Airborne Museum

Sainte-Mère-Église, France

The Airborne Museum (Musée Airborne) is dedicated to the memory of the troops of 82nd Airborne Division and 101st Airborne Division who landed in Normandy, by parachute or glider, on the night of 5–6 June 1944 hours before the Allied landings in Normandy. Its collections have been donated by the townspeople and thanks to gifts from the veterans of 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions.It was founded in 1962 and on 6 June that year its first stone was laid by General Gavin, who had liberated the town of Sainte-Mère-Église.

Its first building, built to look like a parachute from the air, was opened on 6 June 1964 (the twentieth anniversary of D-Day) and houses a WACO glider. Its second building opened in 1984, built to look like a billowing parachute and housing a Douglas C-47 Skytrain, one of the aircraft which towed gliders to Sainte-Mère-Église. Its third building is due to open in 2014 and will house (among other things) a reconnaissance kit.

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Address

Rue Eisenhower 16, Sainte-Mère-Église, France
See all sites in Sainte-Mère-Église

Details

Founded: 1962
Category: Museums in France

More Information

www.airborne-museum.org
en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Sainte-Mère-Église Church (0,1 km)
Château d'Amfreville (5,1 km)
Château de Plain-Marais (7,5 km)


Pointe du Hoc (23,5 km)
Utah Beach Museum (10,1 km)
American Cemetery and Memorial (33,5 km)
Coutances Cathedral (41,2 km)
La Cambe War Cemetery (22,1 km)
Carentan Church (12,6 km)
Vauban Tower (20,5 km)
Holy Trinity Church (34,2 km)
Omaha Beach Memorial Museum (31,6 km)

User Reviews

Sandra Hopkins (17 months ago)
Amazing place. Unfortunately we didn't have enough time with our excursion. Well worth a visit
Patrick Turner (2 years ago)
Absolutely amazing experience. The museum and personal tour (you get interactive pads and headsets) are very cool. Allows you to go at your own pace. Tons of artifacts (planes, weapons, vehicles, uniforms, etc).
John Thompson (2 years ago)
Recommended to us by some fellow campers where we were staying, if you only visit one D-Day museum, visit this one, they said. I can see why. Small, but they pack a lot in to the visit. Interactive tablets give you lots of background information and are very intuitive to use. The C47 was actually used to drop troops on D-Day, and the museum guides you through the before, during and after story of the airborne troops and Ste Mere Eglise. I would strongly recommend that you visit if you're in the area. If you only visit one D-Day museum, visit this one.
Willysmb44 (2 years ago)
Simply put, it's a place every American should visit at some point. This is one of the best museums dedicated to Airborne forces in World War II I've seen anywhere, and I've seen most of the Museum's dedicated to that subject, around the world. The "Airborne Experience" building is amazing, showing how it felt from the airplanes to the ground, through the campaign. The only way to get a better insight is with a time machine.
Bella Maldonado (2 years ago)
Extremely interactive for everyone in the family. They give you virtual guides for free that are like a game and kids will be 100 percent entertained (I also really loved them and it got me and partner excited to interact because he's not too big on museums). You also move through different spread out exhibits that give you breaks to keep your attention span going for the next one. Very fun, well put together, and educational for all!
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