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Locations Visited |
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The British Sector |
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| Pegasus Bridge - gliders carrying men of the Ox & Bucks Light Infantry landed near Benouville shortly after midnight on D Day to capture the two strategically-important bridges crossing the River Orne and Caen Canal. The British Airborne assault secured the Eastern flank of the Landing Beaches. The Gondree Cafe was the first building in Europe to be liberated. |
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| The Merville Battery - gliders of the 6th Airborne Division were also used to land troops at this battery which was believed to pose a danger to troops due to land on Sword Beach. Impressive gun emplacements demonstrate the preparations made to defend their Atlantic Wall. |
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| Ranville Cemetery - captured in the early hours of 6th June to secure landing and dropping zones for more Airborne troops, Ranville eventually became the location for the Airborne cemetery in Normandy containing over 2,000 casualties. |
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| Hermanville la Breche - the main beach exit for the British 3rd Division landing on Sword Beach which was the most easterly of the five assault Beaches. Commandos landing here later captured Ouistreham and joined up with the Airborne troops at Pegasus. |
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| Courseulles - Courseulles lies at the centre of the Canadian 3rd Division's landing at Juno. A Tank recovered from the sea in 1970 is now a Memorial to the Canadian Hussars who provided armoured support to the assault troops. Courseulles was also where Charles de Gaulle landed on his return to France. |
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| Arromanches - the British 50th Division landed on Gold Beach at the western end of the British Sector. The town of Arromanches became the site for the Mullberry Harbour, the remains of which can still be seen offshore. The Invasion Museum at Arromanches explains the harbour's construction and use. On the high ground overlooking the town there is an audio-visual display in the Panorama. |
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| Longues Battery - still in operation on D Day, the German guns which were knocked out by naval gunfire during the course of the day remain in situ in their emplacements. |
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| Bayeux War Cemetery - Bayeux was the first town in Normandy to be liberated. The major British War Cemetery in Normandy is now located here along with the Memorial to the Missing. The cemetery is the venue for the annual Commemoration of the Landings. |
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The American Sector |
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| La Cambe German Cemetery - originally an American Cemetery La cambe eventually became the site for the largest German cemetery in Normandy with over Over 40,000 casualties. The newly- constructed Visitor Centre is well worth a visit. |
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 Ste Mere Eglise - while the British were securing the Eastern flank of the invasion area the American 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions were given the task of securing the Western flank. The American paratroopers found themselves scattered over a wide area and many drowned in marshes. Nevertheless Ste Mere Eglise was captured. The American Airborne Museum now stands on the site of a house destroyed by fire during the fighting. There are numerous artefacts, weapons, armoured vehicles and a Dakota DC3. An effigy of Pte Steele who famously hung by his parachute from the tower of the church for many hours serves as a reminder of this incident. |
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| Utah Beach - the Landing Beach for the US 4th Division, Utah was the most westerly of the Landing Beaches. The most senior American officer who came ashore on D Day, Brigadier General Roosevelt, son of the former President, landed on Utah and decided that although his troops had actually landed some distance from their scheduled landing place, they were now committed. As a result casualties were minimal. |
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| Pointe du Hoc - Utah Beach is separated from Omaha Beach by a large area of cliffs of which the rocky outcrop of the Pointe du Hoc is the most prominent. The Pointe is now the best-preserved battlefield site in Normandy. On 6th June, Rudder's Rangers were given the task of capturing the gun positions which dominated this high ground and which could fire on both Utah and Omaha . Overcoming all obstacles, the Rangers scaled the cliffs and captured their objective. The machine-gun positions, bunkers, dug-outs and casemates and the craters caused by the naval bombardment can still be seen. |
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| Omaha Beach - overlooked by a high bluff heavily defended with machine guns and 88 mm guns, Omaha was the most critical and difficult part of "Operation Overlord". The US 1st and 29th Divisions landed on what became known as "Bloody Omaha". A series of problems, miscalculations and sheer bad luck, including the presence of the 352nd German Division deployed by chance on anti-invasion manoeuvres, conspired against the Americans. Evacuation was considered before the Americans finally managed to break through the barriers blocking the beach exits at a cost of over 3,000 casualties. |
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| Colleville American Cemetery - the principal American Cemetery in Normandy, Colleville overlooking Omaha Beach contains over 9,000 casualties including Brigadier General Roos. |
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A typical 4-day itinerary |
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| Day 1: Pick-up from school and travel by executive coach/cross-channel ferry to hotel in Normandy for evening meal. |
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| Day 2: Breakfast in hotel followed by British Sector Battlefield Tour and return to hotel for evening meal. |
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| Day 3: Breakfast in hotel, American Sector Battlefield Tour and return to hotel evening meal. |
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| Day 4: Breakfast in hotel and return to UK. |
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