The Allied Forces' D-Day landings in France in June 1944 took place on a scale which is almost impossible to imagine.
"Under the command of General Eisenhower, Allied naval forces, supported by strong air forces, began landing Allied armies this morning on the northern coast of France."
BBC News announcement, Tuesday 6th June 1944.
Utah Beach was one of the two American landing beaches during the Allied Normandy invasion of June and July 1944. The now peaceful beach and sand dunes were covered in landmines, antitank defences and barbed wire by the occupying Nazi German forces when the Allies first landed. The site was quickly transformed into an enormous logistics center for the liberation of France. Grids of steel mesh were rolled out to reinforce the sandy surface, metallic jetties were built, and 13 old ships were sunk off the coast to provide a wave break to protect the temporary harbour.
In the months that followed, hundreds of thousands of men passed through the artificial harbour, along with all the vehicles and supplies necessary for their work.
An excellent small museum at Utah Beach vividly describes the events which took place there. The museum, “La Musée du Débarquement”, which is right on the beach, gives an intimate account of the events of the first landings on June 6th 1944, and the following days. Exhibits range from amphibious vehicles used during the landings, to the personal possessions of soldiers on both sides of the conflict, including pocket bibles and magazines. The personal possessions and photos of the soldiers and local population are terribly moving. There are so many faces of young people in a land that they scarcely knew, each one of them with families and loved ones many, many miles away.
A short film, shown in French, English and German, vividly describes the events of the D-Day landings – many people leave the theatre in tears after the twenty minute showing – life seems so precious when you think of the sacrifices made by these ordinary men and women. As one veteran said, there was not one man in the first boats to arrive who was not terribly afraid. Seeing the image of soldiers running through the cold sea water to such a hostile place is truly humbling.
During the night preceding the first shore based landings, paratroopers had landed inland; these men were dropped into hostile enemy territory in order to prepare key strategic sites for the movement of troops from the landing beaches.
There are many memorials close to the museum. The village of Sainte Marie du Mont gave a symbolic parcel of land to the American people, and it is here that many memorials stand, and many, many visitors come to pay their respects to this day.
Where else to visit in Normandy?
There are many places to visit on a trip to the Coast of Lower Normandy.
Utah Beach is around 1 ½ hours by road from France’s most visited tourist destination, Mont St-Michel.
The glamorous seaside resort of Deauville, and the charming port town of Honfleur, are less than two hours by motorway from Utah Beach.
