Museums

France

Normandy

Arromanches-les-Bains: Exposition Permanente du DŽbarquement. Located near the seawall in the small port of Arromanches.

Displays include a diorama of the landing beaches which uses lights and commentary to explain D Day operations, a British film showing the construction of the Mulberry, and a magnificent model of Mulberry B. The remains of the real Mulberry can be seen through the panoramic window running the length of the building. In addition there are cases with mementos, weapons and photographs. Along with some field pieces, an LCA sits on the sand on the museum's south side. The museum is said to be crowded most of the timeÑit was in June 1984Ñso be prepared for a wait. This fine museum is definitely worth visiting.

Avranches: MusŽe de la Seconde Guerre MondialÑLa PercŽe d'Avranches. Located just off N 175, 3 km. south of Avranches.

The exhibits include the usual mix of weapons, equipment, and uniforms. The museum also houses a snack bar and a small bookstore. There is an LCVP on display behind the building.

Open daily during the summer 0930-1900. Admission charge.

Bayeux: MusŽe Memorial de la Bataille de Normandie. Located on the Boulevard General Fabian Ware near the British military cemetery.

This museum, opened in 1982, houses an extensive collection of weapons, mementos, and uniforms. Over one hundred manikins dressed in the uniforms and carrying the weapons of the multitude of units (German as well as Allied) that fought in Normandy line the walls. Displayed outside are an American M-10 tank destroyer, a British Churchill Mark VII Crocodile, and a German "Hetzer" Jagdpanzer (tank destroyer). Do not miss this museum when you are in Bayeux.

Benouville: MusŽe des Troupes AŽroportŽes. Located adjacent to the Pegasus Bridge.

The exhibits of this small museum are devoted to telling the story of the British airborne assault. On display are mementos donated by participants, including some donated by General Humfrey Gale, a relief map of the area, and the bagpipes carried by Bill Millin.

Open April through September 1000-1230 and 1430-1700. Admission charge.

Caen: Memorial, MusŽe pour la Paix. Located on the Esplanade Eisenhower. The museum is easily reached from the N 13 peripherique which circles Caen to the north; signs mark the turn from all directions.

Opened in September 1986, Memorial is easily the most spectacular museum devoted to the Cross-Channel Attack and the Battle of Normandy. The museum's aim, "to set the operations of 6 June 1944 and the Battle of Normandy into the context of the Second World War by recalling the conflict's distant origins and its many consequences," is achieved in displays, A-V presentations, photographs, and artifacts. The museum houses a restaurant, a book store-souvenir shop, and a documentation center-library. Memorial should not be missed by anyone traveling through Normandy, regardless of their interest in military history.

Open daily 0900-1900; June-August to 2000. Admission charge.

Carentan: MusŽe de la LibertŽ. Located off N 13 as it passes through the city.

This large museum (1000 sq m) relies on uniformed manikins, photographs, and slide and video presentations to draw the visitor back "into the heavy and painful atmosphere of the forties." It boasts that it is the first European military museum without an arms display.

Open daily mid-June to mid-September 0930-1230 and 1330-1800;1000-1200 and 1400-1800 in early June and September and Saturdays and Sundays only in March, April, and October. Admission charge.

Cherbourg: MusŽe de la LibŽration au "Fort du Roule." Located adjacent to the Fort du Roule on the bluff overlooking the town from the south.

The museum's collection of weapons, flags, and uniformsÑ some of the latter donated by the U.S. Military AcademyÑhas now been sadly depleted by the six burglaries since 1954.

Falaise: MusŽe de la Bataille de la Poche de Falaise. Located on the Route de Bretagne, Chemin des Roches, across from the Castle.

This museum contains an outstanding collection of military vehicles, artillery pieces, and related equipment. Various displays recapture the events surrounding Allied efforts to close the Falaise pocket.

Open daily June, July, and August 1000-1800; mid-March, April, May, September, October, and November 1000-1200 and 1400-1800 (closed Mondays and Tuesdays). Admission charge.

Grandcamp: MusŽe des Rangers. Quai Crampon. Located east of the inner harbor. Follow the signs.

Using story boards, photographs, and displays of uniforms and equipment, this small museum retells the story of Lt. Col. James Earl Rudder's 2d Ranger Battalion from its creation to its D Day assault on the Pointe du Hoc. Upstairs, an A-V presentation relies heavily on clips from the film, "The Longest Day" and from Walter Cronkite's 1964 battlefield tour with Eisenhower.

Open June, July, and August 1000-1900; April, May, September, and October, 1000-1300 and 1500-1800. Admission charge.

Merville: MusŽe de la Batterie de Merville. Located east of the Orne River just outside the town of Merville-Franceville.

One of the original casemates of the Merville Battery has been converted into a small museum which concentrates on the British attack. The museum, which opened in 1982, contains various models and exhibits which are explained by a recorded narration.

Open June through August 1030-1230 and 1400-1730; closed Tuesdays. Admission charge.

OuistrehamÑRiva-Bella: MusŽe du Commando No. 4. Located on the Boulevard du 6 Juin near the Riva-Bella beach.

This small private museum contains displays of weapons and memorabilia focused on the commandos of the 1st Special Service Brigade. There are some interesting photographs of the nearby casino before and after the invasion and of a number of General Hobart's specialized armored vehicles. A "Goliath," a small German remote-controlled tank, is one of the more unusual exhibits. Photography is emphatically forbidden.

Open June to 15 September 0900-1200 and 1400-1830. Admission charge.

OuistrehamÑRiva-Bella: Atlantic Wall Museum. Located in a former observation and fire control tower where the Boulevard du 6 Juin intersects the Avenue de la Plage.

Opened in 1988, this interesting building has been restored to its 1944 condition. A great deal of authentic German equipment is on display, which helps the visitor vicariously experience life in a bunker. A-V presentations tell the story of the building of the Atlantic Wall.

Open daily 0930Ñ1900. Admission charge.

Port-en-BessinÑMusŽe des Epaves du Debarquement. Located .5 km south of Port-en-Bessin on D 6 (the main route from Bayeux).

The museum of salvaged wrecks is the most unusual military museum in Normandy. The exhibits include tanks, turrets, ships bells, S-P artillery, and many smaller objects salvaged by M. Jacques Lemonchois from among the three hundred odd wrecks that litter the sea bed off the landing beaches.

Open daily 1000Ñ1900 during the summer. Admission charge.

St. L™: MusŽe de la Liberation de Saint-L™. Located on the north side of the Place Champs de Mars, near the church of Ste.-Croix.

The exhibits of this spacious and newly opened museum are devoted to telling the story of the liberation of the city and the breakout in late July.

Open daily 1000Ñ1930 during the summer. Admission charge.

Ste.-Marie-du-Mont-La Madeleine: MusŽe du Debarquement a Utah Beach. Located where D 913 reaches the beach at La Madeleine.

A German bunker (W5) on the beach sector where the 8th Infantry was scheduled to land has been converted into a small museum devoted to the landings. Displays include weapons and mementos. There are two slide shows, one with commentary in French, the other in English, with the French version much better done. Upstairs is a terrain board using lights and models to recreate the landing sequence. The commentary is in rapid-fire French. Handsets provide an English translation, but they do not work well near the board. On the sand dunes outside there are various pieces of equipment, including a Sherman tank and two Alligators, one housing the remains of a Continental radial engine.

St. Martin-des-Besaces: MusŽe de la PercŽe du Bocage. Located in the village of Saint-Martin on N 175, about 10 km south of Caumont.

This small museum concentrates on the British breakout in this areaÑOperation BLUECOAT.

Open Sundays 1400Ñ1800 June to September.

Ste.-Mre-Eglise: MusŽe des Troupes AŽroportees. Located just off the town square in Ste.-Mre-Eglise.

This interesting museum, opened in 1964, focuses on the American airborne assault in the early hours of D Day. The cornerstone of the buildingÑthe roof of which is fluted like a parachute canopyÑwas dedicated by Lieutenant General James Gavin, deputy commander of the 82d Airborne Division on D Day. You exit the museum through the body of a Waco glider. The collection itself is composed of weapons, mementos, photographs, and documents concerning the night drop. Behind the museum is an annex housing one of the C-47s of the 92d Squadron, 439th Troop Carrier Group, which actually flew missions on D Day. A well-preserved Sherman (an M4A1E8 "Easy Eight") and a 90-mm anti-aircraft gun are parked on the museum grounds. This is a museum you should make every effort to see while in Normandy.

Open Easter through October 0900-1200 and 1400-1900; open on Sundays and bank holidays during the winter. Admission charge.

Surrain: MusŽe de la LibŽration de Normandie. Located in the village of Surrain some 12 kilometers west of Bayeux on N 13.

This exposition consists of a private collection of World War II memorabilia, including helmets, insignia, rations, and other equipment; some, if not all, is for sale.

Opens at 0900 from Easter to September. Admission charge.

Tilly-sur-Seulles: MusŽe de la Bataille de Tilly. Located in a lovely Romanesque chapel near the center of the village.

The exhibits in this municipal exposition are concerned with the weeks of fierce fighting in the vicinity as the 50th British Division sought to outflank Caen.

Open June through August on selected days (every day in July and August) 1430-1900; open Saturdays and Sundays in September 1430-1900.

Vierville-sur-Mer: Exposition Omaha, 6 Juin 1944. Located in a Nissen hut just outside Vierville on D 514.

This private collection is devoted mainly to the American landing on Omaha Beach.

Open Easter to September 1000-1200 and 1400-1700. Admission charge.

In addition to these museums, several small expositions based on private collections could be seen during the summer of 1984. Two of the more interesting were found in Garvus, southwest of Caen, and in Falaise. It is uncertain that these collections will be on display in subsequent years. There is also a small municipal museum located in L'Aigle, on N 26, 54 kilometers east of Argentan. Open April through October l000-1200 and 1400-1830; closed Mondays in winter.

England

Portsmouth: D-Day Museum. Located off Clarence Esplanade near Southsea Castle in the Portsmouth suburb of Southsea.

The museum contains exhibits and simulations dealing with all aspects of the invasion. The relative absence of hardware is made up for by an excellent slide show which runs every half-hour. Also on permanent display is the Overlord Embroidery, the modern counterpart of the Bayeux Tapestry, which commemorates the invasion. This is one of the best of the D Day museums.

There is a shop and bookstore. Open 1030-1900 weekdays and 1030-2100 weekends. Admission charge.