"Normandy -- June 6, 1944" Basse-Normandie by Ewingjr98

I write this travel page on 11 Nov 2004 -- America's Veterans' Day. As I write, I am watching "Saving Private Ryan" for inspiration.

I visited Normandy in early September 2000, just before I ended my two-year European vacation. We drove up from Germany, visited the eastern invasion beaches (British and Canadian), and then spent the night in Caen. The next day, we drove to the western (US) invasion beaches of Utah and Omaha, then drove to Versailles for the night. The final day of our journey, we visited Versailles and Paris, then drove back to Germany.

My handmade map of Normandy

On June 6, 1944, after months of planning and preparation, the Allies began operation Overlord -- the invasion of Normandy. The Operation landed soldiers on five Normandy beaches:

1) The British 3rd Division at Sword Beach farthest west near Caen
2) The Canadian 3rd Division at Juno beach, also north of Caen
3) The British 50th Division at Gold Beach, just north of Bayeaux
4) The American 1st Division at Omaha beach, just outside of the village of St Laurent
5) The American 4th Division at Utah Beach, a few kilometers from St. Mere Eglise

The map to the left shows these invasion locations and the pink depicts the advances after the first day of the attack.

American Cemetery at Omaha

A visit to Normandy is truly a moving experience... the shear willpower of thousands of Allied soldiers willing to sacrifice all to make the world a better place. Walking on the beaches where these great men died can not be described. Seeing the massive concrete bunkers that had to be overrun on the path to victory is almost frightening.

There are countless monuments and memorials to the brave Allied soldiers. There are also many great museums that depict the story of the invasion in great detail. Probably the most moving experience is the American Cemetery at St Laurent where thousands of US deceased are buried.

I would recommend spending at least a day at the American beaches and a day at the British/Candian beaches. Please see my Caen, Bayeaux, Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, & Sainte-Mere-Eglise pages for more details of the invasion and my visit.

The best overview of the invasion of Normandy can be viewed here at Encyclopedia Britannica