Rusted military equipment found in Normandy on display at the Overlord Museum in Colleville-sur-Mer, France. The museum, near Normandy American Cemetery, has a large display of World War II-era vehicles and equipment on display. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Rusted military equipment found in Normandy on display at the Overlord Museum in Colleville-sur-Mer, France. The museum, near Normandy American Cemetery, has a large display of World War II-era vehicles and equipment on display. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
While visitors to the the Omaha Beach Memorial Museum in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, France, look at photos on display, a small boy checks out a display of minesweeping equipment. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
An M4A4 Sherman tank on display at the Overlord Museum in Colleville-sur-Mer. This tank is one of many D-Day-era vehicles at the museum, just up the road from Omaha Beach and near Normandy American Cemetery. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
61p bs Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes A display at the Omaha Beach Memorial Museum shows American soldiers on Omaha Beach on D-Day. The museum is just a short drive up from Omaha Beach in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, France. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
61p bs Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes A display at at the Overlord Museum in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, depicts American soldiers on D-Day at Omaha Beach. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Photos of American soldiers interacting with the locals are on display at the Omaha Beach Memorial Museum in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, France. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
French civilians greet American soldiers in one of the displays at the Overlord Museum. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
A display at the Omaha Beach Memorial Museum shows mannequins dressed as American paratroops and a pilot, and equipment and weapons used during the Normandy invasion. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
A mannequin dressed as an American soldier aims a bazooka in a display at the Overlord Museum in Colleville-sur-Mer, France. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
A display at the Overlord Museum in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, depicts German soldiers standing around a Kuebelwagen, a jeep-like vehicle made by Volkswagen. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
One of Jean Tierney's original jackets is on display at the Omaha Beach Memorial Museum in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, France. Jean Foley, a flight nurse, met her husband-to-be, Edward Tierney, a C-47 pilot during the war, and the couple has donated numerous items to the museum that is just up the hill from Omaha Beach. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
Looking down the barrel of a Sherman tank that stands in front of the Omaha Beach Memorial Museum near Omaha Beach in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, France. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes)
After visiting the D-Day beaches, Pointe du Hoc, the monuments and the Normandy American Cemetery in France, a World War II history buff can still find a couple more museums in the area to visit.
Two of these, the Overlord Museum and the Omaha Beach Memorial Museum, are near each other. The former is just up the road from the famous beach in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, and the latter is across the street from the entrance to the cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer.
The museums are similar, with weapons, uniforms, vehicles and equipment on display. Both show interesting historical movie footage. Where they differ is that the Omaha museum has a more personal feel. Photographs of G.I.s interacting with the locals, individual histories of war experiences and personal items are on display here. The Overlord museum has a large gift shop with souvenirs, books, maps and videos.
So whether you are a casual tourist or an enthusiast who wants to deepen your D-Day knowledge or just need to escape the Normandy wind and rain, both museums are worth a visit.
For more information, go to www.musee-memorial-omaha.com and www.overlordmuseum.com.
