Collection(s) : Places of historical interest
Paru le 04/04/2011 | Broché 143 pages
Tout public
images Isabelle Bournier
The beaches of the D-Day landings
On Tuesday June 6th 1944, Lower Normandy was the scene of the largest amphibious operation ever carried out in the history of mankind. Over 150,000 men landed in 7,000 ships on the shores of Calvados and Manche to liberate France and Europe from the yoke of Nazi oppression. Two thousand five hundred men were killed on the first day, including a thousand at Omaha alone. From June 6th to August 20th 1944, violent combats raged on the beaches, among the hedges, copses and pastures and on the Caen plain. This book offers readers the chance to discover - or rediscover - this Second World War heritage and the famous beaches of the D-Day landings, now important memorial sites.
The memorial for peace
Inaugurated in 1988, the Caen Memorial is one of Europe's major 20th-century history sites. With its innovative, poignant scenography, this Centre for History and Peace takes visitors on a historical journey that begins in 1918, chronicles the Second World War in detail and charts events up to the present day. The Caen Memorial houses a large collection of photographs, films and personal accounts, providing invaluable support for academic research into 20th-century history.
Yves Lecouturier, Director of the Lower Normandy Post and Communications Museum until 2009, is a qualified historian and researcher at the University of Caen's Quantitative History Research Centre. His previous publications for Éditions Ouest-France include Le Marché noir en Normandie, Les Juifs en Normandie and L'Épuration en Normandie.
Isabelle Bournier is a photographer and author of documentaries for young people. She is the Culture and Education Director of the Caen Memorial.