The German cemetery of La Cambe in Normandy

A visit to the largest German cemetery in Normandy where over 21,000 soldiers are buried.

The German cemetery at La Cambe was established by the Americans in 1944 to bury American and German soldiers who died during the Battle of Normandy. The American soldiers were later moved to the Colleville-sur-Mer cemetery next to Omaha Beach. Today, only German soldiers remain.

The cemetery is easy to access, it is located on the National 13, you can not miss it if you go to visit the other sites of the Normandy landings like Sainte-Mère-Eglise or Omaha Beach (15 km).

Interest: ratingvery good (1 user)
Difficulty: difficulty
Duration: 1 h.
Departure point (Google Maps)

The information center

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The information center
On the site is an information center that explains the work of the German association (Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge) to maintain the site.

The Cross

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The Cross
A large basalt cross stands in the middle of the cemetery.

The cemetery

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The cemetery
A plaque on the floor indicates the name and date of birth of the soldiers who could be identified.

The graves

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The graves
In the cemetery lies Michael Wittmann, one of the greatest tank commanders of the Second World War (130 tanks destroyed to his credit). He died during a counter-attack in his Tiger tank in 1944. Nostalgic people of that time have already stolen the plaque on his grave twice.

Celtic crosses

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Celtic crosses
Unlike the American cemetery there are no Christian crosses but only Celtic crosses.

The tumulus

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The tumulus
200 soldiers who could not be identified lie under the central mound.

Plates on the floor

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Plates on the floor
The majority of the soldiers buried at La Cambe are very young.

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