Mini Tour Photo Checklist
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1. Tobruk 5cm Grenade Launcher
Beneath the windswept ridge lies a small Tobruk pit that once housed a 5 cm mortar crew. From this cramped position, German soldiers launched grenades toward the advancing Allies on Omaha Beach. It stands as a stark reminder of the defences that turned WN62 into one of D-Day’s most fiercely contested strongpoints.
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2. Team Bunker or Quarters for 20 Soldiers
This long, low bunker once served as living quarters for up to twenty German soldiers stationed near Omaha Beach. Inside, cramped bunks and stale air offered little comfort between bombardments. Here they waited, weary, alert, and uncertain, for the invasion they knew would come, but could never truly imagine.
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3. Croix de Guerre 5th Engineer Special Brigade
Erected in honour of the 5th Engineer Special Brigade, this memorial bears the French Croix de Guerre — awarded for their bravery on D-Day. Landing under relentless fire, the brigade cleared obstacles, tended the wounded, and kept the lifeline of supplies flowing ashore. Their courage helped transform chaos into the foothold of liberation.
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4. The Mulberry Omaha plaquette
This small memorial plaquette commemorates the planned Mulberry “A” artificial harbour at Omaha Beach. Built to speed the Allied landings, it was destroyed by a fierce storm only days after D-Day. Though short-lived, its construction remains a testament to the ingenuity and determination that made the Normandy invasion possible.
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5. Omaha Beach "Easy Red" memorial to Gap Force Group 10
This memorial marks the landing place of Gap Assault Team 10 of the U.S. 1st Engineer Special Brigade. Tasked with clearing obstacles under fire, they carved the first breach in the German defences on “Easy Red” sector. Many fell in the surf, but their sacrifice opened the way for reinforcements to reach the bluffs above.
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6. Ray's Rock
Known to American veterans as Ray’s Rock, this natural outcrop offered one of the few pieces of cover on the deadly sands below WN62. Soldiers of the 16th Infantry sheltered behind it under relentless machine-gun fire, using its shadow to regroup before pushing inland. It stands as a silent witness to extraordinary courage and loss.
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7. Artillery observation bunker by Bernhard Frerking
From this concrete observation post, Lieutenant Bernhard Frerking directed artillery fire onto Omaha Beach with deadly accuracy. Equipped with rangefinders and field radios, the bunker offered a commanding view of the coastline. Frerking was killed during the assault, but his position played a crucial role in the German defence that morning.
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8. Concrete platforms for two Czech 7.65 cm field guns (before relocation to the new casemates)
These twin concrete platforms once mounted captured Czech 7.65 cm field guns, forming part of WN62’s layered defences before their relocation into reinforced casemates nearby. From here, the guns commanded wide arcs across Omaha Beach, pouring fire into the Allied landings. Today, only the platforms remain — silent witnesses to the storm that changed history.
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9. Former MG 42 position of Heinrich Severloh
From this exposed MG 42 position, Heinrich Severloh and his comrades unleashed devastating fire across Omaha Beach on the morning of 6 June 1944. Known to survivors as “the Beast of Omaha,” Severloh’s weapon cut down hundreds before the position was silenced. The shallow pit remains a chilling reminder of the ferocity faced by the first waves.
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10. Bunker Abris (Shelter)
Partly buried in the earth, the Bunker Abris served as a shelter for the German defenders of WN62. Here, soldiers took brief refuge from the thunder of naval bombardment and the chaos outside. The heavy doorway and narrow chamber still speak of confinement, tension, and the desperate moments before returning to the fight.
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11. Munitions Bunker
Set into the hillside, this concrete munitions bunker once stored the shells and ammunition that kept WN62’s guns firing throughout D-Day. Its thick walls protected both men and munitions from Allied bombardment. Today, its cold interior and scarred doorway offer a haunting glimpse into the relentless preparation for the invasion that came.
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