France · Storytelling Tours

1.5-Hour Sainte-Mère-Église D-Day Tour with John Steele Story

1 Hour Round trip from 50480 Sainte-Mère-Église Easy pace

Tracing the Historic Events at Sainte-Mère-Église

Unique stained glasses at the Sainte-Mère-Église

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The journey

Trip highlights

01 Visit the Church of Sainte-Mère-Église with its unique stained-glass windows
02 Listen to interesting stories about one of the first towns in Europe to be liberated on D-Day
03 See the place featured in the D-Day film <em>The Longest Day</em> (1962)
04 Learn the story of John Steele and the American paratroopers who landed in Sainte-Mère-Église

Join this journey through time in Sainte-Mère-Église, one of the first towns to be liberated in Normandy in 1944. Located just a few kilometres from Utah Beach, this tour explores the dramatic story of the American paratroopers who landed here before D-Day, including the memorable moment when John Steele's parachute became caught on the church steeple. Along the way, discover the town's wartime significance as seen in the film The Longest Day (1962), which depicts American paratroopers landing scattered around Sainte-Mère-Église to defend a road that would become a vital artery for the invasion.

Located just a few kilometres from Utah Beach, this tour explores the dramatic story of the American paratroopers who landed here before D-Day, including the memorable moment when John Steele's parachute became caught on the church steeple.

From the itinerary

At a glance

What this trip includes

Duration 1 Hour

Tour type Private

Activity level Easy

Accommodation Not included

Transport Not included

Wheelchair access Not applicable

Languages English

Day by day

The itinerary

Day 01

D-Day History Walk Through Sainte-Mère-Église

We will begin our tour by learning more about the story of John Steele and some of his comrades. You will see the unique stained-glass windows at the church, which memorialise the sacrifices of the paratroopers. Located near the church is also the Airborne Museum, which offers an exhibition dedicated to the landing of the 82nd American Airborne Division.
We will continue our tour to some other memorials in town, which will give you a bigger picture of the paratrooper actions in the area.
You will visit Rue Robert Murphy, dedicated to a pathfinder from the war, see the Renaud Monument, and witness the site of a farmhouse that caught fire during the action.
While taking you through these sites as they exist in the present, the guide will take you back in time with images and other clips that allow you to understand the historical events more closely.
Experience the place where the movie The Longest Day shows American paratroopers landing sporadically throughout Sainte-Mère-Église to protect a road that would serve as an important invasion route.