What does
the "D" in D-Day mean?
The
answer, like many answers in the field of history, is
not so simple. Disagreements between military historians
and etymologists about the meaning of D-Day abound. Here
are just two explanations:
In Stephen Ambrose's D-Day, June 6, 1944: The Climactic
Battle of World War II, he writes, "Time magazine reported
on June 12 [1944] that "as far as the U.S. Army can determine,
the first use of D for Day, H for Hour was in Field Order
No. 8, of the First Army, A.E.F., issued on Sept. 20,
1918, which read, 'The First Army will attack at H-Hour
on D-Day with the object of forcing the evacuation of
the St. Mihiel salient.'" (p. 491)
In other words, the D in D-Day merely stands for Day.
This coded designation was used for the day of any important
invasion or military operation. For military planners
(and later historians), the days before and after a D-Day
were indicated using plus and minus signs: D-4 meant four
days before a D-Day, while D+7 meant seven days after
a D-Day.
Click
Here for a Printable Fact Sheet
Why is
The National World War II Museum in New Orleans?
New Orleans is home to the LCVP,
or Higgins boat, the landing craft that brought US soldiers
to shore in every major amphibious assault of WWII. Andrew
Jackson Higgins and the 30,000 Louisiana workers of Higgins
Industries designed, built, and tested 20,000 Higgins
boats in Southeastern Louisiana during the war. Dwight
Eisenhower once claimed that Higgins was "the man who
won the war for us."
How is
Dr. Stephen Ambrose connected to the Museum?
The late Dr. Stephen Ambrose
was the founder of The National World War II Museum. He spent
decades researching and writing about WWII, Eisenhower,
and D-Day. As he collected more than 2,000 oral histories
from D-Day veterans, he realized that the United States
had no museum to honor these men and the people on the
Home Front who made our victory in WWII possible. Ambrose
was also the founder of the Eisenhower Center for American
Studies at The University of New Orleans. For more information
on Dr. Ambrose and his work, visit www.stephenambrose.com.
Do you
have a database listing all D-Day Veterans?
No, but we can give you
some tips on finding
a veteran.
I
have something from the war in my attic. Do you want it
for the Museum?
Contact
us about donating your
artifact to the Museum.
Are the
Higgins boats in the pavilion from WWII?
Less than 10 original LCVP's are known
to exist today. When the Museum opened all the known examples
were already in Museums. Our LCVP was built by volunteers and
it contains some original parts like the ramp and the engine.
Our LCP(L) is an original Higgins built craft. It was brought
to the Museum's attention after it opened. It was restored to
original condition by our volunteers, many of whom also helped
build the LCVP.
Is The National World War II Museum part of the federal government?
No, The National World War II Museum is a private non-profit institution. It has received federal, state and private
funds for its initial construction.
Where
is a good place to eat/stay/visit near the Museum?
The closest popular sites
include The Louisiana Children's Museum (2 blocks away),
the Ogden Museum of Southern Art (1 block away), the Contemporary
Arts Center (1 block away), several art galleries on Julia
Street (2 to 4 blocks away), and of course, the French
Quarter (9 blocks away). Try
TurboTrip for accommodations and sightseeing.
I want
to tour Normandy. What should I go see?
With three hundred seventy-five
miles of beaches, cliffs, farming villages and ports,
Normandy is a contrasting milieu of ancient fortresses
and castles, ruined monasteries and rolling farmland replete
with memories of World War II and scarred with evidence
of the Allied D-Day invasion of June 6, 1944. While there
are many faces of Normandy, this fact sheet provides suggestions
for those travelers wishing to visit D-Day-related sites.
Also, please look into our
Victory in Europe Tours.
Click here for details.
Top Sites:(From
East to West)
Pegasus
Bridge. Located on the
Caen Canal, this key bridge was captured by British airborne
troops in the early morning hours of D-Day, helping to
secure the eastern flank of the invasion. Although the
original bridge was taken down in 1994, a museum marks
the site of this crucial coup de main operation.
"The Memorial
and Museum of Peace." Caen's
Battle of Normandy Museum offers guided tours of the landing
beaches (British and American) along with a pass to the
memorial. Caen is the site of the British breakout through
German lines.
WWII Museum
at Bayeux. While this
town's chief attraction is its 11th century tapestry honoring
William the Conqueror's victory at Hastings in 1066, the
Musée Mémorial de la Bataille de Normandie 1944 paints
a vivid picture of the Allied invasion and campaign in
Normandy.
Arromanches. See the remnants of Mulberry
B, one of two huge artificial harbors the Allies towed
to Normandy from England. The Museum here has a great
model, showing how the structure worked.
Omaha Beach.
One of two beaches attacked
by American forces on D-Day (the other is Utah Beach).
Located near the town of St. Laurent, Omaha Beach was
the bloodiest of the D-Day beaches. You can still see
remnants of one of the Mulberries, or artificial harbors,
the Allies built to support the invasion.
American Military
Cemetery at St. Laurent. Stretching
across the bluff overlooking Omaha Beach, the rows of
white marble crosses and stars commemorate the men who
died fighting for the Allied victory in Normandy. A must
see.
Pointe-du-Hoc.
The elite US Rangers
scaled this 40-meter high cliff between Omaha and Utah
beaches to neutralize a dangerous German gun battery.
Check out the cliffs, the ruins of German bunkers, the
bomb craters, and see if they were successful.
St.-Lô.
In the town where the Americans finally broke through
the German lines, the Holy Cross Church is home to a memorial
to Maj. Thomas Howie, who had vowed to be the first American
in St.-Lô. He was killed shortly before his troops took
the city.
Utah Beach.
The area around Utah
Beach contains monuments, abandoned tanks, and pillboxes-reminders
of D-Day. The Musée du Débarquement, near La Madeleine,
is located in a German bunker, and offers striking accounts
of the battle for Normandy.
Ste-Mère-Eglise
In this town taken by the US Airborne on D-Day, the Musée
des Troupes Aéroportées includes photos, a glider, and
parachutes commemorating the morning of June 6, 1944 when
American paratroopers dropped over the town to secure
the western flank of the invasion.
Recommended Travel Books:
- Holt, Tonie and Valmai. The Visitor's Guide to
Normandy Landing Beaches.
- Williams, Nia. AAA Essential Normandy: All You
Need to Know.
- Braunger, Manfred. Insight Compact Guide: Normandy.
- Shilleto, Carl and Mike Tolhurst. A Traveler's
Guide to D-Day and the Battle for Normandy.
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