WW2 cemeteries to visit in Normandy

D-Day, and the Battle of Normandy in the weeks that followed the landings, cost a terrible price in lives lost on both sides of the war. Although traditional figures state that 2,500 Allied troops were killed on D-Day itself, recent research suggests the figure could be more like 4,000 with losses on the German side also numbering into the 1000s, although the exact number is still unknown. The statistics of casualties inflicted during the Battle of Normandy are almost unimaginable with over 425,000 Allied and German troops killed, wounded or missing in action during the battle.

Allied and German war cemeteries in Normandy

Normandy's war cemeteries are immaculately kept by organisations such as the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the American Battle Monuments Commission, and the German War Graves Commission. The websites for all of these organisations allow you to search their databases of war dead in order to find specific graves.

Whether you are visiting the graves of members of your family who are among the war dead in these cemeteries or are interested in this incredible moment in world history, the war cemeteries in Normandy are an astounding way of seeing first-hand the scale of what happened in Northern France during the summer of 1944 and the shocking death toll it wreaked on all the armed forces involved.

Bayeux War Cemetery

Standing opposite the Museum of the Battle of Normandy and the Bayeux Memorial, the Bayeux War Cemetery is the largest Commonwealth war cemetery in France. The cemetery contains over 4,000 British and Commonwealth war graves, 338 of which are unidentified. There are also 500 German graves in this peaceful and well-kept cemetery that is looked after by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Beny-Sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery

The Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery at Reviers is a moving and peaceful memorial to those Canadian soldiers who lost their lives at Juno Beach and in the days following the D-Day Landings. Many of the men buried here belonged to the 3rd Canadian Division which pushed the advance towards Caen, battling against the German 716th Division and the 21st Panzer Division. The cemetery contains 2,048 graves, mainly of Canadian servicemen. 19 of them are unidentified.

La Cambe German War Cemetary

See the other side of the devastation caused by WW2 at the La Cambe German War Cemetery which holds 21,140 German graves. Very different to the Allied cemeteries, the graves are marked with small plaques and dark crosses. A tumulus nearly 6m high, mounted by a cross of basalt with 2 figures at its sides, stands over this peaceful and respectful cemetery that is looked after by the German War Graves Commission.

The Information Centre at the cemetery is dedicated to the memory of the 100,000 lives lost during Operation Overlord and the ensuing Battle of Normandy whether British, American, Canadian, French, German, Polish and many other nationalities. It also commemorates the 14,000 French civilians who were killed and focuses on themes of reconciliation, understanding and friendship. Take a walk around the Peace Park which stretches along the roadside just outside of the cemetery, where every tree has been planted and sponsored in the name of peace.

Normandy American Cemetery & Memorial

You don't have to be American to be moved by the scale, the beauty, and the story of courage and sacrifice that lies behind the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, overlooking Omaha Beach.

Spend time at the visitor centre to hear the story of the battles for Omaha and Utah Beach. Personal accounts, photos, films, interactive displays and a variety of artefacts help to explain the history of the battles, and portray the bravery and sacrifice of the Allied soldiers fighting here.

As you exit the centre, you can see the tranquil beach below the clifftop, the path winding gently uphill through a beautifully landscaped park dotted with pine trees. The memorial itself has some 9400 gleaming white marble crosses and a sprinkling of Stars of David commemorating those who fell.

Ranville War Cemetery

The Ranville War Cemetery contains the graves of 2,235 Commonwealth servicemen, many from the British 6th Airborne Division who landed by parachute and glider nearby to silence German guns and secure bridges before the D-Day landings at Sword Beach.

Immaculately kept, the cemetery also holds the graves of 97 unidentified soldiers, 330 German graves and some burials of other nationalities. Inside the churchyard are a further 47 Commonwealth burials, including one unidentified grave, and a German grave.