làThe place where History was writtenOpen airUnmissable Posted on 29.06.2023
After visiting the Mémorial de Caen, why not continue your tour by visiting one of the D-day landing beaches: Sword Beach, the only landing beach where French commandos actually landed.
Sword beach, the place where french commandos landed
The first thing we noticed when we arrived at Sword Beach, is that it looked a lot like Omaha Beach with large stretches of fine sand. We easily understood why these beaches were chosen to ease the Landing.
As we walked along the beach, we came across D-day Landing vestiges such as blockhauses and the famous “dragon’ teeth” that were used to impede the movement of the tanks. But we had to keep our eyes open because they can be difficult to see, since they are sometimes covered with sand and nature.
A bit further, “the flame” memorial fascinated us. We climbed the 7 steps that separated us from the monument. Each step represents one of the 7 French soldiers killed on Sword Beach. On the headstone we could read the names of the fallen soldiers, and next to it, there is a stone statue bearing the effigy of the Commanding Officer Kieffer.
We wanted to learn more about the military occupation of Sword Beach and its liberation in a different and in a more touching manner, so we rented sunshades connected to an audio guide at the tourist office. The informative walk, also called “La Délicate”, took us back to the period of the Second World War through touching and moving testimonies of witnesses in Ouistreham.
Back at the Ouistreham Tourist Office, we climb onto the roof terrace to relive 6 June 1944 on Sword Beach. Thanks to the Soldat Léon experience, we can relive in augmented reality the landing of the French soldiers of the Commando Kieffer through the testimony of Léon Gautier. It’s a must-try if you want to learn more about the duty of remembrance!
We like
- Discover the very place where the French landed
- Find the remains of the D-Day landings on the beach
- The Tree of Liberty, a symbol of peace
