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


Sainte-Marie-du-Mont

History

Fourteen highly visible plaques (text in French) are scattered through Sainte-Marie-du-Mont that tell the story of the D-Day events at those sites.

June 6, 1944, Normandy.
One of the dawn objectives of the U.S. 506th PIR was to secure the town of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont.
Early that morning, German Col. Von der Heydte used the church steeple to view the invasion at Normandy from Saint-Côme-du-Mont and not Sainte-Marie-du-Mont as often said and subsequently ordered his 1st Battalion to occupy and hold Sainte-Marie-du-Mont. Throughout the morning, various groups of paratroopers tried to take the town, but were beaten back by intense mortar fire, directed by an observer in the church. Eventually the observer was spotted and taken out by a captured piece of German artillery. Subsequently, elements of the U.S. 3rd Battalion, 8th Infantry and C Company, 70th Tank Battalion moved in to take the town. This scenario attempts to capture some of the flavor of that historical engagement.
(Note: History and some scenario elements and inspiration are credited to the book, «Skirmish Campaigns, Normandy '44 - First Hours», by Scott Fisher and Nathan Forney.)