D-Day Experience
In the first exhibition hall, you observe the preparation of the American paratroopers before the Normandy landings: their training, their equipment, it’s a true immersion in the days leading up to D-Day.
Next, it’s your turn to prepare for the Landing: Colonel Wolverton explains your mission during a briefing that feels incredibly real, then you board a real C-47, transformed into a flight simulator.
After a turbulent flight, you continue the tour with a museum space featuring grandiose dioramas. You are at the heart of the fierce battles that raged during the Battle of Carentan.
Through real period pieces, you learn about the role of the various units mobilized: the men of the 101st Airborne Division, as well as those of the lesser-known 2nd Naval Beach Battalion, who will guide you through this moving and educational visit.
Those who lived it speak about it...
A real C-47
A real C-47 transformed into a flight simulator: this technological feat allows you to relive D-Day as if you were there! Ready to board for a turbulent flight?
Is it a real plane? Yes! Manufactured in 1943, our plane participated in the parachute drop of American paratroopers over the Cotentin on June 6, 1944. After the war, it was reused by the British Royal Mail, then displayed at an airfield before being purchased by Steven Spielberg, who used it for the filming of the mini-series Band of Brothers (Brothers in Arms).
Your guide: Lieutenant Colonel Wolverton
Hello, I am Lieutenant Colonel Robert Lee Wolverton, an American paratrooper with a tragic fate. I will be your guide throughout your visit to D-Day Experience. If you dare, I invite you to relive the legendary crossing of the English Channel on the night of June 6, 1944, aboard my plane “Stoy Hora”.
But before that, let me brief you: equipment, mission, code word—nothing will be a secret to you if you pay close attention! Attention, we only have 10 minutes, no delays will be tolerated, you are now the cream of the crop of the U.S. Army: paratroopers! With your 26 comrades, you’re ready for takeoff!
Once in the air, prepare for the tumult of anti-aircraft fire that brushes past us. The vibrations are felt, the sound of the engines, the explosions—here you are, it’s happening!
Will you survive?
If you want to learn more about my personal story, it’s available in the museum and the 3D cinema.
Those who visited it speak about it
A unique museum where history is told by those who lived it
With more than 1500m² of exhibition space, the D-Day Experience building allows you to discover the different stages of the Battle of Carentan.
First, the preparation for D-Day, in the United States and England, including the training of parachutists and the organization of an event of unprecedented scale.
Then, the Landing, the arrival of the troops by air and sea, where you find yourself at the heart of the battle with realistic dioramas and display cases filled with details.
Finally, the Battle: violent but victorious, the first step toward the liberation of Europe!
Discover a glimpse of the world's largest collection on airborne troops
To better understand these events, who better than the soldiers who lived through them? The uniqueness of D-Day Experience lies in its way of telling History through the eyes of the men who were there.
With the largest collection in the world on airborne troops, you will discover exceptional pieces that were used during the D-Day landings. It is through these authentic objects that the men of that time speak to you and share their view of the events.
Don’t just learn History, live it!
