© Mémorial de Caen / US Army

In general, when a major battle is commemorated, it is only the winners and their descendants who attend the ceremonies. This year, on 6 June 2004, this almost universal rule will fortunately be broken. For the first time, alongside Heads of State of the Allies and their veterans, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and German veterans will be attending. Side by side in remembrance of the past, yesterday's adversaries will give an exceptional sign of union, proving that history's greatest wounds can heal.

Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, Swordthese 50 miles of Normandy beaches are part of world history. The weak link in the Atlantic Wall designed by Erwin Rommel, they were chosen by the Allies as early as 1943, whereas the German command expected a landing on the northernmost coast of France, close to Great Britain. The 6 June date was chosen by Generals Eisenhower and Montgomery for its excellent moonlight and weather conditions. When visiting these beaches, to understand how the landing took place, we recommend you try one of the guided visits organised by the Caen Memorial (see practical information below). The expertly trained French/English bilingual guides will give you an hour-by-hour account of D-Day (code name: Operation Overlord) during which 20,000 armoured vehicles and 156,000 American, British, Canadian and French soldiers landed under a deluge of enemy fire.

The artificial port of Arromanches
Setting out from the Caen Memorial, this is the first site to visit. 'If we want to land, we'll have to take our ports with us', declared Winston Churchill... Produced under strict secrecy in 1943 in London factories (the 20,000 workers requisitioned were unaware of what they were making), this 'Mulberry', used to get supplies to the landing force troops, was something of a technical feat. In one week, a harbour more than 8 miles long was erected opposite the Arromanches beach. This artificial port had to be capable of receiving 12,000 tons of goods and 2,500 vehicles each day while withstanding strong tides. Its remains can still be seen today.

The battery at Longues-sur-Mer
Three miles from Arromanches, this is the only German battery with canons still in place in Normandy. Protected in concrete shelters, these 150 mm canons had a 120° and 12 mile firing range. On 6 June 1944, at 5.30 am, they opened fire against the English fleet. The battery was reduced to silence in the afternoon by the Ajax (Royal Navy) and Georges Leygues (Free French Forces) cruisers. The 184 artillerymen surrendered to the British soldiers who landed at Longues-sur-Mer the following day.

	© E. Tresmontant / ViaMichelin

The American military cemetery at Colleville
Inaugurated in 1956 by President Coty and General Marshall, this American cemetery occupies some 175 acres above Omaha Beach. Here rest 9,387 young American soldiers (including President Roosevelt's two sons) who died in the Battle of Normandy (6 June-22 August 1944). Tombs of American soldiers who died in the First World War can also be seen and the Last Post is played at sunset every evening.

Omaha Beach
Directly accessible from the American cemetery, is the most famous landing beach. If you take the D517 winding through the hills down to the beach, you'll understand how easy the sector was to defend. At dawn on D-Day, the assault waves of the US First Infantry Division met with fierce resistance from the German soldiers and 40% of the American soldiers died on the sands on the first day.

	© E. Tresmontant / ViaMichelin

Pointe du Hoc promontory
No doubt the most impressive site of the round trip... Pounded by the Navy, this cliff saw one of the most heroic episodes of the landing. Colonel Rudder's 225 rangers managed to scale the cliff wall using rocket-fired rope ladders. The fighting lasted two days with only 90 rangers surviving the assault. Pointe du Hoc has been kept as it was after the landing, with its enormous shell-holes and blockhouses in ruins. It has become a sanctuary with American and German soldiers' remains resting in peace under the rubble.

Sainte-Mère-Église
A strategic point on the road from Utah Beach to Cherbourg, this village was taken by parachutists from the 82nd American division. The surrounding farmland was where the 'hedges war' took place as the Norman roads and lanes are all lined with trees and bushes perfect for surprise attacks. For the general public, however, Sainte-Mère-Église is above all remembered for John Steele's feat immortalised by the film The Longest Day by Darryl Zanuck. Hanging by his parachute from the tip of the church spire, this soldier pretended to be dead for two hours under German fire, until he was detached. A parachute still hangs from the spire.

The German cemetery at La Cambe
18 acres of rectangular lawn form this impressive cemetery, the resting ground of 21,500 German soldiers who fell during the Battle of Normandy, mostly aged between 18 and 21. A full view of the groups of black crosses can be seen from the summit of the central grassed mound featuring a large Gothic cross. A memorial chapel is located at the entrance to the cemetery.

Occupied by the largest contingent of German troops, the cultural and economic capital of Basse-Normandie was bombarded by the Allies for two months. Two thousand inhabitants died and the town was virtually destroyed. Miraculously, its artistic heritage like the magnificent collection of paintings ranging from Rubens to Monet housed in William the Conqueror's castle, and its historic buildings, like the beautiful 11th century Abbaye aux Hommes, went unscathed.

As a Second World War martyr town, it was only normal for a 'Peace Memorial' to be erected in Caen. This museum, the second most visited in France after the Louvre (500,000 visitors each year), should be on your must-see list. Located in the upper part of the town, the building occupies the site of the bunker of German General W. Richter who opposed the Anglo-Canadian troops on 6 June 1944. In the middle of its facade, a break evokes the breach carved by the Allies in the Atlantic Wall. More than a museum in the conventional sense of the term, the memorial immerses you in the complete history of the 20th century, from 1918 to present time. Impressive scenery and the use of many archive documents (including the panoramic screen projection of the Battle of Normandy as seen simultaneously from the sides of the Allies and the Germans) take you into the past. 

On the 60th anniversary of the landing, the memorial is hosting an exceptional exhibition: "Paroles du jour J" (D-Day narratives). You will be able to discover the daily lives of soldiers from both sides, through testimonies by veterans speaking in public. Letters, journals, photos, films...here the story of the landing will be told by those who experienced it.