francedigitale

Visit of the American cemetery of Omaha Beach

A visit to Omaha Beach where the fighting was most intense on D-Day.

This visit allows you to see the landing beach of Omaha Beach as well as the American cemetery of Colleville-sur-Mer located right next to it. Omaha Beach was very difficult to conquer for the Americans, they even thought for a moment to stop the landing. Across the beach were 2000 hardened German defenders. The Americans lost more than 2000 men on that day.

As a reminder, the battle of the Somme during the First World War caused much higher losses: 700 men in half an hour! 19 000 dead for the first day of fighting !

You can visit a small free museum (the visitor center) on the site which recalls the different stages of the landing. The site is a concession of France to the United States, it is beautifully maintained.

Interest: ratinggood (1 user)
Difficulty: difficulty
Duration: 2 h.
Departure point (Google Maps)

The entrance to the cemetery

❤6
The entrance to the cemetery
Like all American cemeteries, it is very well maintained. As well as its historical importance, Omaha Beach also offers striking natural beauty.

The ruperts

❤3
The ruperts
The museum located inside the cemetery tells the story of the landing. On the picture you can see a dummy (ruperts) which was used to deceive the German defenders by making them believe in a massive drop of soldiers.

Path to the beach

❤8
Path to the beach
From the cemetery a path leads down to the beach.

Omaha Beach

❤4
Omaha Beach
Despite its tragic past, Omaha Beach today exudes a peaceful and serene atmosphere, inviting visitors to reflect on the events that took place here several decades ago.

The beach to climb

❤5
The beach to climb
The Americans were stranded on the beach. The Germans were firing from the heights. The exact number of dead on Omaha Beach on D-Day, 6 June 1944, is not precisely known and varies from source to source. However, it is estimated that between 2,000 and 3,000 Allied soldiers lost their lives during this landing operation.

The American Cemetery

❤4
The American Cemetery
There are 9387 bodies that lie in the cemetery, they were killed during the battle of Normandy.

Veterans pose in front of the Niland brothers' grave.

❤3
Veterans pose in front of the Niland brothers' grave.
The four Niland brothers all enlisted to fight in the Second World War: Robert, Preston and Francis landed at Omaha Beach with different units, while Edward served as a crew member in an aircraft in the Pacific. Sadly, Robert was killed on 6 June at Sainte-Mère-Église, while Preston lost his life on Utah Beach. Meanwhile, Edward went missing in the Pacific. This poignant story inspired the film "Saving Private Ryan".

Memorial

❤3
Memorial
At the entrance of the cemetery is a monument recalling the fighting of the Second World War.

🚶‍ Practical information 🌳

🛑 Other walks

At 10.46 Km

The Pointe du Hoc in Normandy

The Pointe du Hoc in Normandy

rating goodVoir le détail

At 11.23 Km

The main landing sites in Normandy

The main landing sites in Normandy

rating goodVoir le détail

At 11.98 Km

Walk and visit of the battery of Longues-sur-Mer

Walk and visit of the battery of Longues-sur-Mer

rating greatVoir le détail

At 12.5 Km

The German cemetery of La Cambe in Normandy

The German cemetery of La Cambe in Normandy

rating very goodVoir le détail