LA MADELEINE/AUDOUVILLE-LA-HUBERT
Manche - 15 km north of Carentan
 A mistake turned to the Allied Forces advantage
On 6 June 1944 in Normandy, the American Forces slammed ashore on Utah Beach, 2.5 kilometres southern than expected. This navigation miscalculation put the Americans out of range of the heavy coastal batteries of Saint-Marcouf and Azzeville. At 6:40 am, Brigadier-General Theodore Roosevelt Second-in-command of the 4th Infantry Division landed with the first assault wave, composed of units of the 8th Infantry Regiment and tanks of the 70th Tank Battalion. One hour later, the engineers had cleared off the beach, and the German defenses were neutralized, as the strongpoint WN 5 at La Madeleine. The Americans moved inland. At the end of the morning, the junction occured with the parachutists of the 101st Airborne Division. Around 7 pm, General Collins who commands the VIIth Army Corps had set up his headquarter in Audouville-la-Hubert.
 
     
 
 
   
 
Utah Beach Museum
La Madeleine-Utah Beach
Facing the beaches of Utah, this Museum reports, through models scale, equipments and archives, the Landing operations on Utah Beach. Several armoured vehicles, equipment and a landing ship can be seen outside the Museum : an amphibious vehicle LVT4, this armoured vehicle was able to carry a jeep, it was armed with four machine-guns; eight thousand vehicles were manufactured. A Sherman tank M4 : this tank was the main battle tank of the Allied armoured divisions, it was armed with a 75 mm gun with a four men crew. A LCVP boat, this Landing Craft, vehicle and personel could transport 36 soldiers or a 3 tons vehicle, its maximum speed was 9 knots with a three men crew.
 
VIIth Corps headquarter plaque
Audouville-la-Hubert
At the front gate of this farm house, a plaque recalls that General Collins Headquarter, commander of the VIIth American Corps, was set up there.
Situation : at the edge of the D14 road, at the south gate of the town, on the right
  
   
 
     
  00 Freedom borne
La Madeleine-Utah Beach
This Freedom borne was erected in 1947, it connects La Madeleine to Bastogne, 1 142 kilometers away.
 Situation : facing Utah Beach Museum 
  Free French Air Forces steles
 La Madeleine-Utah Beach  
Two plaques commemorate the Free French Air Forces. The first one is in memory of the crew of a hunting bomber of the 342nd Lorraine Group Squadron shot down on 6 June 1944. The second one is dedicated to the pilot Jacques Joubert des Ouches of the 345th Squadron shot down the same day.
Situation : 200 m on the left of the Museum, on a a blockhouse, around the German anti tank gun
     
  Eisenhower Way stele
La Madeleine-Utah Beach
Stele honouring General Dwight David Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied Force on 6 June 1944. Eisenhower was president of the United-States from 1952 to 1961.
 Situation : left of Utah Beach Museum
   
 
  4th Infantry Division monument
La Madeleine-Utah Beach
Monument inaugurated in 1964 by General Bradley, in memory of the 4th American Infantry Division soldiers.
Situation : facing Utah Beach Museum
   
 

1st Engineer Special Brigade monument
La Madeleine-Utah Beach
 Monument dedicated to soldiers of the 1st Engineer Special Brigade under General Caffey
 Situation : 200 meters left of Utah Beach Museum, over a blockhouse
   
  Anniversary stele
La Madeleine-Utah Beach
Stele commemorating 6 June 1984 Anniversary. The French president F. Mitterand invited all heads of states of countries engaged in the Second World War, to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Normandy Landing.
 Situation : 100 meters left of Utah Beach Museum, access to the beach
 
  Anti tank gun - Allied Navy plaques
 La Madeleine-Utah Beach  
This German anti tank gun is still in the strong point of 1944. Around the gun are embeded commemoratives plaques of the Allied Landing Fleet, including ships of Admirals Kirk and Deyo.
Situation : 200 m on the left of the Museum, on a a blockhouse
   
    American soldiers plaque and General Caffey crypt
La Madeleine-Utah Beach
Plaque (at the gate of the blockhouse) in memory of the American soldiers who died on 6 June 1944. In the blockhouse a room was settled down in remembrance of the 1st Engineer Special Brigade, under general Caffey. A plaque is dedicated to General Ridgway, General Taylor, Admiral Moon, Colonel Fourquet, Admiral Deyo, General Collins, General Barton, and Brigadier General Roosevelt.
 Situation : 200 meters left of Utah beach Museum
       
   
  90th Infantry Division monument
La Madeleine-Utah Beach
Monument in memory of the 90th American Infantry Division soldiers; this monument was inaugurated in 1974 by General Landrum, who commanded the division in 1944.
 Situation : 200 meters left of Utah Beach Museum
  USNR stele
La Madeleine-Utah Beach
Stele in memory of the United States Naval Reserve veterans killed on Utah Beach on 6 June 1944.
 Situation : 300 m right of the Landing Museum, Angelos Chatas place
 
Coast Guard plaque
La Madeleine-Utah Beach
Plaque dedicated to the United States Coast Guard who took part in the Normandy Landing, and to all the United States Coast Guard Forces who served in the world, on ground, on sea and in air during the War.
 Situation : 200 meters left of Utah Beach Museum, on a blockhouse
  American soldier’s monument
La Madeleine-Utah Beach
Monument erected by the United States in 1984, for the 40th Landing Anniversary, in memory of its sons fallen on the Normandy beaches.
 Situation : 200 meters left of Utah beach Museum
Rowe road panel
La Madeleine-Utah Beach
Panel in memory of Private J. T. Rowe of the 531st Engineer Shore Regiment, who was killed in the fighting of 6 June 1944. Many panels are placed along the coastal roads in memory of the Engineer soldiers.
 Situation : facing Utah Beach Museum
  US Navy plaque
La Madeleine-Utah Beach
Plaque dedicated to the US Navy unit who controlled the landing and traffic on the beaches from 8 June to 31 October 1944.
 Situation : behind Le Roosevelt restaurant
  French Free Forces stained-glass window
La Madeleine
Stained glass window dedicated to the Free French Forces soldiers, who landed in Normandy with the Allied Forces.
Situation : in chapel of La Madeleine hamlet, at the left before arriving in Utah Beach
 
     
ROAD MAP
 
INTERESTING WEB SITES
US Army official web site about technical units of D-day
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/reference/Normandy/TS/index.htm
Official web site of the 4th US Infantry Division
http://www.4thinfantry.org/home.html
Page of US Army official web site about units of D-day
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/reference/normandy/UnitList.htm
Page about the naval forces of D-day
http://www.naval-history.net/WW2194406.htm
Personal web site about the Atlantic Wall in the Cotentin
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/batteries.du.cotentin/index.html
 
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