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D Day Beaches of Normandy

The Allied inviasion of Normandy in June 1944 was a mortal blow to Nazi Germany's occupation of Europe. Operation Overlord or D Day as it often referred to remains the largest seaborne invasion in history. The Normandy beaches area is one of the most visited in France as a result of the Allied invasion.

Battle of Normandy Quick Facts
Visiting Normandy
160,000: The number of troops landed at the 5 beaches on D-Day
3 million: The number of troops landed over the course of the Normandy campaign
6,900: The number of ships used in the invasion
12,000: The number of aircraft supporting the invasion
10,000: Allied dead and wounded on D Day
No Australian or New Zealand ground forces were involved in the Normandy landings
The town of Bayeux, home of the Bayeux Tapestry is an ideal base to explore the D-Day sites
Train from Paris Gare St Lazaire to Bayeux
Driving from Paris 260km west via the A13 Rouen and Caen
Fly from London to Rennes with Ryan Air and hire a car (Rennes to Bayeux is 190km)
Ferry from Portsmouth, England to Ouistreham (near Caen) with Brittany Ferries
Hotels in Bayeux
Tips - the month of June is obviously very popular and accommodation is at a premium

For more background on the Wikipedia article the Normandy landings or this informative BBC resource on Operation Overlord.

Normandy Landings Points of Interest

The American Cemetery at is located near the small town of Colleville-sur-Mer on a bluff overlooking Omaha Beach. The US suffered heavy casualties at Omaha and was featured in the opening scene of Steve Speilberg's Saving Private Ryan. Watch on Youtube.
Airborne Museum Sainte Mère Eglise near Utah Beach commemorates the feats of the US 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions who dropped on the village of Sainte-Mère-Eglise on the night of 5-6 June, 1944.
Sword Beach is located near the coastal town and ferry port of Ouistreham. Sword was one of two British landing points and only a few kilometres from the key Norman city of Caen. Visit the Museum of the Atlantic Wall at Ouistreham.
Omaha Beach Memorial located in Saint Laurent-sur-mer is dedicated to those who fought on June 6, 1944.
Utah Beach Museum in the seaside village of Sainte Marie du Mont commemorates the landings at Utah beach and the airborne assault on nearby Sainte-Mère-Eglise.
Gold Beach was a British beach near the town of Arromanches-les-Bains. This was where the Allies built an enormous artificial harbour to bring supplies ashore to support the invasion. There are significant remains visible on the beach to this day. To find out more about what happened here visit the Musee du Debarquementin Arromanche-les-Bains.




Pointe du Hoc is a clifftop location on the coast of Normandy 6.4 km west of Omaha Beach. It was the site of a daring attack by the US Army Rangers during the Allied Invasion of Normandy in June 1944. The area contains old German fortifications, bomb craters and a memorial to those who died in the battle.
Juno Beach is located at the small fishing port of Courseulles-sur-Mer. Juno Beach was assigned to the Canadian 3rd Infantry Division. The Juno Beach Centre is a Canadian designed and funded museumat Courseulles-sur-Mer commemorating that contry's war effort.

Resources

Wikitravel Article on D Day Beaches

Books, Film and TV about D Day

Saving Private Ryan (1998),directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks follows the experiences of a group of US Army Rangers for the first few days of the invasion opening with the gruesome Omaha Beach landing.

Band of Brothers is an HBO TV mini series co produced by Steven Speilberg and Tom Hanks following a group of soldiers from the US Army's 101st Airborne Divsion from training through the airborne invasion of Normandy and onto the airborne landings in Holland and finishing with the Battle of Bastogne (Battle of the Bulge).

The Longest Day(1962) starring Robert Mitchum, John Wayne, Sean Connery, Henry Fonda and Richard Burton.

Where Eagles Dare (1969) starring Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton.

The Big Red One (1980) Starring Lee Marvin, Mark Hamill and Robert Carradine about the exploits of the US Army 1st Infantry Division throughout the European Campaign.

D Day the Battle for Normandy by Anthony Beevor

List of World War Two Museums and Monuments in Normandy