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 The Invasion
Interactive feature of the most complex attack ever conceived
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| MYCHELE DANIAU/AFP/GETTY IMAGES |
| OMAHA BEACH: "The Braves", a giant stainless steel sculpture created by French artist Anilore Banon. The sculpture will be on display until September |
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Posted Sunday, May 23, 2004
IN FRANCE: THE NORMANDY COAST
Unless you're a veteran, a VIP, or a glutton for crowds, you're probably better off steering clear of the beaches of Normandy on D-Day itself. Hotels will be packed and security extremely tight as Presidents Chirac and Bush, Prime Ministers Blair and Martin, and — this year's novelty — German Chancellor Schröder converge to commemorate the beginning of the end of WWII.
Memorial de Caen. This spectacular museum treats not just D-Day, but the origins of World War II, the horrors that attended it, and the Cold War that followed it. Excellent films are shown about the events of D-Day and other chapters in the bloody crisis of the 20th century. Displays give visitors a sense of the daily life of soldiers during WWII. This year a special exhibit, "The words of D-Day," focuses on the letters and journals of participants from all armies.
Juno Beach Centre. A museum which opened near Courseulles-sur-Mer just last year lays out the D-Day contribution of Canadian soldiers on the beach where 1,200 of them died. After June 14, the center will have Canadian guides on hand to lead special walking tours of the beach.
Omaha Beach. Perhaps no sight better brings home the cost of D-Day than the American Normandy Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer, overlooking Omaha Beach, which along with Utah Beach was the primary landing zone for U.S. forces. The immaculate cemetery is the final resting place for 9,386 American war dead, many of whom died on D-Day itself. Visitors can stroll down the beach or drive westward almost to where Omaha abuts Utah to visit the Pointe du Hoc, the fortified cliff taken by U.S. Rangers in one of the most audacious episodes of the assault.
Memorial Pegasus. The official commemorative site for the British 6th Airborne Division, this museum inaugurated in 2000 near Bénouville displays the original Pegasus Bridge, the first bridge liberated by allied forces in their march from Normandy to Berlin.
Permanent Landing Museum at Arromanches. Eisenhower and Montgomery knew they would need a defensible port in Normandy sooner than their forces would be able to liberate one from the Germans, so they brought their own: a series of immense cement caissons whose remnants can still be seen in the ample bay off the beach. The freshly renovated museum tells the logistic and human tale of the embarquement.
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