On Omaha Beach,
Bravery Remembered

Marya Valli

France | Normandy

Seventy years ago, as Allied forces prepared their assault on Nazi-occupied France, the Norman beaches of St-Laurent, Colleville and Vierville-sur-Mer became collectively known as Omaha Beach, a stretch of coast essential to the Allied invasion.

Part of Operation Overlord, which encompassed the full invasion of Nazi-occupied western Europe, Omaha proved the most difficult beach to capture on D-Day due to its concentration of German defences. On June 6th, 1944, the American soldiers of the 1st and 29th divisions tasked with storming the beach suffered roughly 2,000 casualties before Omaha was finally taken.

Seven decades later, the sight that once bore so much violence has given way to a series of beautiful, if stoic, tributes to the many men who fought that day.

Omaha Beach Military Cemeteries

The American Military Cemetery at St-Laurent-sur-Mer overlooks Omaha Beach. Originally, 23,000 Americans were buried there, but 14,000 were eventually repatriated. Of the 9,386 soldiers who rest here, only 307 remain unidentified. The cemetery has a lovely garden commemorating the 1,557 men who remain missing.

The German Military Cemetery in La Cambe is a fraction of the size of the American cemetery, but nearly 22,000 Germans are buried here. The site was inaugurated in 1961 with the help of the Norman community and the German War Graves Commission.

Experience Normandy With B&R

Scheduled Group Biking Trip

On Normandy & Brittany Biking, the locals speak of their love for the land as they speak of their attraction to the sea—a feeling you will share as we bike the Channel coast, pass historic beaches and visit the magical Mont Saint-Michel in Brittany.

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Private Group Biking Trip

Choose your own crew to travel with on a private Normandy Biking trip, where you’ll experience the seaside beauty of Honfleur, elegant Deauville and the Parisian Riviera, stopping by historic monuments and remnants of Normandy’s recent history from the Second World War.

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Pointe du Hoc

This strategic German position overlooked both Omaha and Utah beaches, and was taken by the Second Ranger Battalion after they scaled a 100-foot cliff to reach it. It has been immaculately preserved so that it looks exactly the same as it did on D-Day, all those years ago.

Words of Remembrance

M. E. Lemaigre, a Norman French army officer and POW in Germany during the liberation writes eloquently in remembrance of the men who died on Normandy’s beaches:

“All of you, you citizens of free America, children of Texas or of Missouri; you Canadians from the Great Lakes, the descendants from our old Dieppe families; you British, who share with us a common ancestor in William; and all of you, our friends under whatever flag you be; all you, who have fallen on our soil, sleep in peace. Sleep in peace in our rich Norman earth, under the shadow of your white crosses. Sleep in peace under our apple trees, you are at home…”

History

Marya Valli

Having lived in both mainland France and Italy’s Piemonte region before moving to Corsica, Trip Planner and veteran B&R Guide Marya Valli believes the best way to get in deep and up close in a region is to pick up and move there. The second best way? A B&R trip, of course.

View or Add Comments

Michael Meighen says:

Feb 7, 2014 at 11:15 am

Reading this piece, one might think that Omaha was the only beach. Why no mention of, for example,Sword and, above all from my point of view ,Juno ??? What about the two Canadian cemetaries in Normandy???

Reply
1. Dave Bowden says:
  
  Feb 10, 2014 at 11:13 am
  
  Thanks so much for your comment Michael. We’ve focused on Omaha beach here partly due to space restrictions (Operation Overlord was a gigantic undertaking and to write about it thoroughly would encompass many, many blog posts), but also because our Normandy Biking trip happens to visit the American Cemetery and pass by the German Cemetery, so we wanted to give our travellers and blog readers a little further information about some sites they will encounter on-trip. Of course, as you rightly point out, Canada’s role in taking Juno Beach was vital, and its war efforts impressive for a country of relatively modest size. Author and historian Ted Barris provides an excellent account of Canada’s D-Day contributions in his book, Juno: Canadians at D-Day.
  
  Reply
Arlene Yearn says:

Feb 14, 2014 at 10:28 am

would like to receive some of your brochures and of course, your news letter

Reply
1. Dave Bowden says:
  
  Feb 18, 2014 at 3:51 pm
  
  Great to hear from you Arelene. You can see our brochure online or request a physical copy by clicking here. And to sign up for our newsletter, just scroll down and click the blue “Newsletter Sign-Up” button below.
  
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