Book on Normandy invasion beaches (1 Viewer)

Stollysmith

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Good morning all from a very wet Bristol,

my son and I are hoping to tour the invasion beaches next spring and I was wondering if anyone can recommend a book to assist our planning for the beaches and museums in the area. We are hoping to start at Le Havre, go up to Beauvais and then back west towards Cherbourg and then home.
 

tonka

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We went first to pegasus bridge. You can get a discount card there for the other museums , pick up lots of leaflets etc plus you can overnight on the free car park. Then plan the trip from there.

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Nov 13, 2013
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Hi, this might be over kill but some years ago I took a group from our local Rotary Club and hired a guide from the tourist office in Caen. Obviously with a biggish group the cost per head was small but having someone with local knowledge and the ability to short cut queues etc. was an advantage.
 

DanielFord

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Not exactly the question that was asked, but there is a large graveyard for the soldiers killed in action from both wars in Le Havre, one of my ancestors is buried there!
 
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9526

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There are also loads of online resources for planning a Normandy tour.

This website is a decent place to start

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I have taken tours (family and friends in MH's) around Normandy on half or doz occasions.

I usually do the following "route"

Merville gun Battery - Ranville Cemetery - Pegasus Bridge and museum

Bernieres sur mer - Juno Beach - Courseulles sur mer

American cemetery and Omaha beach

Avranches - mulberry harbour - museum - Longues sur mer gun battery

Omaha Beach and American cemetery - Pointe du hoc

Utah Beach - museum

Sainte mere eglise - museum

German cemetery - la cambe

City visit to Caen and the museum (on day of choice) or a visit to Bayeux depending on time.

That tour goes from East to West and gives a good mix of British American and German sights. A bit of online research on the above sights before hand will pay dividends.

When passing from one sight to another, you will discover other memorials etc as you go along.

There are plenty of aires and wild spots throughout the area, if you need any specific information don't hesitate to ask.

Edit - of course your question was regarding books - this is widely regarded as one of the best

Amazon product ASIN 0850526620

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Lenny HB

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We have been over during D-Day week for the last 3 years, always found best source of info was the net. Be aware if you go into tourist offices they will only carry the info for their department, so there could be something interesting just up the road, but if it's in a different department there may no be any info on it.
 
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magicsurfbus

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Not sure about tour guides but for general historical background I'd suggest 'The Longest Day' by Cornelius Ryan, 'Dawn of D-Day' by David Howarth, and for the German angle (if required) 'Invasion - They're Coming!' by Paul Carell.
 
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So many placed to visit....so so many emotions to be stirred. My favourite place to visit was British museum at Bayeux. Go deeper into Normandy and learn about the 2 months slog as they fought to get past Caen. Best author for me (apart from Cornelius Ryan) is Ken Tout...several he wrote from a tank mans perspective especially. Tanks Advance....brilliant read and feel the terror of being in a tank.

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Chris

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So many placed to visit....so so many emotions to be stirred. My favourite place to visit was British museum at Bayeux. Go deeper into Normandy and learn about the 2 months slog as they fought to get past Caen. Best author for me (apart from Cornelius Ryan) is Ken Tout...several he wrote from a tank mans perspective especially. Tanks Advance....brilliant read and feel the terror of being in a tank.

I thought the Bayeux museum was the best too.

More artillery pieces and machines than in the others
 
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I bought loads of books, guides and maps for when we visited the Normandy beaches, but the best one was as mentioned above, Major & Mrs Holt guide book.
They do a couple on Normandy & D day.
They're pocket size and have listed tour routes including sites, the story behind them, distances, length of time it takes etc etc.
Well worth buying.

We stayed at the municipal site in Bayeux which was nice, but there's plenty of Aires.
In addition to the usual sites (Bayeux war cemetery, Colleville USA cemetery and Pegasus Bridge) I would recommend visiting the radar site, La Cambe Germany cemetery, Merville battery and the 360 museum to name but a few - all of which are listed in the guide book.

I would return tomorrow given the chance - I'm sure you'll love it.

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Stollysmith

Stollysmith

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Just received the Holt`s book on Normandy, just the job, thankyou to all who responded. Looking forward to next spring.
 

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