The D-Day Visitor's Handbook by Kevin Dennehy

Author:Kevin Dennehy
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781510749504
Publisher: Skyhorse
Published: 2019-03-16T16:00:00+00:00

90th Division Monument at Utah Beach

GOLD, JUNO, AND SWORD BEACHES, BRITISH LANDING ZONES

Once again, we assume that you have access to an automobile for this tour and that you are based in Bayeux. If that’s the case, you will want again to take D6 from the Bayeux traffic loop to Port-en-Bessin where you will turn east on D514, a sometimes narrow road that conveniently takes you along the three Second Army Beaches, and then lead you over the Pegasus Bridge to the Merville Battery, where memorable battles were fought on D-Day by British airborne forces. The entire distance is approximately 54 kilometers.

High bluffs, hiding German gun emplacements, dominate the small beaches from Port-en-Bessin to Arromanches-les-Bains, forcing the landings on Gold Beach eastward between Le Hamel and La Rivière. There, the bluffs recede and give way to open beaches. Beyond Courseulles-sur-Mer, low hills flank the valleys of the Seulles and Orne rivers. From St.-Aubin-sur-Mer, D514 leads you through an almost continuous line of seaside resorts until you reach Ouistreham-Riva Bella. Parking along this section of D514 is often limited. Given the number of monuments, memorials, and museums found on or just off the right-of-way, it is probably wise to allot two days to drive the entire sector. Virtually everywhere the Germans built strongpoints you can find weathered bunkers, casemates, and gun emplacements of various types. Some are open; most are not. We point out many of the most obvious ones, but you will stumble upon many more if you search for them.

If at all possible you should visit the following sites on or near the British and Canadian beaches:

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