Colleville-sur-Mer
D-Day and operation OVERLORD, is often regarded as one of the most important operations of all time. The Normandy beaches are world famous for the part they played on 6th June 1944, when despite heavy losses, American, British, and Canadian troops broke through Hitler's Atlantic Wall defences and began the long-awaited invasion of occupied Europe, leading to the ultimate defeat of Nazi Germany.
The Battle of Normandy Historical Area is a veritable open-air museum covering the three departements of Calvados, Manche and Orne, and includes all the sites, museums and memorials associated with D-Day and the invasion.
Highlighted by the logo "Normandie Terre - Liberté" (Normandy Land- Freedom), eight chronological trails allow visitors to discover the historical sites and understand the progress of this great battle which decided the outcome of the Second World War.
The heaviest casualties of D-Day were incurred at Omaha and the American cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer overlooks the cliffs where much of the fighting occured. The cemetery is spread over a 172 acre site and has nearly 10 thousand burials.
Of the 9387 graves, 307 are unknowns, 3 are Medal of Honour winners and 4 are women. There are 33 pairs of brothers buried side by side.
The main part of Colleville-sur-Mer's Cemetery is rectangular with the main paths set out in the pattern of a Latin cross.
When you enter the Cemetery, you may wish to go to the Visitors Building where veterans can sign the Veterans Book, and all others the main Visitors Book. Here, you can also trace US servicemen and women who are in the care of the AMBC (American Battle Monuments Commission) either in cemeteries or on memorials.
The main feature of the Memorial is a 22 foot bronze statue "The Spirit of American Youth Rising From the Waves". On either side, large wall maps show the European Theatre of Operations (ETO) campaign.
Behind the statue is the Garden of the Missing which commemorates a further 1,557 military personnel who died in Normandy and have no known grave. Those whose remains have been found since the war are indicated with an asterisk. The servicemen commemorated here represent all but one of the 50 States.
From here, enter the main part of Colleville-sur-Mer's cemetery and follow the path to the Chapel built from limestone. The main inscription inside reads "I Give Unto Them Eternal Life and They Shall Never Perish".
See www.normandie-tourisme.fr for further details.