The Omaha Beach Cemetery, also known as the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, is a World War II cemetery located in Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy, France. It is the final resting place for 9,387 American soldiers who died during the D-Day invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, and subsequent military operations in the area.
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The cemetery is situated on a cliff overlooking Omaha Beach, one of the landing beaches of the D-Day invasion. It covers an area of approximately 172 acres and is maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commission.
The cemetery features a memorial chapel, a museum, and a visitor center, which provide information about the American involvement in the D-Day invasion and the events that followed.
The memorial chapel contains a large mosaic map of the Normandy area, as well as several stained-glass windows depicting various scenes from the war.
The cemetery is open to the public year-round, and visitors can pay their respects to the fallen soldiers by walking among the rows of white marble headstones, each marked with the name, rank, and state of the soldier.
The Omaha Beach Cemetery is a solemn reminder of the sacrifices made by American soldiers during World War II and serves as a testament to the courage and dedication of those who fought for freedom and democracy.
Omaha Beach Cemetery
It's hard to contain your emotion when you visit the American cemetery. The history, the memories, the sacrifice, the magnificence of the landscape.
This place moves me to the core each time I visit.
A few miles down the road, there's another cemetery. Humble, discreet and far less visited. The German cemetery. It's nevertheless another very emotional experience.
After all, these were very young men who died there, on both sides. What a waste...