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Ewingjr98 Says: Utah Beach is a wide, flat, muddy expanse of sand. When the Allied soldiers landed, they had to cross several hundred meters of exposed land, just to reach the German front lines. The death and destruction must have been tremendous. The beach was lined with barbed wire,...
vichatherly Says: Assault time 06:30Night parachute drops on the by the US 82nd Airborne Division and the US 101st Airborne Division. The weather was bad with thick cloud making the drops difficult as the pathfinders missed their drop zones and set up their homing beacons in the wrong...
US Naval Memorial - Utah Beach
vichatherly Says: This was inaugurated on 27th September 2008 on the highest point overlooking D-Day Beach - Utah.A magnificent sculpture by Stephen Spears
vichatherly Says: This is an excellent museum. It is dedicated to the American parachutists of the 82nd and 101st airborne divisions who dropped on Sainte-Mère-Eglise in the night of 5-6 June 1944.It contains a rather nice Douglas C47 which was amongst other things actually used in Operation...
floche2001 Says: Making a stop over at Sainte Mère Eglise requires a visit to the airborne museum.This museum is really unique. Full of authenticity. Maintained with limited budgets and though make us awake of the premanent threat of the reality of the war.I strongly recommend it, even to...
Pavlik_NL Says: In the middle of the village square one finds a big monumental stone, that marks the first liberated point (in a village) on European mainland. From here the freedom spread over Europe and General Patton ordered that every mile that they advanced a milestone to be erected to...
The "Eglise" (church) of Sainte-Mere-Eglise
Pavlik_NL Says: Of course you have to visit the church of Sainte-Mere-Eglise. "Eglise" means church in French, so actually the village is named after the previous chapel, devoted to Saint-Mary, that stood on the place of where the church is now. In the church one can admire the beautiful...
Pavlik_NL Says: The village of Sainte-Mere-Eglise is proud of it's airborne museum. It holds many memorabilia from the fighting in and around Sainte-Mery-Eglise. Among it the famous "clickers" that were used as communication device between the scattered 101-paratroopers. One click had to be...
Utah Museum (Musee du Debarquement d'Utah Beach)
Ewingjr98 Says: The Museum at Utah describes the invasion of the beaches on 6 June 1944. The museum discusses German and American uniforms and equipment, along with the plans of the attack and the results. This is a nice museum with many great artifacts. Outside you will find some weathered...
Voyageuse30 Says: You must visit the Airborne Museum if events of June 1944 interest you at all. I'm not a paratrooper, never have been nor will be a paratrooper, but I was fascinated by the newspaper articles, personal artifacts, and displays that this museum has to offer. I could have read...
Ewingjr98 Says: This monument is located in front of the Utah Museum. It is dedicated to the dead from all Allied nations involved in the repatriation of France and the defeat of Germany. There are numerous monuments like this throughout Normandy erected by the French people to honor those...
Ewingjr98 Says: The German defenses at Utah began at the water's edge with underwater stakes and tank traps. On the sand, the soldiers encountered line after line of barbed wire, mines, and trenches. At the dunes was the first line of German soldiers manning a variety of machine guns,...
lamentforicarus Says: Inside the small church, two stained glass windows commemorate the Allied liberation of Sainte-Mére-Église on June 6 of 1944. One window depicts paratroopers falling from the sky around the Virgin Mary (representing the town of Sainte-Mére-Église). The red chains encircling...
lamentforicarus Says: In the heart of Sainte-Mére-Église, its small, 11th century church, which was immortalized in “The Longest Day,” now greets WW2 fanatics from around the world. A mannequin hangs from its tower, indicating the spot where American paratrooper John Steele landed during the...
12 Opinions
1 Le Port: Great B&B near Ste Mere Eglise
BrucieK Says: We had an amazing 4 nights stay with Jennifer and her husband at their Chambre D'hote just outside Ste Mere Eglise. The place is so quiet! The breakfasts were just great and Jenny really helped us sort out a list of places to visit by supplying us with all neccessary maps...
Hotel Ste. Mere: Ste. Mere-Elgise, FR
VNRiverRat Says: I have stayed here on five occassions between 1995-2003. Always very clean, very friendly staff, decent-size restaurant and a bar for aperitifs. Rooms are not for honeymooners, but comfortable enough. Remember the conditions our soldiers had in June '44 and don't complain! I...
Hotel Le Sainte Mère **: Good hotel
marc56 Says: A good hotel, not great, but fine meals and good to stay.Television and phone on the rooms.Wheln you leave the motorway in the direction of Cherbourg, the first building you meet is the hotel. A simple hotel but noice to stay.
Helpfulness
Who needs another darn snowglobe?!
But the giftshop at the Airborne Museum was pretty impressive. It sold a lot of history books, which I love. And the souvenirs weren't too tacky (well, some were).
What to buy: If you're looking for WWWII history books, in French and/or English, this would be a great place to buy them. I've never seen them in my local Barnes and Noble, or any other bookstore for that matter. And I know my bookstores!
What to pay: Average price for a nice book
Updated Oct 23, 2005
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On the way from the Airborne Museum and St. Mere Eglise to our next stop (Utah Beach), we passed this memorial to the Airborne troops. I really like the way it seems like this troop is looking over the fields in front of him, like he's on watch...
On a side note...
It's not often you see much blatant appreciation for the United States in France, but in this area of France, it's very evident. There are houses that have American flags in their windows and there are numerous small memorials that thank the troops for their service. Some may think this is just playing into the whole touristy thing, but I don't think so. No one is forcing those everyday Joes to put American flags in their windows. To those who say the French hate Americans, one only has to visit this small corner of the world to see that it's just not true.
Thank you for listening. :-)
Updated Oct 23, 2005
Favorite thing: Sainte-Mere-Eglise now-a-days is a small village in the middle of agricultural Normandian land. The proud community (city) hall is one of the few large buildings and in a matter of minutes one stands outside the village and enjoys wide grane, corn and grass fields. The land produces the fine products of Normandy, such as the famous (and deliscious) camembert cheese.
Fondest memory: Watching the magnificent colours of light shining through the stained glass windows of the church as the sun shone through them.
Written Oct 31, 2007
Sainte-Mère-Église -- Utah Beach
Sainte-Mère-Église was just inland from the location of Utah beach during the invasion of Normandy in 1944. The planned invasion beach was a three-mile stretch of wide, sandy beach abutted by low sand...
Another WWII Site in the Normandy region...
St. Mere Eglise is where that unlucky airborne ranger (Private Steele) got stuck on the roof of the church after dropping in on the village. Maybe he was actually safer there than on the ground?? I......
Sainte-Mére-Eglise was the first town in Normandie who was liberated in the second world war. In this town a paratrooper (John Steele) hang hours on the church tower. This fact is filmed and you can...
When arriving in Ste Mère Eglise, you immediatly think at the famous movie "The Longest day" starring john Wayne, Arletti, Robert Mitchum, Henri Fonda or Bourvil. It would be easy to think this is......
D-Day, they came and went like angels
In the night preceeding the D-day landings on the Normandy beaches, paratroopers were dropped above strategic places to conquer and hold them 'til releaved. One of the most massive droppings happened...
Build your own Sainte-Mère-Église page
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