Omaha Beach, Normandy

Omaha Beach is the code-name-turned-common-name of one of the Allied landing sites in Normandy on June 6, 1944. American soldiers hitting Omaha Beach were assured that air and naval bombardment would knock out the German strongpoints there. When B-24s had approached Omaha Beach shortly before the landings, however, the weather had been bad, and all but three bombs fell inland, killing French civilians instead of demolishing the twelve strongpoints that allowed Germans to fire on the beach as soldiers poured onto the concave shore. That wasn’t the only thing that went wrong for the Allies that day. Yet, over the following days, the invasion’s objectives were achieved. France was liberated on August 25, 1944.

We visited Omaha Beach during our day trip to Normandy to see the memorial to Doug’s great uncle who was shot down near the town of Perigny on August 8, 1944. Our tour guide Trevor Standefer, an American transplant, was worth the investment to ensure we got the most out of our brief time available. These five photos sum it up.