Utah Beach Museum

Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, France

Utah Beach was the successful landing place of a number of American Divisions on 6th June 1944, and from here they pushed inland to the Carantan peninsula to meet up with US Airborne forces around St Mere Eglise. Between D Day and 1st November 1944 some 836,000 men and 220,000 vehicles came ashore here. The beach also marks the point of 'Liberty Way' which runs from Normandy to Bastogne in Belgium, and is marked by a memorial stone every kilometer - the 00 Kilometer stone being here (with another in St Mere Eglise).

The Utah Beach Museum was originally opened in the 1960s and then renovated for the 50th Anniversary of D Day in 1994. It tells the story of the American landings at Utah and also the Airborne operations around St Mere Eglise. The museum has many rare vehicles, weapons, photographs and veterans artifacts. There is a good 1/35th scale model of the landings, and a film show. There is also a book shop.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: 1960
Category: Museums in France

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Jinny Gunn (7 months ago)
As a Sailor, I have to say this was a moving experience. The whole Normandy trip was emotional and inspiring and a great rememberance to all those who sacrificed so much for the world's freedom. We had a beer at the bar, bought some great souvenirs and really enjoyed the museum. Do not leave without adding this to the trip!
T Cloonan (8 months ago)
Excellent military museum adjacent to the actual landing zone Utah. Outstanding preservation of WWII mortar pits and other defenses built into the beach. Great historical items on Airborne forces and impact on Utah Landings. Reenactors gather in high numbers and attempt to recreate amphibious landing still positions of dressed up French citizens playing courageous US military personnel. Along with the memorials and museum, there is a celebration vibe here that is more/highly pronounced than at the Omaha Beach areas.
David Montes Jr. (8 months ago)
As you can imagine there were many people at the museum because of the d-day but the wait was not long . The museum is filled with interesting facts about the 101st airborne Landings and the stories behind the Band of Brothers miniseries. Real cool
Russell Garner (8 months ago)
If you can only visit one of the beach museums, this is a very good choice. You’ll get a comprehensive land/sea/air view and lots of original big equipment. I loved the museum, however I did enjoy my time at Omaha and Atlantic wall museums a bit more. There was a bit much glare on their display glass for good pictures. But on the whole 5 star by any reasonable standard. If you have the time and energy I recommend doing all the beach specific museums including this.
James (9 months ago)
For 9€, one can learn a lot about the invasion at Utah Beach. They're known for the massive B26 plane but one can also see a Higgins boat, a movie, and other very interesting exhibits! My favorite is in the final room where there is a cool projection showcasing the battlegrounds and routes
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Church of St Donatus

The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.

The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.

The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.