The Local Area
The carp lake is just thirty minutes drive from Cherbourg and fifteen minutes from the coast. The nearest shops, bars, restaurants and cafes are five minutes away in the town of Montebourg.
The Manche Department of north western France is steeped in history and offers plenty of sightseeing and an abundance of charming French villages.
The annual D-Day celebrations every June include fly-bys and paratroopers dropping in from the sky. The Tour de Normandie Classic Car Rally, the Joan of Arc festival and Normandy Sailing Week are just three of a multitude of events taking place throughout the year. See www.normandy-tourism.org for more information.
“Thirty minutes drive from Cherbourg and fifteen minutes from the coast.”.
Sainte-Mère-Église
Founded in the eleventh Century, the earliest records (1080–1082) include the name Sancte Marie Ecclesia, Latin for “Church of St. Mary”, while a later document written in Norman-French (1317) mentions Saincte Mariglise. The current French form of the name is ambiguous, with the additional meaning, “Holy Mother Church”. The town was significantly involved in the 100 Years War as well as the Wars of Religion.
The town’s main claim to fame is that it played a significant part in the World War II Normandy landings because this village stood right in the middle of route N13, which the Germans would have most likely used on any significant counterattack on the troops landing on Utah and Omaha Beaches. In the early morning of 6 June 1944 mixed units of the U.S. 82nd Airborne and U.S. 101st Airborne Divisions occupied the town in Operation Boston, giving it the claim to be one of the first towns liberated in the invasion.
Omaha Beach
Omaha Beach is the code name for one of the five sectors of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on during World War II. Omaha Beach is located on the coast of Normandy, France. It stretched six miles wide making it the largest of all five beaches. Additionally, the entire beach was overlooked by cliffs making the area of attack very difficult. Facing the English Channel, the beach stretched from east of Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes to west of Vierville-sur-Mer on the right bank of the Douve River estuary.
With features that are gorgeous to the eyes, the beach proved to be nothing more than an obstacle course with danger at every angle. The area was covered by arching bluffs that ran to heights as high as 200 feet. Additionally, the long trip from ship to shore caused an obstruction from the beginning. If Germany was going to win, it would be on this beach and at this moment.
Dead mans corner museum
A new museum that opened its doors only on D-day 2005. The museum here at St Côme du Mont near Carentan is one of the new breed of museums that is themed to tell the story of what happened in the locality. When the 101st Parachute Infantry Regiment dropped close by on 6th June 1944 the house in which the museum is based was in use by Von der Heydte who was the commander of the 6th German Parachute Regiment. When he pulled his command post back nearer Carentan, the American 101st took it over as a first aid post. Rooms in the house are arranged to recreate these events and many personnel effects of the 101st “Band of Brothers” are included in the exhibits. There is also a shop selling genuine memorabilia.
