Utah Beach Landing Museum — Attraction in Cherbourg

After a quiet but quite fresh night in the salt marshes just behind Utah Beach, we have breakfast and shortly after the museum opens around 10 a.m. we stand at the entrance of the museum to show our Pass Sanitaire (Corona 3g). This museum at the exact location of the June 1944 event deals in great detail with the events surrounding the Debarquement, the famous D-Day. I will summarize this briefly and incompletely, as I have understood it. The stretch of beach, like almost everywhere near the canal, was heavily fortified and the positions were specially upgraded again under the expertise and inspection of Field Marshal Rommel. In the early morning of June 6, 1944, British bomber units flew over German positions and bombed almost everything to the ground. The Atlantic Wall bunkers, however, remained partially operational and fought fiercely. Then lighter Allied aviators threw a curtain of smoke grenades to hide the dangerously approaching fleet from the German fire. Finally the fleet had made its way through the mine belt and the first soldiers landed with barges, floating tanks and landing boats. Most of these were mowed down by enemy fire, but this sacrifice had to be made as the beach had to be manually cleared of obstacles and traps. Only those who had fought their way up to the German batteries under the armored defense wall were in the blind spot of the fire and had survived it for the time being. After the landing began at 6.30 a.m., the German bunker crew wisely surrendered at around 7.15 a.m. After that, however, the long and bloody task of the next few weeks began with the conquest of the artificially flooded hinterland full of hidden enemy troops. Finds, individual artifacts, some boats, tanks, vehicles and an airplane can be seen in the museum. There are also many films and screens with stories and interviews from veterans. So the whole thing becomes livelier, more personal and somehow gets...

Honestly the worst museum experience I've had in a while. The amount of children below the age of 5 screaming and crying at the top of their lungs was outlandish. You couldn't read any of the signs without being bombarded with screaming children. The parents were nowhere to be seen as children where running around like a playground. A french family also started translating the English movie playing to their child, mid movie. We kept trying to hush them as they were disturbing the movie but they kept going. The movie plays in french after the english version so they could have waited 5-10 minutes instead and not had to annoy everybody else in the auditorium. Just a horrible museum experience and a disgrace to the horrific tragedies that took place on D-Day. If kids want to play then fair enough but then at least go somewhere else than a war memorial museum. I had a borderline migraine leaving the place, really disappointed. Really wished the museum would somehow discourage this behavior by either asking people to adhere to more calm behavior and maybe have some more interactivity to keep people busy. Maybe put an age limit on it or something. If you want a decent museum experience without screaming children then you might want to...

The Utah Beach Landing Museum is a must-visit destination for history enthusiasts exploring Normandy. Located at the exact site of the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944, the museum offers an extensive collection of historical artifacts, photographs, and personal accounts that bring the events of that day to life.

One of the standout exhibits is the room dedicated to the assault at Brécourt Manor, carried out by Company E, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment—the famous “Band of Brothers.” This exhibit provides a detailed look at the tactical assault and ongoing discoveries of artifacts from both German and American forces.

The museum’s highlight is the fully restored B-26 Marauder, one of the aircraft used in the pre-invasion bombings. Visitors can also step outside to walk along the very beach where thousands of Allied troops landed, offering a powerful and immersive historical experience. As a unique souvenir, the museum’s gift shop sells small jars that visitors can fill with sand from the beach, creating a lasting connection to this...