A World War II historic guide to discover the D-Day Landing Beaches in Normandy

Travel Normandy guide François Gauthron offers tours of the Normandy landing beaches, World War II battlefield. Come and discover the most famous part of Normandy where took place the Landing and the battle of Normandy in June 1944 to liberate France and Europe. You will be escorted by a qualified bilingual guide who will show you round the major sites of the beaches. Visit the highlights of World War II sites in Normandy with an expert license guide, first the most important sites of the landing beaches.

Normandy Travel

Travel in Normandy with Francois Gauthron


Charlie / Dog Green

Vierville-sur-Mer, D-1 Exit, Charlie and Dog Green

German 88 m/m left under National Guard Memorial WN 72.

Coy B, 743rd Tank Bn landed directly in front of the draw, D-1 Exit. They suffered heavily from artillery fire. The LCT carrying the commanding Coy was sunk and 4 other officers were killed or wounded, leaving one lieutenant in Coy B. 8 of 16 tanks landed and fired from the water edge; Coy A and C, 743rd Tank Bn landed east of Vierville-sur-Mer well spaced intervals without initial losses Dog white to Easy Green). Coy C, 2nd Ranger Bn landed on Charlie western end of Omaha at H+ 15. Ranger Coy consisted of 65 men. An antitank gun bracketed and hit Cpt Goranson's LCA, killing 12 men. Another 15 Rangers were KIA and WIA by a machine gun when they were getting out their craft. Rapidly they gathered at the cliff base and realize that they couldn't scale it from their position. 1st Lieutenant Moody with 3 others moved further west, three hundred yards, and discovered a crevice which they could climb using their bayonets for handholds. 1st Lieutenant William D. Moody had brought along four toggle ropes that he attached to stakes in a minefield just below the crest. With another Ranger they moved along the cliff until they were over Coy C. They shouted down to men below the rope location. At 07.30 am Coy C made it to the top and assault the fortified house on the cliff top, the house does not exist anymore. They had lost 35 men. From the top, Cpt Goranson saw a secton of Coy B 116th and send a man to guide them to the ropes. Their first objective was to secure the fortified house and the bunkers at Pointe de la Percée.

They never anticipated that it would take close to 10 hours to reach their first objective. They were assisted by the Coy B 116th. Their final target for the day was Pointe du Hoc and Pointe du Raz...

The three craft carrying HQ's Coy of 1st Bn, Command group and Beachmaster for Dog Green landed too far west under Charlie's cliff, they lost many officers and non-commissioned officers, including the commanding officer of the 58th Armored Field Artillery Bn. They lost about 60% of their group due to concentrated small weapons fire.

The survivors were pinned down at the base of the cliff by snipers from 07.10 am, keeping the commanding group separate from the other units. They had to use radio for inter-communication.

«Every man who set foot on Omaha Beach that day was a hero»

Coy A, 116th Infantry Regiment landed on the right spot facing Vierville draw, D-1 Exit, Dog Green at 06.30 am. One of the 6 LCA sank at one thousand yards off shore with 30 men.

In a desperate run for survival across the Killing zone of beach flats, survivors realized that to go forward would mean probable death. Many had to withdraw to the water and remain pinned behind obstacles. 115 of 175 men in the Company were lost in just minutes.   Coy A consisted of 35 sons of Bedford Virginia. On June 6th 1944, it is calculated that Bedford lost more men per capita than any other town. 19 men were killed on D-Day, 11 are buried at the Cemetery. 23 were killed in ETO and 33 with Pacific Theatre.

Coy B/116 craft suffered a lot and beached at 07.00 am on almost a mile front line either side of target Dog Green, a section landed near where the Ranger Coy C landed and another one on Dog Green / Dog White border.