This year it will be the 74th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy. Commemorations to remember what took place on this battlefield for 80 days…

The D-Day landings

©Nathan Kline, – B-26 Marauder

On June 6th 1944, the invasion of Normandy by the Allies announced the beginning of the Battle of Normandy, a decisive episode of the Second World War. The Battle of Normandy took place in the three counties of Lower-Normandy and lasted for 10 weeks. It began with the dropping of airbornes forces in the Cotentin penninsula, then landing of Allied soldiers on the beaches of Calvados and the Cotentin. The Allies chose the “Baie de Seine” for their invasion, between the east coast of the Cotentin penninsula and Ouistreham. The Baie de Seine was a strategic area, allowing Allied troops to take the harbour of Cherbourg and gain access to supplies.

158 000 men , 7856 ships, the biggest armada ever

On D-Day, on the night of 5^th-6^th June 1944, 158 000 men crossed the English Channel aboard 7856 ships, under the protection of 120 warships and more than 3 000 fighter and bomber aircraft. The Allies landed on several zones between Carentan, Sainte-Mère-Eglise and Utah Beach.

The Americans deployed remarkable logistics using enormous material resources.
The primary objective of this operation was to reach the coast and establish a bridgehead between the Cotentin and the Orne.

The decision to attack on June 6th  1944 had been difficult for General Eisenhower to take, given the risks and forecasts of casualties. Despite the weaknesses of some American units, the Allies got past the famous “Atlantic Wall ” 24 hours after landing on the beaches.

Are you experienced ?

Discover all the sites, museums and guided tours dedicated to the D-Day landings in the Bay of Cotentin.

This year it will be the 74th anniversary of D-Day plenty of things are going to happen so check in regularly as news about the festivites will be posted.