Full Description
Published to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the military mission that changed World War II, D-Day Landings: A Travel Guide to Normandy's Beaches and Battlegrounds is Bradt's new guidebook to visiting beaches, memorials, museums, battlefields and other sites associated with D-Day and the Battle of Normandy (Operation Overlord). A simple-to-follow, portable guide for independent travellers, it includes maps and driving instructions to help visitors go back in time to explore World War II history.
Written by two experienced travel writers who, between them, are experts in France and military history, D-Day Landings is designed for visitors who want to see all or part of Normandy. Covering the ground from the D-Day landing beaches (Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha and Utah) up to Cherbourg and inland to Falaise, it encompasses every major site and a host of smaller, less well-known locations - venturing well beyond the coast to include sites associated with the capture of Caen and the closing of the Falaise Gap, which marked the end of the Overlord campaign.
Although organised geographically - as befits a travel guide rather than history book - there's plenty of information on the historical context, identifying where sites fit into the timeline of the Battle of Normandy and escorting readers through the invasion in a simple, practical format. D-Day Landings aims to enhance the visitor experience by alerting readers to unexpected features, such as a German tobruk with a gun turret around which Utah Beach Museum was constructed.
Quirky snippets and human stories colour the text. Learn how Lord Lovat's Commando piper Bill Millin saw himself as a ballerina or how the Utah Beach landings were accidentally more successful than planned.
Whether you are a military-history enthusiast, have family who fought in Normandy or are simply visiting northern France on holiday, Bradt's D-Day Landings is the guidebook to both plan your trip and take with you.
Contents
Introduction
PART ONE GENERAL INFORMATION
Chapter 1 Background Information
Timeline: World War II, Timeline: Operation Overlord - the Battle of Normandy
Chapter 2 Practical Information
Getting there and around , Tourist information and tour operators, The Big Seven
PART TWO THE NORMANDY COAST
Chapter 3 Sword Beach and Around
Getting there and around, East of the Orne River, Ouistreham and around, Heading west, Douvres-la-Delivrande and around
Chapter 4 Juno Beach and Around
Getting there and around, Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer, Bernieres-sur-Mer, Courseulles-sur-Mer and Graye-sur-Mer, Beny-sur-Mer and around
Chapter 5 Gold Beach and Bayeux
Getting there and around, Ver-sur-Mer and around, Asnelles, Arromanches-les-Bains and around, Port-en-Bessin, Bayeux
Chapter 6 Omaha Beach and Around Pointe du Hoc
Getting there and around, Colleville-sur-Mer and around, Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, Vierville-sur-Mer, Pointe du Hoc and around
Chapter 7 Utah Beach, Cherbourg and Around
Getting there and around, Carentan-les-Marais and around, Sainte-Marie-du-Mont and around,
Sainte-Mere-Eglise and around, Cherbourg and the central Cotentin Peninsula
PART THREE EXPANDING THE BRIDGEHEAD
Chapter 8 Saint-Lô and the Bocage
Saint-Lo, North and east of Saint-Lo, Heading south
Chapter 9 The Falaise Pocket and Gap
Falaise, West of Falaise, East of Falaise
Chapter 10 Caen and Around 124
Caen, North of Caen, West of Caen, South of Caen, East of Caen
Appendix 1 Further Reading
Appendix 2 Glossary
Index
