A small, but informative museum in the heart of the Sword Beach landing area, this museum tells the story of the No. 4 Commando which landed on the sands just yards from its location.
Made up of British and French commandos, their mission was to secure the port town of Ouistreham and then link up with the British airborne forces at Pegasus Bridge in nearby Benouville.
The French soldiers were led by Philippe Kieffer and there are tributes to him and his men inside the museum which takes you on a journey from the origins of the commandos from pre-D-Day through to June 6 and the liberation of France.
The museum was created by many of the veterans themselves and through their stories you get to understand the sacrifices made and why they lived up to their motto of ‘United We Conquer’.
Packed with uniforms, photographs, and interesting objects, while it may not have the large exhibits of other museums, it has lots of personal items and stories which can be lost in other landing beach sites.
There are two films you can watch, one an eye-witness account from French veteran Leon Gautier who takes you through the battle plan and execution of that plan under fire on June 6.
For bunker fans, the large model showing what the extensive Sword Beach defensive complex looked like is worth studying as most of the concrete buildings are now lost under the expansion of the town.
Opposite the museum, next to the beach, is the Sword Beach monument ‘La Flamme’ which features an eternal flame sculpture on top of a conquered German armoured cupola and bunker. Standing next to it are statues of Kieffer and Lord Lovatt who led their men on D-Day from Sword Beach.
It’s a location we highly recommended for a visit but please note that photography and filming are by permission only inside the Museum.