5 real historical locations · France
Darryl F. Zanuck's 1962 epic depicting the D-Day landings from multiple perspectives — American, British, French, and German. With an all-star cast and filmed on the actual Normandy beaches, it remains the most comprehensive cinematic account of Operation Overlord ever made.
CinemaMapped has mapped 5 real historical locations where the story takes place, spanning France.
American landings at Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 6 1944. Depicted from multiple perspectives — Allied and German.
The German defenders at Omaha were far stronger than Allied intelligence expected — the 352nd Infantry Division had moved to the bluffs weeks earlier. American forces were pinned for hours before small unit leadership...
View location →US Army Rangers scale the 30-metre cliffs at Pointe du Hoc to destroy German artillery.
The 2nd Ranger Battalion scaled Pointe du Hoc under fire on D-Day, only to find the guns had been moved inland. They found and destroyed them anyway, then held the position for two days against German counterattacks w...
View location →American paratroopers land in and around Sainte-Mère-Église — including the famous scene of a paratrooper caught on the church spire.
Sainte-Mère-Église was the first French town liberated on D-Day. Paratrooper John Steele landed on the church steeple and hung for two hours feigning death before being captured. He was freed the same day when the tow...
View location →American 4th Infantry Division lands at Utah Beach — the westernmost D-Day beach, where casualties were surprisingly light compared to Omaha.
Utah Beach was the least costly D-Day landing: 197 American casualties against an estimated 5,000 at Omaha. Confusion helped — the current pushed landing craft to a less-defended sector. The 4th Infantry linked up wit...
View location →British glider troops seize Pegasus Bridge in a daring coup de main — the very first Allied action of D-Day, at 12:16 AM on June 6.
D Company, 2nd Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry landed three Horsa gliders within 47 metres of the bridge in darkness. The assault took under 10 minutes. The bridge was renamed Pegasus Bridge after the A...
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