Omaha Beach Museum

The Omaha Beach Museum (Musee Memorial Omaha) tells the story of the D-Day Landings on Omaha Beach in Normandy on 6 June 1944 during World War Two.

Omaha Beach Museum history

Spanning an area of 10km, the Omaha Beach assault was the largest of the Normandy Landings and included, amongst others, the US 29th Division, the 1st US Division (Big Red) and the US 2nd Division.

The Omaha Beach assault suffered several setbacks, including the fact that the area was unexpectedly well-defended by the Germans and that many soldiers did not land at their intended targets.

Surrounded by steep cliffs and heavily defended, Omaha was the bloodiest of the D-Day beaches, with roughly 2,400 U.S. troops turning up dead, wounded or missing. The troubles for the Americans began early on, when Army intelligence underestimated the number of German soldiers in the area.

To make matters worse, an aerial bombardment did little damage to the strongly fortified German positions, rough surf wreaked havoc with the Allied landing craft and only two of 29 amphibious tanks launched at sea managed to reach the shore. U.S. infantrymen in the initial waves of the attack were then gunned down in mass by German machine-gun fire.

Slowly but surely, however, his men began making it across the beach to the relative safety of the seawall at the foot of the bluffs and then up the bluffs themselves. Despite all these setbacks, the allied troops managed to establish footholds in the German occupied territory, although they were unable to complete their ambitious mission targets.

Omaha Beach Museum today

Through a series of exhibits, including dioramas, military uniforms, testimonials and photographs, the 1400m² Omaha Beach Museum traces the events of the assault on Omaha Beach and Pont Du Hoc.

Many reconsitutions of Amercian and German service life dive you into the heart of the D-day story permitting a peep into the daily lives of all those who landed to liberate us and to whom we owe our profound respect.

Superb archival photographs and explanatory notes on the landing at Omaha. Thematic signs depicting all the phases of the period of the Occupation until the landing. During the visit a film featuring veteran’s testimonies, will guide you through the story of the D-day landing on Omaha and Point du Hoc.

All various items belonging to soldiers, many of which are personal and were in everyday use. The Museum Collection has been richly endowed and is constantly evolving.

The museum is suitable for children. Selfguided tour. Visit duration 1 hour.

Getting to Omaha Beach Museum

The Omaha Beach Museum is located just off the beach where the American naval landing took place. It is closest to the Omaha Beach Memorial and roughly a 5 minute drive from the Normandy American Cemetery and the Big Red One Assault Museum in Colleville-sur-Mer.

The Omaha Beach Museum’s opening times vary according to the time of year. Check the website before planning your visit. The museum closes for the winter between late November through early February.