Omaha Beach, Bayeux

Omaha Beach, Bayeux

The Omaha Beach on the coast of Normandy runs from Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes to Vierville-sur-Mer, and was the first point of landing of American forces on D-Day.On a bluff overlooking the beach is the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial honoring American troops that lost their lives in Europe during World War II.

The Omaha Beach on the coast of Normandy runs from Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes to Vierville-sur-Mer, and was the first point of landing of American forces on D-Day.

On a bluff overlooking the beach is the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial honoring American troops that lost their lives in Europe during World War II. It has a wall inscribed with the names of the 1557 Americans who lost their lives in the Normandy campaign, and a semicircular colonnade with a loggia at each end containing maps and narratives of the military operations. At the center is the bronze statue of The Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves.

The Les Braves memorial in the middle of the beach commemorates the American soldiers who lost their lives on the beaches of Normandy on 6-June 1944. The memorial by sculptor Anilore Banon, comprising upright stainless steel 'wings', has 3 elements - Wings of Hope, Rise of Freedom, and the Wings of Fraternity.

Other monuments and museums near the beach include the 1st US Infantry Division Monument, Musée Mémorial d'Omaha Beach, Musée D-Day Omaha, La Pointe du Hoc, Museum des Rangers and Maisy Battery.