75 Years ago

[coorslite21]

It was 75 years ago the final stagings were being completed for the allied invasion of France.....

 

This year will probably be a last salute to those few surviving members of the greatest generation.....those who helped secure the world we live in today....

 

Perhaps someday many in this forum can visit the region and reflect on the accomplishments of these brave men.....

 

Article follows.....

 

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75TH ANNIVERSARY OF D-DAY AND THE BATTLE OF NORMANDY

The memory lives on! 6th June 2019 marks the start of the 75th anniversary of the D-Day Landings and the Battle of Normandy and with it, a momentous occasion to celebrate peace, liberty and reconciliation.
 

NORMANDY, LAND OF LIBERTY

On 6 June 1944 and during the long summer that followed, men from all over the world came to fight in Normandy to defeat Nazism and re-establish freedom. Normandy will bear the scars of this moment in history for ever and every year we remember and pay tribute to the veterans from America, Britain, Canada, Belgium, Denmark, Holland, Norway, Poland and Australia, along with their brothers in arms, those many heroes who lost their lives here during that summer of 1944.

With its many museums, historic sites, cemeteries and cultural and teaching facilities, Normandy is truly an open-air history book. All these places can be discovered by families, who can transmit the exceptionally important lessons of history here to new generations.

 

A VERY SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY

Throughout summer 2019, Normandy will celebrate the 75th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy with due splendor and emotion. A rich and unprecedented programme of events will be put together to bring the memory of this tragic period of world history to life, all while emphasizing the spirit of hope. The anniversary will be commemorated with military parades, firework displays, airdrops, giant picnics, concerts and military camp re-enactments.

On 5 June 2019, the Daks Over Normandy event will follow into the footsteps of the Greatest Generation! About 250 men and women will board an aircraft in the United Kingdom to, exactly like 75 years before, fly across the English Channel and to jump into the historic drop zones of Normandy. They will be wearing WWII style Allied uniforms and will jump military round parachutes. It will be an event which has no equal.

The full programme can be found HERE

comprehensive events program to bring the memory of this tragic period of world history to life, all the while emphasizing the spirit of hope.

Read more at: http://ee.france.fr/en/news/70th-anniversary-day-normandy-2

 

AN INTERNATIONAL COMMEMORATION

On 6 June 2019 at 6pm, the official international ceremony celebrating this major anniversary will take place on Juno Beach and will be attended by many Allied Heads of State. US President Donald Trump, British Prime Minister Theresa May and many other world leaders and dignitaries will all be in Normandy to mark the 75th anniversary. 

 

UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE CANDIDACY

In January 2018, the French Minstry of Culture announced the official candidacy of the D-Day landing beaches to be included on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

This listing will help preserve these sites and transmit the universal messages they represent to future generations. Indeed, Normandy's D-Day landing beaches have come to symbolise universal hopes for freedom and peace, and beyond that, for reconciliation.

More information here

NORMANDY D-DAY FESTIVAL 2019

Every year since 2007, the Normandy D-Day Festival, organised by the tourist offices in Bayeux and several of the D-Day Landing Beaches, commemorates the triumphal arrival of the liberators. For this very special anniversary, anunprecedented programme of festive events will take place from 25 May to 16 June. Come and enjoy parachute landings, musical firework displays, picnics, parades, concerts and exhibitions!

The full programme of events can be found HERE (in French and in English).

NORMANDY WORLD PEACE FORUM

The Normandy World Peace Forumis a major international event initiated by the Normandy Region, which will be attended by heads of state, leading academics, political specialists and guest speakers. The second edition will take place on 4^thand 5^th June 2019 in Caen, just before the anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy, and will provide a platform for reflection and exchange on world tensions and peace building.

More information on this international event HERE.

OFFICIAL VIDEO

ROAD CLOSURES

On 6 June several sections along the coast will be closed to traffic. Check the map below for futher details and click HERE for more information regarding the regulated traffic zones and the sticker system.

OFFICIAL GUIDE

You can download our official visitors guide HERE.

ACCOMMODATION

Most hotels in Lower Normandy are already fully booked for the commemorations and celebrations in June 2019.

You can however look for a B&BHERE or a furnished guest houseHERE.

If you enjoy camping, you can search for a campsite HERE.

There is also a large choice of holiday villages in Normandy. You can look for one HERE.

Don't forget to use the refine button on the top left of the pages.

EVENTS

Click HERE for the programme of main events taking place across Normandy in June 2019. This list will be updated weekly. 

 

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

GETTING THERE

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  IF YOU ARE TRAVELLING FROM THE UK

  The D-Day landing beaches are easily accessible from the port of Caen/Ouistreham. There are up to three sailings a day from Portsmouth.

  If you wish to fly, FlyBe operates a service from London-Southend to Caen-Carpiquet.

  Enjoy travelling on the Eurostar? Getting to Normandy couldn’t be easier once you arrive at Paris – Gare du Nord. Simply hop on the RER and just one stop later you’ll be at Saint-Lazare station. From there, you can catch a train to Caen and many other Norman towns and cities!

  Fore more information and other routes, click here.

   

• 

  IF YOU ARE TRAVELLING FROM THE USA OR CANADA

  Normandy is easily accessible from Paris Charles-de-Gaulle airport.

  Ouibus operates a bus service from the airport to Caen.

  You can also catch the RER B underground service to central Paris and then a train to Normandy. SNCF trains leave from the two Parisian stations: Gare Saint-Lazare and Gare Montparnasse / Vaugirard several times a day to many cities and towns in Normandy. The journey from Paris to Caen takes around 2 hours.

  For more information and other routes, click here.

• 

  SHUTTLE BUS

  New for 2018 is the 'Move on the Beaches' shuttle bus which links Caen and Bayeux to Arromanches, Longues-sur-Mer, Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery in Colleville.

  Audioguides available.

  For more information click here.

MORE INFORMATION

SEE & DO

• 

  D-DAY SITES AND MUSEUMS

  Visitors today can explore old army bunkers, tanks and Atlantic Wall defences along the five beaches: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword while museums and memorials throughout the region stand as forceful reminders of this decisive period of the Second World War.

• 

  GUIDED TOURS

  If you are looking for a guide to take you for a tour of the famous sites of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy, then look no further.

  You'll find a list right here.

• 

  PICTURES AND VIDEOS

  Click here for films and archive photos, testimonials of veterans and their families and virtual tours of the main sites.

NOT TO BE MISSED

• THE D-DAY LANDING BEACHES
• THE BATTLE OF NORMANDY

COME TO NORMANDY  

Beaches, relaxation and discoveries in less than 2 hours from Paris.

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[Linda Bower]

My 93 year old uncle was flying home with his wife  from Tampa to Chicago this past week and happened to be wearing a cap that said WWII vet on it.  The flight attendant noticed it and asked some key questions of my cousin who was also on the flight.  Before landing the flight attendant announced that the flight was honored by having a WWII hero on board.  The other passengers went wild with applause and cheering. It made my uncle so proud he had served his country in that way.

[umbertino]

 

As an European  I can only say :THANK YOU

[nstoolman1]

 

 

Just a little humor for a very serious occasion.

An 87-year-old American World War II Army veteran decided to take his family to France as a last hoorah.Everyone was excited to go, so they took their vacations, booked their flights and off they went across the big pond.

After exiting the plane, the vet approached customs and was asked by the agent for his passport.

He fumbled a bit to look for it in his bag but couldn’t find it. His family came to his aid, but the French agent was incredibly impatient and rude.

“Sir, have you ever been to France?” he asked.

The veteran respectfully answered that he had.

“Well, you should know then that you should have your passport handy when entering France,” he said rather harshly.

Without missing a beat the vet fired back, “To be honest, the last time I was in France was on D-Day in 1944 and there wasn’t a Frenchmen in sight to show my papers to.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

[umbertino]

4 hours ago, Linda Bower said:

My 93 year old uncle was flying home with his wife  from Tampa to Chicago this past week and happened to be wearing a cap that said WWII vet on it.  The flight attendant noticed it and asked some key questions of my cousin who was also on the flight.  Before landing the flight attendant announced that the flight was honored by having a WWII hero on board.  The other passengers went wild with applause and cheering. It made my uncle so proud he had served his country in that way.

 

 

Understood and agreed on....

[umbertino]

23 minutes ago, nstoolman1 said:

 

 

Just a little humor for a very serious occasion.

An 87-year-old American World War II Army veteran decided to take his family to France as a last hoorah.Everyone was excited to go, so they took their vacations, booked their flights and off they went across the big pond.

After exiting the plane, the vet approached customs and was asked by the agent for his passport.

He fumbled a bit to look for it in his bag but couldn’t find it. His family came to his aid, but the French agent was incredibly impatient and rude.

“Sir, have you ever been to France?” he asked.

The veteran respectfully answered that he had.

“Well, you should know then that you should have your passport handy when entering France,” he said rather harshly.

Without missing a beat the vet fired back, “To be honest, the last time I was in France was on D-Day in 1944 and there wasn’t a Frenchmen in sight to show my papers to.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good one, nstoolman1....Sorry ...Ran out of pluses....

[Synopsis]

44 minutes ago, nstoolman1 said:

“To be honest, the last time I was in France was on D-Day in 1944 and there wasn’t a Frenchmen in sight to show my papers to.”

 

      

 

To Be SURE, THAT Is FUNNY, NSToolMan1!!! 

 

The Coast MUST Be CLEAR, The FRENCH Are HERE!!!