The Normandy Victory Museum is a new historical center dedicated to the events of the summer of 1944 in the Cotentin bocage.
Located in Catz, near Carentan, in the vicinity of the landing sites of Omaha Beach and Utah Beach, the site is 30 minutes from the Colleville-sur-Mer American Cemetery and only 10 minutes from the La Cambe German Cemetery.
The NVM was built on A-10 Airfield, erected in June 1944 by the Americans to allow their P-47 and P-38 fighter-bombers to support their ground forces.
Completing the local offer in terms of history and tourism, the Normandy Victory Museum opened its doors in May 2017.
The Normandy Victory Museum commits itself to donate part of its profits to associations promoting remembrance, such as the World War II Foundation.
Collections
The museum is organized in 17 chronological scenes, offering the visitor a real interactive experience at the heart of the Normandy countryside. Made up of fifteen vintage vehicles, hundreds of mannequins in uniform and several thousand genuine objects, the collections presented are valued by a realistic background depicting the hell of the fighting.
After an evocation of the Occupation, the Resistance and the construction of the Atlantic Wall, the visitor will discover the different phases of the fighting: the hyperrealist dioramas will make you relive on D-Day, but also and especially the ” battle of the hedgerows “, operation Cobra and the counterattack of Mortain – unknown strands of the battle of Normandy. A film made up of archival images, projected in our cinema, traces the successive steps of the liberation. The Normandy Victory Museum also intends to emphasize the role played by women during the conflict, especially within the various auxiliary corps of the American forces. Finally, the end of the conflict in Normandy and Europe will be evoked through the return of prisoners of war and deportees, the Victory celebrations and the beginnings of the Reconstruction.
NVM team
The NVM was founded in 2016 at the instigation of Mr. Christophe Beaussire, leader of the eponymous public works group and owner of the former US airfield on which the museum was built. A collector of civil and military vehicles from the first half of the 20th century, his wish is to highlight the site’s historical potential and pay tribute to the Allied forces and the Norman population who lived through the summer of 1944.
The project was born after his meeting with two other enthusiasts who decided to put their collections at his disposal:
Mr. Patrick Fissot
History teacher at the Secondary School in Carentan, a specialist in the liberation of the Manche department, author of several books and collector of uniforms and objects of the Second World War for more than thirty years.
Mr. Nicolas Bellée
A public accountant, cofounder of “Bellée & Poussier” in Granville, creator of the vintage bags brand “WD 44” and also a collector for many years.
The mounting and operation of the NVM was entrusted to a young team already experienced:
Mr. Kevin Meyer, Director
Involved early in the voluntary sector and commemorations related to the Battle of Normandy, notably in the Royal British Legion, he now enjoys more than ten years of experience in the creation, development, and management of tourism and leisure companies in Normandy, as well as in events.
Mr. François Oxéant, Assistant
He holds a Master’s degree in History and is the author of a book dedicated to a Canadian pilot shot down near Bayeux in 1943. Influenced by his family history (a great-grandfather executed by the Germans for acts of Resistance and a great-grandmother killed in the air bombings on June 6, 1944), he was a tour guide on the D-Day beaches.
After the visit:
The Normandy Victory Museum has been designed for you as a comfortable and functional space. Covering a surface of 300 square meters, the P-47 PUB is open seven days a week, offering a selection of wines, whiskeys, beers and refreshments in a similar atmosphere to the bars created by servicemen of the US Air Forces during the Second World War. Parachutes, newspapers, portraits, posters, and collectibles punctuate space and project you in time.
The restaurant was also designed in a military spirit. With its unlimited starter & dishes, individuals, families, and groups will be able to vary the flavors with the seasons. Free meal for guides and drivers. An open-air restaurant is waiting for you, several hectares to eat under the sun of Normandy at the edge of the A 10 runway.
The outdoor area
A wide field adapted to the events, groups, and re-enactors accessible eleven months a year. The visit of the Normandy Victory Museum begins outside with fortifications representing a section of German coastal defenses.
NVM shop
You will find a wide selection of objects and books related to the Battle of Normandy, not to mention identity tags, T-shirts, uniforms, memorabilia and various souvenirs for the whole family!
Schools
A pedagogical booklet is available to guide the children during the visit of the museum, in order to keep your classes and groups busy – aimed at young people and adults.
Entertainments
During special events, our guides, wearing uniforms, precede you in the different steps of the visit of this vast indoor/outdoor complex. The Normandy Victory Museum is the ideal place to develop and maintain cohesion. At the request of groups and companies, we set up a team building session combining physical and cultural activities. Discover history from another point of view, at the controls of a simulator or during a tour in an armored vehicle!
Visit the Normandy Victory Museum Website for more information.