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Utah Beach, D-Day, Normandy | |
| Along with Omaha Beach, Utah Beach was one of the major American landing sites on D-Day. | ||
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The Normandy D-Day landings on Utah Beach northwest of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, 12 km (7.5 miles) northeast of Sainte-Mère Èglise (map), were very different from those at Omaha Beach to the southeast. Though some of the American armed forces landed at positions somewhat distant from their assigned places, General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., the only general officer to take part in the first wave of D-Day Allied troop landings, captured the spirit of the moment when he said "We'll start the war from right here!" And start they did. German defense of Utah Beach was not nearly as spirited as that at beleaguered Omaha, but there were fierce battles waiting when the Allied troops pressed inland. Today, at first glance, you notice the lovely sand and surf, and the beach grass peacefully waving in the breeze.
But then you walk a few feet more and you realize you've arrived at the remains of a German army bunker. How close it is to the shore! And how challenging for the American soldiers who landed there on June 6, 1944 to make any progress. Several memorials commemorate the armed forces who participated in the Utah Beach landings, and the Musée du Débarquement Utah Beach (Museum of the Landings) on the beach near the hamlet of La Madeleine (map), tells the story of the invasion of Normandy through videos, exhibitions, and displays from original tanks to entire aircraft.
Musée du Débarquement Utah Beach
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Above, monument to all US armed forces in the battle for Utah Beach, Normandy, France.
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