It was one of the most important events in World War II – and one of biggest military operations of all times: On June 6th 1944, thousands of Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy to fight back Hitler’s army and liberate Europe from the Nazis. 80 years later, you can visit the old battlefields, like “Omaha Beach,” memorials and museums in the French region. Lukas Stege takes you there and on a deep dive into history.
00:00 Intro
00:20 What happened on D-Day?
01:35 Map: Bayeux and the D-Day beaches
02:10 Jeep tour with @overlordtour5096Thierry Bidault from www.overlordtour.com/
03:30 Pointe du Hoc
05:06 Omaha Beach, resistance nest #60, German bunker
06:36 Omaha Beach, Omaha Beach Monument, Les Braves Memorial
09:03 Bayeux Cathedral, Old town, D-Day souvenirs
10:40 French cuisine
11:00 D-Day Experience Museum in Saint-Côme-du-Mont
13:47 La Cambe German war cemetery
14:11 Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, Colleville-sur-Mer
16:13 Utah Beach
CREDITS:
Report: Kerstin Schmidt, Lukas Stege
Camera: Holm Weber
Editing: Klaus Hellmig
Supervising Editor: Christina Deicke
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20 Comments
Excellent program. the graves at the US Cemetery are off limits on a temporary basis to protect the grass for the 80th ceremonies. When there grass is dry, with no recent rain, they are open.
Earlier this afternoon, my mom and I watched the film "The Longest Day". This evening I am watching this video about the present situation in Normandy.
Next do the british and Canadian
DDay didn’t end WWII! it help start the end of WWII!
😮 I just visited that place during my family trip to Europe!
There was some kind of event going on when we arrived.
There's nothing So Called about D-Day, that's the colloquial name for OP Overlord.
Thanks 🎉❤
Amazing video. A Pediatrician from India.
7:26 same here, it gives me the chill on how much blood, sweat, tears and courage the sacrificed for them to fight for their country
Océan Atlantique 😮😮😮
C’est la Manche !!!
Live the experience in the lands of Normandy so that your eyes can see what happened on D-Day, it is something that passionate people must do, it is a land of respect, gratitude but above all fight for freedom. I Cried on the beaches of Omaha, Utah and at the veterans cemetery. It is an energy that cannot be explained, for me today Normandy is a land that I must surely return to, there is a lot of what I love there.
We spent two nigts in Bayeu, it is a beautiful city. We went to Point du hoc, Omaha and Utah beach, we also went to the American cemetary. It is a very humbling place.
Bet someone with a metal detector would have a field day on those beaches
why are you smiling dude, is it such a fun?
😢😢
Omaha beach se trouve sur les côtes de la Manche et non pas Atlantique.
How many days did it take this gentleman to see all the sites in his video?
A big thank you, friend! Very enjoyable presentation.
Wonderful video.
I was fortunate enough to visit Utah and Omaha Beaches several years ago.
A few things to note:
1.While the assault of Pointe du Hoc's initial objective was to eliminate the remnants of the shore battery and the artillery observers there (the guns had been removed and the Allies already knew this according to recently declassified documents), the primary objective for the Rangers was to move inland and cut off the service road to Omaha Beach to prevent a counterattack during the landing. The Rangers' daring attack in this unexpected spot was successful and they were able to hold off Germans who advanced along that inland road.
2. If you ever visit the beaches, I suggest that you visit at low tide. That was the level of the water when the landings began. This was so that the landing craft would drop off their troops before reaching the beach obstacles which were treacherous and destroyed many landing craft in later waves. At low tide, the waterline is 500-550 meters from the bluffs. If you go at another time, look out and you can spot the low tide bouys. Just contemplate that distance these young men had to go to just reach the bluffs and start attacking.
3. Most combat photography of D-Day was taken in the 2nd or later waves of the assault. This was partly to reduce non-essential personnel, but mostly to avoid having too many images captured of the first waves which would bear the burden of the most casualties.
My wife and I took our daughters there 25 years ago. At the time you could still walk among the graves in the American cemetery at Colleville, just a beautiful and peaceful location. Looking at the headstones you could see the ages of these young men who gave the ultimate sacrifice to liberate Europe from the Nazi's. Most were between 19-23 and if you think about, they grew up in the depression and the Dust Bowl, many probably had lived in poverty or difficult surroundings. Given the more stringent morals of the era, some of them may have never even gotten laid.
On the hour the chimes in the cemetery played the National Anthem or America the Beautiful and when we heard it my wife and I both began crying. An incredibly moving experience.