Utah beach – a beach with history
Utah Beach, known worldwide, is the code given by the Allies to Madeleine Beach, in Sainte-Marie-du-Mont. It is, with Sainte-Mère-Eglise, one of the most emblematic sites of the Normandy landing. And for good reason… this is where History was partly played out.
Utah Beach, combat zone
The arrival of the armada on the coast on the night of the Landings in June 1944 is a memory deeply anchored in the collective memory of the country. Cotentin recognizes, without ever doubting it, the place that must be reserved for this incredible part of History. By air and sea, planes and warships carried on board thousands of courageous soldiers with the sole objective of putting an end to five years of terrible global conflict. The Battle of Normandy, which began on the beaches of Cotentin and Calvados on June 6, 1944 and officially ended on August 29, 1944, was a path strewn with pitfalls and bitter fighting which caused numerous victims, both military and military. than civilians.
6st June 1944
At precisely 6:30 a.m., after a long stormy crossing caused by the storm that raged in the Channel Sea for three days, the first warships reached Utah Beach. Next door, airdrops took place on 5 “drop zones”, ranging from Sainte-Mère-Eglise à Carentan. Some 15 paratroopers were dropped over land deliberately flooded by the Germans and therefore hostile and dangerous.
This strategy, involving the careful coordination of all the nations committed to freedom, required several years of preparation. In the countryside, the rumor of a landing had fueled hopes for a long time. “Something is being prepared”, we could hear, then nothing… Finally, this June 6, 1944 took the residents by surprise. Very quickly, however, the recognizable roar of hundreds of B52 bombers no longer left any room for doubt... They were going to experience the famous "D Day" and above all try to survive it...
The longest day museum
Built on the spot where American troops landed on June 6, 1944, the Utah Beach Landing Museum recounts in ten staged sequences the events of D-Day, from its preparation to its conclusion. A collection rich in objects, vehicles, materials and testimonies, immediately immerses visitors in the heart of the matter.
An authentic B-26 bomber, an exceptional aircraft of which only six remain in the world, serves as the star of the visit. The acquisition of the device was made possible thanks to David Dewhurst Junior, Governor of Texas and his brother Gene. In 2007, they visited the museum for the first time and discovered, in one of the windows, the glorious past of their father, whom they never knew because he died in 1947. US Air Force squadron leader , he had participated in the bombing of the blockhouses of the Atlantic Wall, on June 6, 1944, at 6:24 a.m., and of that called WN5, in which the museum was built in 1962. Deeply moved, the two men then decided to participate in the expansion and complete renovation of the museum and promise to bring a B26 to the area.
The epic tale of the Allied soldiers told through the gripping film La Plage de la Victoire, awarded the CINE Golden Award for documentary in 2012, also leaves a lasting impression.
Long live freedom
After these long days of merciless fighting, there was at the end the long-awaited Liberation. Its celebration gives each year the opportunity for festive reunions reflecting the popular jubilation which accompanied the victory. During the years following the sad war, residents everywhere never missed an opportunity to celebrate their newfound freedom, even in the smallest villages, even deeply bruised and sometimes completely destroyed.
Today, as if to pay homage to all these women and men who had only one desire, that of experiencing, from the end of spring and during the summer, numerous commemorations, festivals, dances. era are organized by municipalities and enthusiast associations.
