Day 01
American D-Day Sites from Sainte-Mère-Église to Omaha Beach
We will visit the essential American D-Day sites.
- Sainte-Mère-Église: On D-Day, capturing and holding the town became a primary objective of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. The town, with a population of 1,200, was strategically situated on the main N13 highway to Cherbourg and only a few miles from the coast. It was a central transportation hub on the Cotentin Peninsula, with no fewer than five roads running through it, and the German telephone line along the French coast also passed through it. During a visit to the famous church and square, you will learn about the unfortunate paratroopers dropped over Sainte-Mère-Église, including the famous story of John Steele, and the fierce fighting between the German garrison and the American paratroopers.
- Utah Beach: Utah Beach was one of the two US landing sectors on D-Day. Here, the 4th Infantry Division landed and suffered the lowest number of casualties of all units landing on D-Day. Brigadier General Theodor Roosevelt Jr. was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his courageous action on D-Day at Utah Beach, which set the stage for the rapid advance inland. You will hear about the factors that made the landing at Utah Beach such a success. We will visit the beach and several impressive monuments where you can pay tribute to the American units that made D-Day a great victory here on Utah Beach.
- Pointe du Hoc: The Germans had deployed an artillery battery on this peninsula that threatened the Utah and Omaha Beach landings. Had the guns remained intact, they could have wreaked havoc among the landing forces, so they had to be eliminated at all costs. Despite significant problems during the approach, 220 men of the 2nd Ranger Battalion under Lieutenant Colonel James Rudder scaled the cliffs and neutralized the guns. You will see the vast bomb craters and the cliffs the Rangers scaled, and you will stand on top of German bunkers for a spectacular view of the coast. You will hear what happened on D-Day and in the days that followed, and how this daring force of US Army Rangers came close to destruction before reinforcements finally arrived.
- Omaha Beach: Omaha Beach, one of the two American landing beaches, is probably the best known but also the most infamous of the five. Here, the 29th and 1st Infantry Divisions were on the verge of defeat, suffering the highest casualties of any Allied force landing on D-Day. At Omaha Beach, we begin our tour in the Dog Green subsector, the area depicted in the opening scenes of Steven Spielberg's 'Saving Private Ryan'. You will visit significant memorials and German bunkers, one of which still houses its deadly anti-tank gun. You will learn why so many young Americans had to pay the ultimate price on the morning of D-Day and how, despite the initial chaos, leadership, bravery, and determination led to ultimate success. We will then visit several German resistance nests to learn more about the landing from the German perspective. Here, you will see impressive monuments, large gun casemates, and the position from which the most notorious German machine gunner fired more than 12,000 rounds on D-Day.
- Normandy American Cemetery: The Normandy American Cemetery is the final resting place of 9,387 American service personnel. Their white marble headstones are a stark reminder that freedom is not free. The guide will take you to some notable graves, and you will have time to pay your respects to the women and men who made the ultimate sacrifice for the liberation of Europe. Our tour will end with witnessing the lowering of the Stars and Stripes and listening to 'Taps', a bugle call in honour of the fallen. It is a very evocative moment that you will never forget.
