.
4. Pointe du Hoc Ranger Memorial
German artillery positions on the formidable Pointe du Hoc caused deep concerns among Allied planners during invasion preparations.
French officials later dedicated a memorial to the US Second Ranger Battalion commanded by Lt. Col. James E. Rudder. Historians Douglas Brinkley and Ronald Drez note that these American rangers were tasked with destroying the heavy German artillery that was placed to shell Utah and Omaha beaches (2004, 118-119).
Rudder’s rangers did not realize as they scaled these incredibly steep cliffs that the artillery pieces had already been relocated. Nevertheless, the rangers successfully resisted German counterattacks for two days without reinforcement. According to Robert Mueller, ranger casualties totaled over 60 percent (2009, 350).
Large craters and the concrete ruins of German defenses demonstrate that this battle-scarred area remains much the same as it appeared in the aftermath of the fighting in June 1944.
5. Juno Beach Centre
The Canadian 3rd Division attacked German defenders in the Juno Beach sector of the D-Day invasion. As Robert Mueller points out, the Canadian invaders made the most progress of any invading force during the June 6 landings (2009, 327-328).
The Juno Beach Centre is the only museum in the region dedicated to Canada’s role in the D-Day invasion and Normandy campaign. According to Mueller, the beach in front of the building was known to the attackers as “Mike Red” and assigned to the Royal Winnipeg Rifles (2009, 340). There is also a memorial nearby to the Royal Winnipeg Rifles.
There are remnants of German defensive bunkers between the museum and the beachfront.
6. Utah Beach Landing Museum
Robert Mueller explains that Utah Beach was known as “La Madeleine” before D-Day (2009, 352). Today, it is home to several monuments dedicated to American units and a museum dedicated to the Allied landing at Utah Beach.
American forces landing at Utah Beach encountered less resistance than their counterparts at Omaha Beach. According to Mueller, unlike some other sectors, Allied naval and air bombardment effectively cut German lines of communication in the vicinity of Utah Beach (2009, 330).
Nevertheless, there were difficulties at Utah Beach. Douglas Brinkley and Ronald Drez note that the invasion had come ashore nearly 2,000 yards south of its scheduled landing site. However, Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr. steadily directed the landing force and ensured that it overcame the initial logistical challenges. For his role in the invasion, Roosevelt Jr. would be awarded the Medal of Honor (2004, 111).
7. Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial
Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr. did not live to see the Normandy campaign’s successful conclusion. Douglas Brinkley and Ronald Drez note that Roosevelt died of a heart attack on July 12, 1944 (2004, 115). His grave is at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial near Omaha Beach.
The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial is the region’s most significant and moving site related to the 1944 campaign. As Robert Mueller points out, more than one million people visit the site annually (2009, 343).
The site is located on a bluff overlooking the once bitterly contested sand of Omaha Beach. Despite the seemingly endless rows of uniform white marble crosses and Stars of David, the graves represent just roughly 40% of American losses in the Normandy campaign. Thus, the cemetery is a moving reminder of the sacrifices of Allied combatants involved in the D-Day invasion, the Battle of Normandy, and the liberation of France.
The “Battlefield Bonuses”: Beyond the D-Day Landing Sites
Historian Donald Featherstone called must-see cultural and historical sites near battlefields “Battlefield Bonuses” (1998, 25). Normandy has no shortage of significant cultural and historical monuments beyond the D-Day invasion sites. In other words, these are more than detours on any trip to the WWII battlefields in the area.
Bayeux is a must-see stop for any history enthusiast visiting Normandy. Indeed, it is home to an impressive museum dedicated to the Normandy invasion in 1944 and the largest Commonwealth war cemetery in the region.
Although its WWII significance alone makes Bayeux worth visiting, the Bayeux Tapestry is the real star attraction. The famous embroidery depicts scenes from the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 from a decidedly Norman perspective.
If time permits, any Normandy itinerary can include a visit to Mont Saint-Michel. The abbey on the photogenic tidal island is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the world, and with good reason.
References and Further Reading
Badsey, S. (1990). Normandy 1944: Allied Landings and Breakout. Osprey.
Brinkley, D. & Drez, R.J. (2004). Voices of Valor: D-Day: June 6, 1944. Bulfinch Press.
Featherstone, D. (1998). The Battlefield Walker’s Handbook. Crowood.
Mueller, R.J. (2009). Fields of War: Fifty Key Battlefields in France and Belgium. French Battlefields.
