Polish 1st Armoured Division

With the consent of the British government, the Polish 1st Armoured Division was created on 26 February 1942, on the orders of General Sikorski, head of the Polish government in exile in London. It initially consisted of contingents that had fought in the Polish army in Poland and France, together with Polish volunteers from all over the world.

The division was integrated in the allied military forces that would later serve on the Western Front. Commanded by General Maczek, the division landed in Normandy at the end of July 1944 and was attached to First Canadian Army, II Canadian Corps.

On 8 August 1944, the Polish 1st Armoured Division joined combat when it was deployed to the south of Caen as part of the 2nd phase of  Operation Totalise, which aimed to take the city of Falaise. Since the losses were heavy, and the attacks ineffective, this operation was stopped and replaced by a new operation, codenamed Tractable. The aim of this second operation was to attempt to fully surround the German 7th Army by the combined allied forces in Normandy. From 15 to 18 August, the Polish 1st Armoured Division liberated several towns and villages in Calvados and Orne after heavy fighting.

From 19 to 22 August, the SS divisions tried to destroy the Polish units located on the ridge of Mont Ormel (“Hill 262”), in an attempt to force open an escape corridor from their encirclement. The Polish 1st Armoured Division also had to face the attacks of the 2nd SS Panzer Division, which had managed to escape the encirclement and was now attempting to assist the other German units trapped in the Falaise “pocket”. The Poles had to hold their position at all costs until the arrival of reinforcements. On 21 August, they were finally joined by the Canadian 4th Armoured Division. The “Falaise-Chambois pocket” was finally closed. This victory was won at the cost of bloody battles and heroic resistance.

During the Battle of Normandy, the Polish 1st Armoured Division lost more than 2,000 men, either killed or wounded. The division then took part in the liberation of northern Belgium, southern Netherlands and Germany.

Specific features of the Polish Military Cemetery

By decree dated 19 May 1945, the Prefect of Calvados permitted the Canadian authorities to create a Polish military cemetery on land belonging to the Grainville-Langannerie municipality. Up to 1949, the British Imperial War Graves Commission was responsible for maintaining the cemetery, before handing over to the French State.

The cemetery consists of eight plots containing graves aligned in rows. These plots do not all have the same number of rows, but each row comprises twelve graves. With the exception of two graves, on which three crosses symbolize the tombs of respectively seven and five bodies of pilots killed in the crash of their plane. Their remains could not be separated.

Originally, the crosses were made of metal. In May 1954, as the 10th anniversary of the Battle of Normandy was approaching, the French State decided to replace them with concrete crosses ornamented with plaques bearing the identity of the deceased, on the model of the French national cemeteries. The central monument was inaugurated in August 1954 in the presence of generals Maczek and Anders.

This Polish Military Cemetery is one of the seven foreign military cemeteries in France maintained by the French State.

The museum charts the history of the French volunteers who, thanks to Kieffer’s tenacity, were able to join the British commandos and take part in a number of operations alongside them. It focuses in particular on their training at the Achnacarry camp in Scotland and how they landed on the beach of Colleville-sur-Orne (present-day Colleville-Montgomery) with No 4 Commando, captured Ouistreham casino and liberated the town, joined up with British paratroopers at Pegasus Bridge, Bénouville, then installed themselves in Amfreville, all in the same day, 6 June 1944. They went on to fight in the Battle of Normandy until late August 1944, then in Belgium and the Netherlands.

All the pieces displayed in the museum are authentic, and most of the equipment and uniforms were donated by the families of the British and French commandos.

A scale model measuring 3.60 m x 1.10 m helps visitors to picture the landing at Colleville-sur-Orne and the capture of Ouistreham casino.

A 26-minute film (with English subtitles), comprised of documents and footage from the time, shows in particular the troops training at Achnacarry.

Exhibited in large display cases are many uniforms and weapons used in the conflict, including some very rare pieces.

Most of the objects and photographs are labelled in French, English and German.

This museum was founded in order to:

• explain what the commandos were and what they accomplished; and

• make sure their memory and example live on.

This poem says it all:

Tribute to the Kieffer Commando
(to the 177 commandos and their comrades-in-arms)
Commandos, an emblem of hope
flapping in the wind toward the sky of France,
You begin a hymn of deliverance
that echoes through the villages of France.
(...)

Claude Blin

The complete poem by Claude Blin is available at the No 4 Commando Museum

Sources : ©Musée N° 4 Commando

Sur la plage où les Canadiens ont débarqué en juin 1944 aux côtés des autres forces alliées, le Centre Juno Beach présente le rôle joué par le Canada pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale, notamment en Normandie.

L’exposition permanente raconte l’histoire des Canadiens qui ont volontairement porté l’uniforme ou qui, au pays, se sont mobilisés pour contribuer à l’effort de guerre. Bien qu’évoquant aussi les combats qui ont conduit les unités canadiennes de Sicile en Italie, de la Normandie aux Pays-Bas, le Centre Juno Beach n’est pas seulement un musée de la guerre : d’abord par la place faite aux témoignages et aux récits de vie, ensuite par la présentation de la société que ces combattants ont léguée à leurs enfants et qui forme le Canada d’aujourd’hui.

Après un court métrage introductif, le visiteur découvre 5 salles d’exposition permanente s’appuyant sur des textes, archives, photos, témoignages audiovisuels et sonores, multimédia, cartes, objets et un film de 12 mn « Dans leur pas », une immersion dans le vécu des Canadiens le Jour J et pendant la Bataille de Normandie.

En plus de son parcours permanent, le Centre Juno Beach propose un parcours jeune public et des animations pour les groupes scolaires et en 2016 l’exposition temporaire « Mamie, c’était comment pendant la guerre ? ».

Depuis la construction du Centre Juno Beach, le littoral à l’ouest de Courseulles-sur-Mer a été revalorisé par la Ville. Il s’agit d’un site exceptionnel par sa situation géographique, sa richesse naturelle et son caractère historique qui porte le nom de « Parc Juno ». Ce site est composé notamment d’un aménagement paysager et d’un circuit d’interprétation qui permettent de découvrir la mémoire des lieux.

Avec un jeune guide canadien, il est possible de suivre une visite commentée du Parc Juno et de ses vestiges du Mur de l’Atlantique, dont les bunkers situés face au musée.

Exposition temporaire : « Mamie, c’était comment pendant guerre ? » >31 décembre 2016

Exposition temporaire : « La Gendarmerie royale du Canada : Une tradition canadienne » >31 décembre 2016

Voir http://www.junobeach.org/fr/evenements/

Offre pédagogique

Animations avec un guide canadien dans le cadre de la visite

« L’histoire au bout des doigts » pour les 7-11 ans

« La course contre la pendule » pour les 11 ans et plus = Animation interactive sur tablettes

Voir http://www.junobeach.org/fr/pour-les-enseignants/

Sources: © Juno Beach Centre

Four permanent displays and a temporary exhibition at the Mémorial de Caen give visitors a broad understanding of 20th century history.

Permanent spaces:

• Berlin at the heart of the Cold War
• Taches d'Opinions – Global current affairs through press cartoons
• World War, Total War
• The Normandy Landings and the Battle of Normandy

The Mémorial de Caen offers visitors a comprehensive multi-language audioguide service in addition to its guided tours.

The Mémorial de Caen

Esplanade Eisenhower B.P. 55026 - 14050 Caen Cedex 4

Tél : +33 (0)2 31 06 06 45

Fax : +33 (0)2 31 06 01 66

Email : contact@memorial-caen.fr

Opening times

 Prices

Site of the Caen Musée de la Paix memorial

Memory of Normandy

Site of the Calvados tourist board

Website of Normandy's regional tourist committee

The preserved structure of this bunker, with its five floors, is unique.

It was to make up for the lack of relief on the Nacre coast that in 1943-1944 the Germans built this tower, which was 17 metres high in order to increase the range of the rangefinder.

From the rangefinder room (the rangefinder measured 4 m in length at the time and had a range of over 30 km), the position of enemy warships was determined.

The information was then transmitted to the floor below (level 3), where the firing calculations were made and then transmitted to the batteries that depended on this fire command post.

It was put out of operation on the morning of the 6th June by a 380 mm shell from the British destroyer H.M.S. "Frobisher".

But it was not until the 9th that it was taken by Lieutenant Bob Orrell, with the capture of 53 prisoners.
 

Le Grand Bunker - Atlantic Wall Museum

Avenue du 6 juin - 14150 Ouistreham

Tél. : 02 31 97 28 69 - Fax : 02 31 96 66 05

E-mail : museegrandbunker@sfr.fr

Site du musée

Site du comité régional du tourisme de Normandie

With its original displays, this museum was set up by its founder to recognise those who took part in the battles waged in the Norman bocage in the summer of 1944.

Through eight museum sections and a sound and light show, the guided tour introduces visitors to the astonishing adventures of the brave men who fought in the bocage.

Through fascinating research, the men, who are a living testament to the battles fought and their often exceptional, always touching, destiny, were identified and invited to the museum.

They often visit the museum bringing with them souvenirs that resonate with the history of the place.

The Bocage Breakout Museum

5 rue du 19 Mars 1962 - 14350 Saint-Martin-des-Besaces

Tel/Fax: +33 (0)2 31 67 52 78
Only during the museum season.

Email: bluecoat@wanadoo.fr

Located at Bénerville-sur-Mer (Calvados), the protected natural site of Mont Canisy overlooks the sea from a height of 110 metres.

For centuries, the strategic position to the south of the Seine Bay occupied by this site has led it to be used successively as a seigniorial fief which was broken up in 1793, an anti-submarine defence post in 1917-1918, a coastal battery between 1935 and 1940 and then the largest artillery base of operations for the Atlantic Wall. In recent history, it has twice been used as a coastal artillery position: between 1935 and 1940 when the French Navy installed two batteries on the site to contribute to the defence of the estuary and Le Havre port, and between 1942 and 1944 when it became an important part of the Atlantic Wall defences, designed to repel any allied landing attempt.

Various installations from these two periods can still be seen (blockhouses, gun emplacements, fortified ouvrages linked by a 260-metre-long passageway housing an underground garrison, etc.).

Mont Canisy battery

Tel: +33 (0)2 31 87 91 14

Opening hours on Saturdays: 2.30pm to 5.30pm

Mont Canisy batteries website

Part of the German Atlantic Wall defences, the Longues-sur-Mer battery is located 8 km north of Bayeux, in the Calvados département. Located to the west of Arromanches-les-Bains in Normandy, Longues-sur-Mer overlooks the ocean from the top of a 65-metre high cliff, making it an ideal position for the Germans to install a battery of four 150 mm cannon. It is one of the few remains of the Atlantic Wall still intact.

Starting at 0530 on 6th June 1944, several cruisers and a battleship bombarded the position. But when the landing fleet arrived offshore, the battery opened fire itself. HMS Ajax retreated one kilometre offshore. The German cannons ceased fire briefly then began again; the last gun continued firing until 1700 hours. The Longues-sur-Mer battery surrendered to the British the following day along with the184 men of the garrison. Four 150mm cannons with a range of 19.5 kilometres were mounted in this battery. A firing post, barely finished by 6th June 1944, was installed alongside the cliff.
Longues-sur-Mer Battery 14400 Longues-sur-Mer Tel.: +33 (0) 231 06 06 45 Fax: +33 (0) 231 06 01 66 Access from the D514 Open all year round Guided tours from Easter to September

A private initiative, the wrecks museum in Port-en-Bessin, in Calvados, opened its doors in 1990. It exhibits submarines sunk during the landing and retrieved from the sea floor. At the end of the Second World War, a number of wrecks littered the sea bed and jutted out of the sea along the Norman coasts, representing a permanent danger to vessels. All of these wrecks were given up by the allies to the French government which is committed to their removal.

Consequently, contracts and bills of sale were bequeathed by estates to countless companies. Massive demolition yards were set up along the coast and millions of tonnes of scrap iron were extracted from the sea over the 20 years following the landing. In 1970, Jacques Lemonchois was appointed by the State to bring to the surface a number of wrecks that presented a significant danger and obstacle to navigating vessels.

A difficult and perilous operation that became a great feat of performance for Jacques and his team. Through their passion, they managed to save from demolition, and preserve using a special treatment process, all of the wrecks which you can see in the museum today. They are dedicated to the memory of all those men who paid with their lives for the mammoth Operation Neptune.

Musée des épaves sous-marines (Submarine Wrecks Museum)

Route de Bayeux 14520 Commes on the D6 to Bayeux, exit at the town centre.

Tel: +33 (0)2 31 21 17 06

Opening times and days 10 am – 12 pm and 2-6 pm weekends and public holidays in May, 10 am – 12 pm and 2-6 pm June to September

Annual holidays: October to April

Admission: €6; €3 (visitors aged 7-16)

Source: Musée des épaves sous-marines (Submarine Wrecks Museum)

Close to Ohama Beach, the Ohama Beach Memorial Museum preserves the memory of the day that marked a turning point in the Second World War: D-Day.

Agreed during the Tehran Conference in 1943, the opening of a second front in the west, in addition to the offensive of the Red Army, took shape with the Allied landing in the Normandy beaches between La Madelaine (Manche) and Ouistreham (Calvados).

The assault took place on Tuesday 6 June 1944, at dawn, on five beaches codenamed Utah Beach and Ohama Beach (where the Americans were to land), and Gold Beach, Juno Beach and Sword Beach (where the English and Canadians were to land).

Following a shelling along the Atlantic Wall, the allied troops landed at around 8 o’clock in the morning. All the beaches were taken in the morning, with the exception of Ohama Beach, taken in the afternoon at the expense of 2,500 lives out of 3,000 men assigned to the operation.

The museum is located 200 metres from Ohama Beach, the site of the most brutal D-Day battles in the landing sector of the US troops, close to St Laurent/Colleville American cemetery. Covering 1,200 m2, the museum presents a collection of military vehicles, arms, uniforms and badges used by the American and German soldiers during the Second World War. It retraces the events and economic life under the German occupation.

A life-size display featuring models in combat situations recounts the landing on Ohama Beach.

Outside, the American army donated a 155-mm "Long Tom" cannon, the only one of its kind in Normandy. An American Sherman tank is also on display in the parking area. Themed displays show a collection of documents relating to the resistance and the deportation.

Musée Mémorial d'Omaha Beach "Les Moulins"

Avenue de la Libération - 14710 Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer

Tél. : (33) 02 31 21 97 44 – Fax : (33) 02 31 92 72 80

Email : contact@musee-memorial-omaha.com

Musée Mémorial d'Omaha Beach

Normandie Mémoire