Utah Beach, then and now

Transformed into a strategic port base in just a few hours by American forces, it symbolizes the fight against the Nazi regime. Although this exhibition is no longer on display at the museum, we have made it available online for curious readers. Through 30 photographs taken by the American military, it allows visitors to relive this historical moment by following the footsteps of the first liberators, from the beach to Sainte-Marie-du-Mont.

Summer 1944. The LSTs, special 100-meter-long flat-bottomed ships designed to cross oceans and run aground directly on a beach with no port infrastructure, lined up side by side before the tide receded. This scene is located opposite the access gap to route no. 3.

The dunes before the war

The dunes of La Madeleine still bear the deep scars of the Second World War. While the red-roofed “Chalet Lepelletier” seems to be the only reminder of the past, numerous wooden and stone vacation homes were already in existence in the early 20th century. A postcard from the 1930s shows these cottages, some of which no longer exist. One of them was occupied by German lookouts from 1940 onwards, before being demolished in 1943 during the construction of the WN 5 strongpoint by German forces.

Scene of a summer’s day in the 1920s. The men are wearing their canotiers, while the ladies, proud in their long dresses, protect themselves from the sun under their parasols. The stone house can be seen on its north side.

An essential landmark

On Tuesday June 6, 1944 at around 8:30 a.m., soldiers from the 8ᵉ Infantry Regiment of the 4ᵉ American Division took strongpoint WN 5 at Utah Beach, near the house with the red roof. Supported by DD amphibious tanks from the 70ᵗʰ Tank Battalion, they advance despite delays caused by the loss of explosives equipment intended to breach the anti-tank wall. While enemy fire continues from the heights, the troops manage to advance through the swamp towards the American paratroopers.

Engineering units clear a safe passage, enabling infantry and vehicles to move towards the Madeleine chapel, then strategic road no. 2. One section also advanced towards the village of Pouppeville, successfully bypassing the German defenses and suffering few casualties.

A soldier from the 4th Infantry Division stands guard in his foxhole dug at the foot of the anti-tank wall.

A mechanised army on the move

In the sunny summer of 1944, the inhabitants of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont watch with curiosity as American troops arrive in droves. While the war left visible traces in the village, such as bullet holes, life gradually returned to normal. Civilians are astonished to discover the modernity of the vehicles and the language of the liberating soldiers. On June 10, a column of the 9ᵉ infantry division passes through the village on its way to the front, with the strategic aim of isolating Cherbourg.

Some Easy Company paratroopers pose in front of the base of the monument dedicated to the Great War of 1914-1918. The “Poilu” statue was removed and hidden just before the arrival of the Germans in June 1940. With the help of a US Army engineering unit, it was put back in place for the national ceremony on July 14, 1944.

The victorious Poilu of the Great War was removed from its pedestal and hidden away during the German occupation – Photo taken on the day of its inauguration in the early 1920s.