Vierville-sur-Mer - Musée D-Day Omaha
WWII Museum
The Musée D-Day Omaha is a private museum located in Vierville-sur-Mer, Normandy, devoted to preserving the memory of the soldiers who fought and died on Omaha Beach during the D-Day landings of June 6, 1944. It was established in 1999 and is based on the personal collection of Michel Brissard, a dedicated World War II collector. After his death, his two sons took over the museum and have continued to run it.
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The museum is situated only about 200 meters from the beach and is housed in an original building constructed by the U.S. Army during the war. It covers more than 3,000 square meters and contains thousands of authentic items from both Allied and German forces.
Among its rarest artifacts are an Enigma machine, a Goliath tracked mine, paratrooper and standard military motorcycles, a Dodge WC51 vehicle, and a German PAK 40 anti-tank gun.
The interior includes detailed dioramas and thematic displays that give visitors a vivid sense of what the landings involved.
Outside the museum, there is a large display of military equipment, including a Sherman tank, an American bulldozer, an 88mm Flak gun, and a German 2cm anti-aircraft gun. One of the more unusual exhibits is a German armored cloche turret, part of a bunker defense system, which visitors can closely examine.
The museum is relatively small but packed with exhibits, making it a rich and engaging experience. The layout is fairly well organized, allowing visitors to easily view the many artifacts on display. One particularly striking feature is the scale model of the Vierville-sur-Mer landing beach. It's especially impressive because, after walking just a few hundred meters downhill from the museum, you'll recognize the real landscape that the model so accurately represents.
The museum is open to the public from early April to early November, with opening hours varying depending on the time of year. It serves both as a tribute to the courage of those involved in the landings and as an educational center for the history of World War II.
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