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

Brecourt Manor

From Angoville, drive back to D 913 through Operation Chicago site (assault of Vierville by  the 101st Airborne Division during the night) towards Utah Beach, pass Sainte-Marie-du-Mont. Along Pvt Sonnier Road, at the cross road turn left to Pvt Collins Road then the first small road to your left at le Grand Chemin hamlet. Another few hundred yard to get to Brecourt Manor. E coy fought one of its most important battles.

In a field between Grand Chemin and Brecourt Manor, a hedgerow bordered with a ditch limit the property. Spaced at intervals along that ditch, were 4 German cannon batteries consisting of 105mm Howitzer guns. They were manned by the709. Inf.-Div. and potentially supporting III. Btl. and 13. Kp. Gren.-Regt. 1058. The guns were zeroed in on U.S. forces landing on Utah Beach, near Exit 2. Lt. Dick Winters of Easy Company led a small group of Easy Company men to this site, and systematically took out all four guns at this site, and was awarded the Distinguished Medal of Honor for this attack. Several other of his men were also awarded medals for their actions as well. 

It is said that the strategic tactics employed by Lt. Winters at this particular field are now taught at the American West Point Academy.

A none planned attack

A little resume of the attack: Ranny and Lipton, with covering fire from Liebgott, Hendrix, Plesha and Petty laid shot at the machine gun and gun number one. They were past the far hedgerow. Winters and his men charged in at the corner from the other side of the far hedgerow, Guarnere, Compton and Malarkey at the end of the hedgerow on the right. Out in the field to the left is where Malarkey ran to pick up a luger from a dead German.

To the north end of the field, a 105mm gun was pointed to the north northwest, directed towards causeways 3 and 4. In the direction of Saint-Marcouf and Ravenauville.

Across the field were 2 MG 42 threat. Winters had Petty and Liebott open up with their machine gun to draw the German's fire. Once the German's opened up, Guarnere, Compton and Malarkey attacked the machine gun to the right from a hedgerow, tossing grenades and then jumping in, cleaning out the MG team.

At the moment the MG went down, Winters led a small team, including Lorraine, Toye and Wynn, into the MG position and then straight on into the first gun. At the first gun, the crew started to run towards where I was standing when I took this picture. They were cut down. You might remember the true story from the Band of Brothers series where he ran out to the German, realized he messed up and where the Germans stopped firing because they thought he was a medic. Then, as he tried running back, they all opened up and he just made it to the gun position right ahead of me here.