• The Musee de Debarquement at Arromanches : This small harbor on the British portion of Gold Beach is significant for the artificial “Mulberry” harbors, built shortly after D-Day. More cargo was offloaded here than in any harbor in Europe. Though a freak storm on June 19th 1944 severely damaged the Mulberries, parts are still visible offshore. The museum at Arromanches, Musee du Debarquement, is reputed to be one of the best.
Museums at Omaha Beach X 2 : St-Laurent-sur-Mer, Vierville, and Omaha Beach: Each entry from the sea to the bluffs has a monument, with a small beach road connecting the sites (which wasn’t there in 1944). There is also a marked path on top of the bluffs extending the entire length of the beaches; KMC tourists highly recommended the trip but say it makes for a strenuous day. There are two museums on Omaha Beach, both located in salvaged WWII buildings. Each one has its own character and is worth a visit. A drive along the beach road is recommended to see where the “shingle” used to be, a low wall and stretch of egg-sized stones that provided cover but also trapped troops on the beach. The swampy area which posed so much difficulty to the troops is still visible, though dry now and free of concertina wire and mines. German gun emplacements are clearly visible on the bluffs. The museum at Vierville doesn't have a website but the website for the one at St. Laurent is http://www.musee-memorial-omaha.com.
•The Ranger Museum at Grandcamp Maisy: A few kilometers east of Pointe du Hoc is the Ranger Museum (Musee des Rangers) in downtown Grandcamp Maisy. This tiny homegrown museum doesn’t take long, but contains a fascinating newsreel and equipment and supplies not seen elsewhere. Several of the spindly ladders used to scale Pont du Hoc are displayed, along with personal accounts and gear donated by members of the Ranger battalion. No website, but this museum gets a thumbs up from about everyone! Phone is (02) 31-92-33-51 – opening hours are a little unpredictable.
• Utah Beach Museum at St Marie de Mont: Heavy German fortifications are obvious along the beach road west toward Utah Beach. Fortuitously, currents and wind swept the 4th Infantry Division landing force several miles away to a less defended site. The Utah Beach Museum has an unusual display on the naval role at DDay, and an actual Higgins landing craft outside. The museum itself is built over a German bunker, parts of which are visible. Across the parking lot Café Roosevelt operates a small museum in their cellar, an old bunker used by both the Germans and American. Their website is http://www.le-roosevelt.com
• St. Mere-Eglise: This village was the first one liberated by the 101st Airborne “Band of Brothers”. The museum is a favorite, loaded with private donations of diaries, uniforms, photos, and personal gear. Visitors have reported this museum is the “must-see” of all the DDay museums. Across the street is the church where American paratrooper John Steele hung suspended from his chute for hours
