Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Cost and Hours:
€6, daily 9:00-18:00 except closed Sun mid-Oct-April, tel. 02 33
42 00 42,
www.paratrooper-museum.org/us/DMC.html
.
Getting There:
It's in St-Côme du Mont, 15 minutes south of Ste-Mère Eglise; from
the N-13 highway, go two exits north of Carentan and turn left.
Ste-Mère Eglise
This celebrated village lies 15 minutes north of Utah Beach and was the first village to
be liberated by the Americans, due largely to its strategic location on the Cotentin Penin-
sula. The area around Ste-Mère Eglise was the center of action for American paratroop-
ers, whose objective was to land behind enemy lines in support of the American landing
at Utah Beach. The
TI
has loads of information, can book minivan tours to Utah Beach
sights, and rents audiovisual guides with GPS, allowing you to discover the town and
beaches on your own (€8, €250 deposit, July-Aug Mon-Sat 9:00-18:00, Sun 10:00-16:00,
Sept-June 9:00-13:00 & 14:00-17:30, closed Sun, 6 Rue Eisenhower, tel. 02 33 21 00 33).
For
The Longest Day
movie buffs, Ste-Mère Eglise is a necessary pilgrimage. It was
around this village that many paratroopers, facing terrible weather and heavy anti-aircraft
fire, landed off-target—and many landed in the town. One American paratrooper dangled
from the town's church steeple for two hours (a parachute has been reinstalled on the
steeple where Private John Steele's became snagged—though not in the correct corner).
And though many paratroopers were killed in the first hours of the invasion, the Amer-
icans eventually overcame their poor start and managed to take the town. They played a
critical role in the success of the Utah Beach landings by securing roads and bridges be-
hind enemy lines. Today,the village greets travelers with flag-draped streets and a handful
of worthwhile sights.
Atthecenter oftown,the700-year-old
medieval church
onthetownsquarewasthe
focus of the action during the invasion. It now holds two contemporary stained-glass win-
dowsthatacknowledgetheheroismoftheAllies.OnefeaturesSt.Michael,patronsaintof
paratroopers.
Don't miss the
Airborne Museum
(€7, daily April-Sept 9:00-18:45, Oct-Dec and
Feb-March 10:00-17:00, closed Jan, 14 Rue Eisenhower, tel. 02 33 41 41 35,
www.airborne-museum.org
)
. Housed in two parachute-shaped structures, its collection is
dedicated to the daring aerial landings that were essential to the success of D-Day. Dur-
ing the invasion, in the Utah Beach sector alone, 23,000 men were dropped from planes
(remarkably, only 197 died), along with 1,700 vehicles and 1,800 tons of supplies. In one
building, you'll see a Waco glider (104 were flown into Normandy at first light on D-
Day)thatwasusedtolandsupplies infieldstosupporttheparatroopers. Eachglidercould
be used only once. Feel the canvas fuselage and check out the bare-bones interior. The
