NORMANDY - France 2014 - page 433

portthesizeofDover,England.Withinjustsixdaysofoperation,54,000vehicles,326,000
troops, and 110,000 tons of goods had crossed the English Channel. An Allied toehold in
Normandy was secure. Eleven months later, Hitler was dead and the war was over.
The Arromanches 360° Theater behind youshowsamoving film, Normandy's 100
Days, encompassing D-Day and the ferocious battle to liberate Normandy. It flashes back
andforthfromquietfarmlandsandbeachestothesummerof1944.It'sanoisymontageof
videosona360°screen—standasneartothecenterasyoucan(€4.90,dailymid-Feb-Dec
10:00-18:00, until 18:30 June-Aug; closed Jan-mid-Feb, 2 shows/hour at :10 and :40 past
the hour, 20 minutes, tel. [phone], www.arromanches360.com ).
• Head down to the town's main parking lot and find the round bulkhead on the seawall,
near the D-Day Landing Museum entry. Stand facing the sea.
The world's first prefab harbor was created out there by the British. Since it was
Churchill's brainchild, it was named Port Winston. Designed to be a temporary harbor (it
was used for six months), it was supposed to wash out to sea over time—which is exactly
what happened with its twin harbor at Omaha Beach (that one lasted only 12 days, thanks
toaterriblestorm).Ifthetideisout,you'llseeseveralrustedfloatsmiredonthesandclose
in—these supported the pontoon roads. If you stare hard enough at the concrete blocks in
the sea to the right, you'll see that one still has what's left of an anti-aircraft gun on it. On
the hill beyond the museum, you'll spot a Sherman tank, one of 50,000 deployed during
the landings. Behind the museum (not viewable from here) you'll find a section of a pon-
toon road, an anti-aircraft gun, and a Higgins boat, which was used to ferry 36 soldiers at
a time from naval ships to the beaches. If you can, walk down to the beach and wander
among the concrete and rusted litter of the battle—and be thankful that all you hear are
birds and surf.
▲ D-Day Landing Museum (Musée du Débarquement)
The D-Day Landing Museum, facing the harbor, makes a worthwhile 45-minute visit and
is the only way to get a full appreciation of how the artificial harbor was built. While gaz-
ing through windows at the site of this amazing endeavor, you can study helpful models,
videos, and photographs illustrating the construction and use of the prefabricated harbor.
Those blimp-like objects tethered to the port prevented German planes from getting too
close (though the German air force had been made largely irrelevant by this time). Ponder
the remarkable undertaking that resulted in this harbor being built in just 12 days, while
battles raged. One video (8 minutes, ground floor) recalls D-Day; the other (15 minutes,
upstairs) features the construction of the temporary port—ask for times when it is shown
in English.