War

The La Couple: Centre d’Histoire et Planétarium 3D (‘La Coupole’ Historic Centre and 3D Planetarium) site is a museum housed within a former German bunker complex and V2 Rocket Base. Designed by the German Organisation Todt and constructed from 1943 to 1944, the site was intended as a major launching point for V2 Rockets against targets in England.

The Musée de la Seconde Guerre Mondiale (Museum of the Second World War) in Digne-les-Bains is a converted bomb shelter dug prior to the outbreak of the Second World War, under the supervision of the Union Nationale pour la Défense Aérienne et pour la Protection des Populations Civiles (Natioal Union for Air Defense and the Protection of Civilian Populations) or the Defense Passive.

The Mémorial du 19 Août 1942 (Memorial August 19, 1942) commemorates the failed Anglo-Canadian raid on the German-occupied coastal town of Dieppe, and the loss of life that occurred there on August 19, 1942. Codenamed Operation Jubilee, the raid involved the participation of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division led by Major General J.H. Roberts.

The Big Red One Assault Museum commemorates and records the actions of the United States’ 1st Infantry Division in the Battle of Normandy, following its landing at nearby Omaha Beach in 1944. The 1st Infantry Division, known as ‘Big Red One’ in reference to its large, red numeral ‘1’ combat service identification badge or shoulder patch, is a longstanding infantry unit organized in 1917 for service in France in response to American participation in the First World War.

The Musée de la Libération (Museum of Liberation) in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin presents the history of Cherbourg during the Second World War. Beginning with the Battle of France and German occupation of Cherbourg in 1940, the museum describes the city’s crucial strategic importance as a deep-water channel port and as a main Allied objective during the Battle of Normandy. Occupied by German forces in June 1940 as part of the coastal militarized zone, Cherbourg served for the next four years as an important element in coastal defenses.

The Musée du Souvenir du Combattant (Museum of Combattants' Memory) in Chalon-sur-Saône is dedicated to the experiences, lives, and memory of French soldiers and combattants. In presenting this history, the museum notes, the goal is "the safeguarding of national heritage, and the preservation of national memory." 

The Musée de la Résistance et de la Déportation de Besançon (Besançon Museum of Resistance and Deportation) is located within the Besançon Citadel, a Vauban fortification begun in 1668 and completed in 1711. German occupation of France during the Second World War saw the citadel employed as a detention camp for captured members of the French Resistance; approximately 100 were executed there by firing squad from 1941 to 1945.

The Musée Mémorial de la Bataille de Normandie (Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy) presents in detail the military operations which took place during the Battle of Normandy, following the Normandy Landings, from June 7 to August 29, 1944. Displays present a day-by-day chronology of the invasion, and describe the liberation of Bayeux on June 7 followed by advances further inland. The timeline, goals, logistics, and results of individual operations are described.

The Musée le Grand Blockhaus (Museum of the Great Blockhouse) is housed within a former German fortified command post for the Atlantic Wall: the line of coastal fortifications from Norway to the Spanish border. Construction was begun in October 1942 and completed in February 1943; disguised as a French villa, the installation directed coastal defence and cannon fire from neighbouring Batz-sur-Mer. It was staffed by the 280th Naval Artillery Battalion (Coast Artillery) of the German Navy. Following the Normandy Landings of June 1944, the blockhouse became part of the encircled St.

The Musée du Mur de l'Atlantique (Museum of the Atlantic Wall) is located within a former German piece of coastal artillery, the Todt Battery. Inaugurated in 1942, it was equipped with four pieces of 388mm artillery capable of firing at a distance of 42 km. It faced the southern coast of England and the Dover area, and served from 1942 to 1944 in defence of German vessels in the English Channel and as an important part of the Atlantic Wall, the German line of coastal fortifications from Norway to the Spanish border.