European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 01, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                @ Stel a 5i rare "3j�rw.a-.tv a t marching on Normandy s a Day museums in Normandy military museums associate with the Allied landings of june 6,1944, Are a plentiful As Sands along the French coast be tween Cherbourg and  the narrow winding roads that crisscross the villages and Small towns of this historic area there s a museum carrying everything from authentic collections to backyard rip offs. Some museums considered respectable along the a Day circuit Are facilities such As the airborne museum at Ste. Mere eglise. American world War ii Veteran Philippe Jutras runs the museum com plete with a c-47 transport plane that highlights the exploits 6t the . 82nd and 101st airborne Divi Sions that jumped in and around the town on a Day. Others include the 5-year-old, Multi million Dollar High tech memorial museum at Caen considered by some of its competitors in the area to be More a computerized study Hall than a War museum the 6 june 1944 Landing museum at arro Manche that boasts a scaled Down Panorama of the enormous Brit ish artificial Harbor called port Winston and the col Lection of a Day weapons uniforms and other Memorabilia at the historic fort de Roule in Cherbourg. The following on a scale of one to five is a Star rating of other museum stops in the Normandy area the museum of the liberation of nor Mendy. Located Between Bayeux and Signy sur mar of n-13. If you Are a die hard military collector this is a Good place to buy helmets berets patches pins and to shirts some of which May be authentic. However stuck on an isolated stretch of Road it looks More like a last Chance Saloon than a museum. Mediocre military displays. Perhaps the Cre Perie snack bar is the real attraction. The 2nd Ranger in museum. Along the seawall at Grandchamp Maisey. This museum Cele Brates the exploits of the rangers who scaled the 100-foot Cliffs at Point do hoc on a Day. Unfortunately the museum s exhibits Aren t As spectacular As the rangers exploits if the Ste Marle do Mont museum off embankment. At Ste Marie do Mont off the d 913, at Utah Beach. Fine collection of authentic War relics such As anti aircraft artillery a Sherman tank and s4s Dave Casey the 1944 Battle of Normandy memorial museum in Bayeux is one the top showcases in the area. Three Landing Craft. Great location to walk along Utah Beach. Omaha 6th of june 1944 exposition museum. At Wierville sur Mer along d 514. Amid the usual displays of weapons and equipment there is creditable collection of world War ii Magazine Cov ers newspapers photographs and propaganda pos ters. The 1944 Battle of Normandy memorial museum. In Bayeux. Less than a Block from the British War cemetery off the n-13. One of the new est museums along the strip. Perhaps the Best Overall military museum in the area. Because Bayeux was liberated by the British the museum has an obvious British slant but it also has creditable american polish Canadian czech German and russian Dis plays. Fantastic collection of vehicles uniforms weapons and newspapers including stars and stripes front pages. Pegasus Bridge museum. At  d 514 outside of Caen. The location Sells this museum. Visitors can walk the Battlefield that sur rounds the Bridges crossing the Caen canal and the ome River. Plaques Mark key Points on the Battle Field recalling British maj. . Howard s Midnight glider assault on a Day. The museum highlights Howard s assault and the a Day exploits of the Brit ish 6th airborne div. Good collection of British gear. Best of All the museum curator Marc Jacqui not is a Good source of knowledge about British air borne operations on a Day. Merville Battery. Outside Merville Franceil Lellage. Occupies a Mound in the Middle of farm Fields along with four other German gun position captured by British airborne. Average displays but museum loses Points by not allowing visitors to take photographs. The grand Bunker. At Ouist Cham along thed 514. In what was a German command Post Visi tors get a rare idea of what it was like for the Ger Man Soldier on a Day. Want More for More on museums and other a Day Points of interest write to cbmit6 regional de tourism de Normandie 46, Avenue Foch 27000 Devreux France or Call country code 33 32-33-79-00. Kevin Robinson Normandy s military cemeteries Wenty seven military cemeteries Dot nor Mandy. They Range from the grandest the american cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach to the largest the German one at la Cambe. More than 94,000 soldiers from the United states Britain Poland Canada Germany and other nations have Graves in France. Many were killed in the 77-Day Battle of Normandy. Normandy houses two american cemeteries at Saint James near a ranches and the Normandy american cemetery and memorial. The latter is perhaps the most ornate of the military cemeteries in the area. This 172.5-acre cemetery sits atop the 150-foot Bluffs at Omaha Beach Between col Levine sur Mer and Ste Laurent sur Mer. Americans buried there total 9,386. The cemetery s crowning jewel is a memorial with a semicircular colonnade and two facing galleries that contain Large colourful maps of . Military operations in the area from  to the end of the the British cemetery at Bayeux. Is Dave Casey War in Europe. The Centrepiece of the memorial is a Bronze statue the spirit of american youth that Points toward a reflecting poo. A circular Chapel sits at the other end of the cemetery with Granite statues signifying the United states and France. La Cambe s German cemetery has the most grave Sites in Normandy. Located two Miles outside the town its tight confines Are the final resting place for 21.222 German War dead to fell in France from 1939 to 1945. Dominating the grounds a towering Black Granite Cross shelters two melancholy figures standing atop a circular platform. Clusters of five Gray Black Basalt crosses Mark grave Sites throughout the grounds each holding two remains. Many of the gravestones Are inscribed with Ein Deutscher Soldat signifying an unknown Soldier. At Bayeux the largest of the 16 British cemeteries in Normandy is the Bayeux War cemetery where 3,935 of the 4,648 dead Are from the United kingdom. The Well manicured grounds contain the remains of soldiers from 11 nations including Canada Australia new zealand South Africa Germany and Russia. Its location nestled Between two soccer Fields on a Busy Bayeux Street is less than a Block from the British 1944 Battle of Normandy memorial museum. Across the Street from the cemetery the Majestic columns of the Bayeux memorial commemorate the 1,807 soldiers who died during the Battle of nor Mandy and the subsequent British Advance to the Seine River. At Granville Langa Nerie 650 poles Are buried at the polish War cemetery. For the canadians there Are two resting places at Bretteville sur Maize and at Beny sur Mer. The Canadian War cemetery at Beny sur Mer is near the Canadian Landing area at Juno Beach. Kevin Robinson Page 6 i i a.2.st 1