With a private guide driving their own car you can cover a lot of ground. Visit Omaha, Utah, Gold, Juno or Sword Beaches. See Pegasus Bridge, stand where Colonel Rudder’s Rangers scaled the cliffs and visit the cemeteries of the fallen soldiers. There is no set tour. Go and explore the places that interest you.
Driver Guide Tours can take you to visit the D-Day landing beaches in Normandy. Robina is based in London, and can either meet you in France or drive you over from England. You need at least 4 days to have time to visit the area.
Operation Overlord is the name given to the Allied invasion of Europe on 6 June 1944, when the largest invasion fleet in history landed on the beaches of Normandy. There are some fascinating museums, cemeteries that remind you of the tremendous loss of life, cliffs that were scaled by some incredibly brave men and the five main landing beaches themselves. Your private tourist guide will drive you to the main sites in the area.
Start with a visit to the American Cemetery at St Laurent-sur-Mer to survey the lines of 9,385 white crosses. The Visitor Centre is interesting as it follows some of the soldiers’ stories. Then walk down on to Omaha Beach. It is impossible to imagine how it was on 6 June 1944.
The Utah Beach area is much flatter, so easier as a Landing Beach on D-Day and casualties were not as heavy. There is a museum here telling the story of the American troops who came ashore here. Utah Beach troops did not join up with Omaha Beach troops until 12 June.
This was where the British 50th Division landed on the beaches on D-Day. They did not join up with the Americans from Omaha Beach until 9 June. Hobart’s ‘funnies’ played a large part in helping get the troops off the beaches in the British sector.
The Canadian 3rd Division landed at Bernières and Courseulles, which was Juno Beach in the invasion plan. Gold, Juno and Sword were all landing beaches in the British Sector.
Franco-British commandos landed at Sword Beach and then linked up with the airborne troops at Pegasus Bridge. The 2nd Army landed in the eastern sector at Gold, Juno and Sword beaches.
The bridge will go down in history as the place where the gliders landed just after midnight and the bridge was rapidly captured. This was the eastern end of the invasion area and it was vitally important that it was held. There is a local museum telling the story of the glider pilots, the soldiers and Lord Lovat and his piper, Bill Millin.
It is awe inspiring to stand among the hillocks and holes at Pointe du Hoc, damage left by the shelling in June 1944. Standing at the top of the cliffs it is impossible to understand the bravery of the American Rangers, who scaled the cliffs in the face of German resistance from above. Nearby is the German cemetery at La Cambe.
The American airborne assault to hold the western end of the invasion area was in the area to the south east of St Mère-Eglise. The paratroopers of the 82nd and 101st Divisions landed in the marshlands behind Utah Beach. John Steele went off-course and landed on the steeple of the church, where a model still hangs today. There is a good museum about the American airborne landings.
It is still possible to see the remains of the Mulberry Harbour that was built here. This was a harbour that was floated across the English Channel so that all materiel for the Allied armies could be brought ashore. On the top of the hill is a 360° cinema, which gives a good idea of what life was like in 1944. Nearby at Longues it is still possible to see German guns in their original bunkers.
This historic city was the objective of the British troops who landed on Gold Beach on D-Day. It was the first major town to be liberated after 6 June 1944. There is a very good museum about the Battle of Normandy, plus a British cemetery.
This is the largest city in the area and is where King William I of England is buried. The city was not liberated until 9 July. The Peace Museum is well worth a visit showing why a major war should never happen again. It has some interesting film from the German side.
We got home safe and sound and are still basking in the glow of the wonder of our incredible trip. You are such a treasure. (read more...) M and C, Oregon. October 2016
