Most WW2 sites are open all year round.

These sites will give you a good idea about how this D-day operation Overlord took place. We own our freedom to this.

We advise you to visit Colleville sur Mer and Omaha Beach (museum and cemetry). The brave men and women who gave their lives for us are being remembered there eternally.

Some popular D day WW2 sites

*   Museum and cemetry of Omaha Beach and Colleville sure Mer
*   Utah Beach museum
*   Pointe du Hoc
*   Arromanches (Mulberry harbour)
*   Pegasus bridge at Ouistreham

Near MH you will find smaller museums and bunkers and other interesting sites (Sainte Mere Eglise etc). We can inform you about all this during your stay.

Sainte Mere Eglise (at 15 km) became famous because of the movie The Longest Day ('60) in which John Steele unfortunately got stuck with his parachute while landing on the church tower.

The battle of Normandy was a heavy one with a lot of difficulties. One of them was the nature of Cotentin, existing of hedges and fields, creating a difficult war zone for the allies. 

Some facts & figures about D day and Operation Overlord

Most important landingbeaches of the allies:

American: Utah Beach, Omaha Beach and La Pointe du Hoc
British and Canadian sector: Sword Beach, Juno Beach and Gold

Marines
More than 6,600 vessels

Armed forces: 195,701 men and women (land and sea)

Total of 157,205 men and women for the invasiontroups.

Airforce
11,590 airplanes of which 5,510 Canadian and 6.080 American, as well as 3,500 gliders.

Armyforces
20,000 vehicles of which about 1,000 tanks.

Landing forces
57,500 American soldiers on Utah and Omaha Beach.

75,215 British soldiers on Gold, Juno and Sword Beach.

24,490 airlanding troups: 15,500 Americans and 7,990 British and Canadians.

On the first day of the invasion more than 10,000 men and women lost their lives.

It toke until the 12th of June before the landingbeaches were connected. The allies then had realised a frontline of 79 km long and 24 km wide. gerealiseerd.

Around D day about 26,000 Norman citizens lost their lives.

The French resistence played an important role in dismantling the German communication tools.

At 5 km from MH you will find the small German cemetery of Orglandes and the villages Amfreville en Gourbesville holding several important D-day statues. 

At the church of Hemevez you will find an important statue remembering the sacrifice of 7 young American soldiers who lost their lives in the fields around our village. In the fields around Hémevez acts of war crimes took place. (against the Geneva Convention). Every year a ceremony is being held in memory of this sad event. American, French and German soldiers attend the ceremony. If you are at MH during this time please join us at this serene and intense ceremony.

On the internet and in many books you will find a lot of information about D-day 1944. We invite you to look it up.

The movie Saving Private Ryan and the series Band of Brothers give a very good impression of what happened around 6 June 1944 and later. A must see.