Today, the five beaches where the Allies landed are still referred to by their D-Day code names. American paratroopers landed early on D-Day before the seaborne invasion, to heavy casualties.įor more travel tips about visiting the landing beaches, check out our travel guide covering transportation from Paris to Normandy here. Sainte-Mère-Église: Inland of Utah Beach on the west, this town played a significant role in the Normandy landings as it stood in the middle of route N13, the main road to Utah and Omaha beaches. The town here is quaint and has a charming museum explaining all about the famous Mulberry harbours. Since the Nazi powers controlled or destroyed all of France’s harbors, the Allies needed to construct their own ports from scratch, as quickly as possible. Ouistreham-Riva-Bella: This resort town lies closest to Sword Beach and has a ferry with connection to Portsmouth. The assault on Ouistreham was immortalized in the movie The Longest Day.Īrromanches-les-Bains: Near Gold Beach, this is where the Allies built portable Mulberry harbors. But Normandy has plenty of other villages, some even prettier, that are closer to the D-Day beaches.
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Find hotel deals for Bayeux here.īoth Bayeux and Caen have train stations with connections to Paris. Most D Day tours pick up from Bayeux so this village makes a great base for those who wish to take advantage of a guided tour. Find hotel deals for Caen here.īayeux is smaller and more historic, as it was spared bombing during WWII. The modern city has lots of hotels, shops and restaurants and plenty of car rental agencies for visitors who wish to drive around. The French people in Calvados remember the significance of D-Day and always celebrate the anniversary of France’s liberation.Ĭaen, a large city in the department of Manche, is roughly 10 miles from the coastline. If you’re visiting in June, Normandy marks the remembrance of D-Day with a number of ceremonies and reenactment groups. Normandy is notoriously rainy all year round, so pack layers, a weatherproof jacket and umbrella. The Americans were assigned to Omaha Beach and today, the Normandy American cemetery overlooks the beachfront, with a haunting memorial, visitor’s center and excellent museum.įor those planning to visit, it’s a great idea to book a local tour, as they can give you a much more comprehensive overview of the military planning, battles, and key events that occurred. There are over 20 important monuments, museums and military remnants in the region, but perhaps the most visited site is Omaha Beach, as it was here that the fighting was the bloodiest. The D Day beaches are spread out throughout Normandy’s coastline and can be seen in a day in one comprehensive tour. Read more: Here are the Prettiest Towns in Normandy While each force secured their respective beaches, heavy German resistance delayed a unification until June 12th. The Allied goal was to secure all five beaches and link its forces together by the end of the day. Some beaches were captured relatively easily while others were entrenched in long, bloody battles with devastating casualties. While today D-Day is considered a great success in the greater context of World War II, the day itself was a mixed bag. In total, roughly 160,000 troops landed on the Normandy Beaches on Jand 11,000 planes and 4,000 ships were used in the attack.
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In addition to the amphibious landings, an extensive aerial bombardment was planned. The Canadian forces were to lead at Juno.
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The task was daunting, as General Rommel had prepared by ordering Nazi troops to turn Normandy’s coastline into a death trap: beach obstacles, land mines, artillery batteries and barbed wire were all laid across the countryside.įor D-Day, the Allies divided the 60 mile coastline into five sectors, code named from west to east: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. The Americans were to land primarily on the western fronts at Utah and Omaha, while the British were tasked with capturing the eastern beaches, Gold and Sword.
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American General Dwight Eisenhower was put in charge of planning for Operation Overlord, with British General Bernard Montgomery to take over once the landings were successful.