REMEMBRANCE TOURISM GUIDE 2019


the South Saskatchewan Regiment – received the Victoria Cross for bravery. The raid’s failings provided lessons for D-Day preparations two years later. www.seine-maritime-tourisme.com


Pegasus Memorial Home to the first liberated bridge in 1944, the Pegasus Memorial in Ranville pays tribute to the British 6th Airborne Division, which not only captured Pegasus Bridge thanks to daring glider landings, but also held the eastern flank of the landing beaches for 80 days, despite sustaining heavy losses. In the shadow of the bridge is Café Gondrée, liberated by three soldiers at 6.20am on June 6. www.calvados-tourisme.com


Longues-sur-Mer Battery The only German coastal defence battery classified as a historic monument on the D-Day landing beaches, it was finished in April 1944 to protect the Gold and Omaha landing beaches. It consists of four 152mm navy guns, each protected by a large concrete casement, a command post, shelters and ammunition, and machine-gun emplacements.


GETTING THERE From the UK by ferry: Brittany Ferries Portsmouth to Le Havre: daily economy sailings all year round. Portsmouth to Caen/Ouistreham: up to three sailings a day in each direction. Portsmouth to Cherbourg: fast-craft service from May 2-September 10, up to two sailings a day in each direction. Poole to Cherbourg: daily service year round. www.brittany-ferries.co.uk


DFDS Seaways Newhaven to Dieppe: up to three sailings a day in each direction all year round. www.dfdsseaways.co.uk


From the UK by air: Flybe connects London Southend to Caen-Carpiquet. www.flybe.com


Battle of Belleau Wood. June 6, 1918, saw the highest number of casualties in Marine Corps history at the time, with 9,777 casualties sustained over the month of June. www.abmc.gov


The Juno Beach Centre pays homage to the Canadians who were killed in the war


Other flights from the UK and around the world are available into Paris Charles de Gaulle and Paris Orly.


TOURISM CONTACTS Normandy www.normandie-tourisme.fr Calvados www.calvados-tourisme.co.uk Manche Tourism www.manche-tourism.com Baie de Cotentin www.ot-baieducotentin.fr Dunkirk www.dunkirk-tourism.com


WORLD WAR I ESSENTIAL VISITS Mémorial de Verdun Located on the Verdun battlefield, this is a memorial site and military museum. Displaying weaponry, medical equipment, photographs and recreated trenches, the museum provides multimedia tours. Also giving tourist advice on discovering the area, it’s a good starting point for visiting all the region’s other battlefields and museums. www.memorialdeverdun.fr


Douaumont Fort


This is the tallest of the 19 forts built following the Franco- Prussian War to protect nearby Verdun from future attacks. With accompanying barracks, including dormitories to accommodate 635 soldiers, an on-site bakery and water tank, the building was almost constantly modernised


and fortified throughout the years leading up to 1914. Today, plaques commemorate those who fell here and tell the story of the fort’s capture and subsequent recapture by French troops. www.meusetourism.com


Douaumont Ossuary Situated beside the largest military cemetery in the region dedicated solely to the French, with 16,142 graves, is a stone monument containing the unidentified bones of 130,000 French and German soldiers killed in the Battle of Verdun. The tower was built largely with donations from the US. www.meusetourism.com


US MEMORIALS AND CEMETERIES Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial 2,288 are buried in the 42-acre cemetery at the foot of the hill where the Battle of Belleau Wood was fought – causing 9,777 American casualties. A memorial chapel bears the names of 1,060 US soldiers missing in action. Attendance is free and the cemetery is open to the public. www.abmc.gov


Belleau Wood


A bronze-relief statue at the foot of the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery pays homage to the Marines who sacrificed their lives at the


Somme American Cemetery The Somme American Cemetery and Memorial lies on a gentle slope typical of the rolling Picardy countryside. The


❯❯ Apr/May 2019 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 149


Oise-Aisne American Cemetery and Memorial The cemetery in Seringes-et- Nesles is the final resting place of the 6,012 American soldiers who died fighting in the Second Battle of the Marne and the Oise-Aisne campaign. A Romanesque-style semi-circular monument constructed from marble and granite stands at the top of the site, next to a small chapel and fascinating museum. www.abmc.gov


Château-Thierry Monument The impressive monument designed by Paul Philippe Cret comprises a double stone colonnade upon a long terrace. Commemorating the achievements of the US servicemen who fought in the Second Battle of the Marne and the Battle of Belleau Wood, it also honours the alliance between France and the USA. www.abmc.gov


Bellicourt American Monument


The Bellicourt American Monument is located nine miles north of Saint-Quentin, Aisne. Erected above a canal tunnel constructed by Napoleon I, it commemorates the achievements and sacrifices of the American troops who served in battle with the British Armies in France during 1917 and 1918. Engraved on the rear façade of the memorial is a map illustrating the American operations; on the terrace is an orientation table. www.abmc.gov


IMAGE © LOÏC DURAND / CALVADOS ATTRACTIVITÉ


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20