The D-Day Anniversary gathering is by far one of the most incredible moments I’ve ever experienced! I spent a week in Normandy France and experience one of the most exquisite celebrations of freedom and unity. You should find a way to go during the June 6 events and here’s what I saw and learned from 2012.
Sainte-Mère-Église
Sainte-Mère-Église is the focal point for many of the celebrations around the area. You should attempt to get a hotel in the town or as close as possible to enjoy the ebullient festivities in the city square around the church. Hotels fill up months before so make sure to get reservations as soon as you know you can go because hotel occupancy will fill up fast even a year out!
There were parades of military vehicles like in the pictures. Reenactors are going all around all day in period uniforms and carrying military equipment like it’s still World War 2. There was a giant firework festival behind the church which was one of the largest and longest firework shows I’ve ever seen! The entire atmosphere is exciting and fun and there are memorial celebrations happening all over the Normandy area where you can stop and talk with family members, military members, historians, and government officials all celebrating the accomplishments of D-Day.
The Beaches
Omaha
Omaha Beach was a humbling and also exciting experience. My generation’s memories of this day were filled with movies like “Saving Private Ryan” and “Band of Brothers” so to be in the actual area and see the wide beach and tall cliffs and thinking about the German defenses at the top of the hill. It was surreal.
I was fortunate enough to get a guided tour and it added a lot of information I was unaware of. There are tons of guides in the area so I’d recommend one if you can afford it. There are several battlements and defenses which you can still walk around and into. As always be careful of little children because it’s still unmanaged in some areas.
Pointe Du Hoc
Pointe Du Hoc was an overly defended portion of Omaha Beach and a natural barrier and the German’s understood that. There were large armaments and guns waiting to defend the cliffs. The area is still well preserved since D-Day and you can still see the results of air force bombing, the battleship bombardment, and then finally the battle of the Provisional Rangers climbing up the cliffs to attack the encasement.
The point is now a special memorial area and has been left to history. It is also a natural high point and feels like a separation between the Omaha and Utah Beaches and you can see it from the point. There are also gun pill boxes, memorials, bombing craters, and all kinds of remnants of D-Day there. It was a high point of my day along the beaches and should be on your list when you visit.
Utah
Utah Beach was another stop on my trip when I was in Normandy in 2012. It has a very different feel than Omaha or Pointe Du Hoc. It’s a wide beach, with small waves, and tiny sand dunes which can easily be walked over until you get to the fields of Normandy. The difference was stark and noticeable.
The Utah Beach Museum was honestly a big highlight of the trip. It was a wonderful museum and added a lot of context to a “forgotten” beach that I never had much experience with since Omaha seems to take all the spotlight. It was a good surprise at how much it added to my trip and I bought a history book there which I still read and cherish still!
You should start making your plans as soon as possible! It’d make them in June or July of the previous year.
Cars are the best option. Public transportation is available but having a car is best. Always be ready for fulling parking lots but if you can get to places early that’s best. Cars also allow you to find some interesting spots and smaller memorials which don’t get all the pomp and circumstance.
Yes! There are usually celebrations at memorials in many of the other towns in the area or at the cemeteries in the area. Ask your local hotel if there’s a schedule for memorial proceedings for the area. The C-47 Memorial in Picauville had a formal memorial speech and I was able to enjoy the proceedings.