Historic Places

The deepest salt mine in Austria, chosen by the Nazis to store the largest collection of stolen art in Europe: 6,577 paintings, 2,500 drawings, and priceless sculptures including Michelangelo's Madonna of Bruges and the Ghent Altarpiece. When the SS ordered the mine destroyed, 300 villagers secretly removed 800 kg of explosives. The entire collection was recovered intact.

The Normandy American Cemetery covers 172.5 acres on a bluff above Omaha Beach. It contains 9,387 white marble crosses and Stars of David. Four hundred and eighty-six markers read "Here Rests in Honored Glory A Comrade in Arms Whose Name Is Known Only To God." Maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commission.

Omaha Beach was a 5-mile stretch of coastline between Vierville-sur-Mer and Colleville-sur-Mer. The German 352nd Infantry Division had placed 8 concrete bunkers, 6 pillboxes, 4 artillery positions, and a network of underwater obstacles designed to puncture landing craft hulls. The first wave suffered 96% casualties. Casualties numbered approximately 2,400 American killed, wounded, or missing.

A 100-foot cliff between Omaha and Utah beaches where six 155mm French artillery guns were believed to be installed. The 2nd Ranger Battalion scaled the cliff under intense fire using rope ladders and grapnel guns. Of 225 Rangers, only 90 were combat-effective after 48 hours. The underground tunnel network carved into the headland still exists today.

A 3-mile beach in Devon whose geography matched Utah Beach. The entire civilian population of three villages was evacuated in 1943. On April 27, 1944, during the rehearsal, German E-boats torpedoed American landing ships, killing 749 servicemen. More Americans died in Exercise Tiger than on Utah Beach itself. The disaster was covered up until after D-Day.

A 140-square-mile dense pine forest where the U.S. Army fought from September 1944 to February 1945. Air support was useless in the thick canopy. The ground was littered with "Bouncing Betty" S-mines and tree bursts. U.S. casualties: 33,000, including 9,000 killed. The battle produced 3 Medal of Honor recipients. Today the forest still contains unexploded ordnance.