Normandy Battlefield Tour

[vescaegg]

Myself and a friend are wanting to do a few days this year visiting the battlefields/memorials and various museums of France/Belgium and the like.

Via London its an extremely easy self drive trip I think but was just wondering if anyone had done one before?

Any must sees or appropriate routes would be helpful. We were thinking of an early Saturday train across with a late Sunday one back

[Hugo a Gogo]

ferry to Cherbourg or similar from the South coast could be better than going up to Dover and back down from Calais

Belgium isn't too close to Normandy btw

[Trustmeimadoctor]

when i was about 14 we did it at school but thats not much use was good though except all the french students throwing the little crosses about everywhere etc

[selwonk]

I've done several trips to Normandy and Pas-de-Calaise to look at World War II stuff and the must sees IMHO are:

o Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial [Colleville-sur-Mer]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_American_Cem...

o Pointe-du-Hoc

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pointe_du_Hoc

o Pegasus Bridge [Ouistreham]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pegasus_Bridge

If you get a chance to strike further into Belgium, the Bois Jacques at Bastogne are amazing (Battle of the Bulge).

[selwonk]

There are also two "factories" worth a visit:

o La Coupole V2 factory [Wizernes]

http://www.lacoupole-france.com/en/

o La Forteresse de Mimoyecques

http://www.mimoyecques.com/

This was a super gun capable of launching shells at London