France Travel Guide:

The D-Day Invasion Sites (1)

D-Day Sites of  Interest

 

There is considerable discussion about the meaning of the term “D-Day”.  Some believe that it stood for “Disembarkment Day”. The more generally accepted explanation is that the name simply followed a convention to indicate the date of military actions as “D-day”.

The German outposts were well fortified and included rails to move guns and equipment.

Les Plages du Débarquement (The Invasion Beaches)

The D-Day landings in Normandy, France on June 6, 1944 were the central focus of the largest and most complicated invasion ever attempted. Most of the Allied Forces left the shores of Britain on June 5^th in preparation of the landings in France.  While the German Army and Luftwaffe (air force) were expecting the attack, uncertainty concerning the location and timing of the invasion left them unprepared to battle a force the size of the Allied armies.  In addition, based on the distances between England and France, some in the German High Command felt the Allies would invade near Calais (see map at bottom of page) and had deployed several divisions in this area.

Although the invasion beaches were secured by the end of the first day, the Battle of Normandy raged until mid-August.  After two and a half months of vicious fighting, the victory in Normandy marked the beginning of the end of World War II in Europe.

D-Day was part of Operation Overlord, the Allied Forces’ plan for the invasion of Northern Europe.  The action involved approximately: 5,000 vessels (landing craft, support ships and war ships), 13,000 aircraft, and 150,000 soldiers.  A complex infrastructure, including the supplies and equipment necessary to conduct war, was needed to support the invading forces before, during and after D-Day.  Consequently, establishing a beachhead including makeshift harbors was a top priority for the Allied Forces.  On the eve of the beach landings, other forces were parachuted into the Normandy area. In addition, the German coastal defenses were bombarded from air and sea in an attempt to tilt the table in favor of the Allies.

The invasion beaches (arranged from west to east) were
Utah
Omaha
Gold
Juno
Sword 

These beaches are in the administrative départment of Calvados, and we have focused our “D-Day tour in this area.   American forces landed at Utah and Omaha beaches.  British soldiers landed at Gold Beach and Sword Beach on each side of the Canadian force, which landed at Juno Beach. The most difficult and deadly invasion beach was Omaha, due in part to the heavy defenses and challenging topography of the area. 

For our recommended tour, we have chosen to highlight several of the major D-Day sites, but there are numerous others that are worthy of your attention.  The website of the Normandy Tourism Board provides an excellent overview of the museums and activities that can be visited during a Battle of Normandy tour.

There are also numerous companies that provide excellent and highly detailed guided tours focused on Normandy, D-Day and World War II.  References to a number of these companies can be found on the Normandy tourism site referenced above. 

For many visitors, touring the following sites will provide a good overview of the Normandy Invasion.

Continue to the next page of the guide for select one of the following

• Caen - Le Memorial
• Arromanches
• Longues-sur-Mer
• American Cemetery at Collevile-sur-Mer
• Point du Hoc

A fortified range finding station at Point du Hoc, supporting a potent artillery emplacement on the north end of Omaha Beach

Best Places to Visit in France

Although many in the German High Command expected an invasion near Calais based on the shorter distance between England and France at that location, the Allied Forces chose the unexpected and landed in Normandy.