Introduction: 70th Anniversary of the World War Two's Normandy Landings (infographic)
This year we are celebrating the 70th anniversary of WW2, as part of this we have looked at the famous Normandy beach landings and the types of sites that exist in Normandy to commemorate this day. Each step takes you through the battlefields, the cemeteries and the museums where you can go and see first hand what the brave souls faced on that day.
To discover more about D-Day and the liberation of Normandy .. take a look at each section.
Step 1: The D-day Normandy Beach Landings
This is a guide covering all the places to visit in Normandy to get an understanding of the D-day beach landings and of the war, from both sides. Some of the places to visit in Normandy to get the best out of the experience - Sainte-Mere-Eglise and Caen for the Museums, Ouistreham and Bayeux for the war cemeteries and Ouistreham and the coastal districts from Cherbourg down to Le Havre for the places of interest. The landing beaches are in Ouistreham and Bayeux.
Step 2: The Normandy Museums
Many of these sites are open all year round and include the 'American airborne museum' which allows visitors to see inside a real C-47 plane and is the largest museum of it's kind in Europe. You can also visit the 'Normandy tank museum' that feature actual tank rides. There is 'Le Memorial De Caen' which is a peaceful story telling of great 20th century events including the D-day landings. There is also an actual beach landing museum, the 'Musee Du Debarquement' built on the Utah beach where the American troops landed and features a rare B26 bomber only 6 that remain in the world.
Step 3: Historical WW2 Sites
There are many sites to visit in Normandy that echo the war, but the Pegasus Memorial which has hundreds of wonderful memorable pieces and model gliders is a fantastic place to visit. You can also see the Longues-sur-mer gun battery that housed the actual guns fired on D-day. Many people choose to visit the Batteries Du Mont Canisy which are the 2 batteries that the French Navy built and that were later used by the Germans on the day. You can also get a feel for how it was to be in the German army and see how they lived in trenches and shelters.
The Cemeteries
These are places to pay your respects to those who lost their lives on both sides during the War. There are 5 war cemeteries - Bayeux, Ranville, Normandy American, Beny-sur-mer Canadian and La Cambe German cemetery.
Step 4: The D-day Normandy Beaches
You would not be able to go to Normandy without visiting the beaches, among the most famous is the Utah and Omaha beaches where the Americans landed and came under heavy fire. Then there is the Sword and Gold beach where the British troops landed, Gold was known for it's artificial port (the brain child of Churchill) that still remains today, and then the Juno beach where the Canadian troops landed and whom came under some of the worst of the fire. Each commemorate the deaths of the brave Allied troops that landed in June 1944.
The infographic information was brought together by Brittany Ferries and you can see the entire graphic on their website.
