The first town in France to be liberated by American troops in WW2. This strategic crossroads town was captured by the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the “All American” 82nd Airborne Division. Taken early in the morning of 6th June and also depicted in the film The Longest Day. Hear the stories of the men involved, including John Steele who got caught on the town steeple.

Of the two American sectors on D-Day, the landings at Utah Beach were the most successful. Here you will hear about the various factors that contributed to the American success, and you will have the opportunity to see monuments dedicated to the units involved in the landings on 6 June, as well as German bunkers.

On top of 100ft high cliffs, the Germans had established a long-range gun battery. It was the task of US Army Rangers to assault this position, scale the cliffs and destroy the German guns. This site has been preserved as a battlefield and you will be able to go into the many German bunkers, see the hundreds of bomb craters, and of course the cliffs the Rangers scaled.

At the second American sector, Omaha beach, we will visit the part of the beach that was depicted in opening scenes of the film Saving Private Ryan: here is where the heaviest casualties on D-Day were suffered. You will hear about the units involved, learn about how many things can and did go wrong here, but also how initiative, determination and leadership resulted in success.