We are on a cruise for the 75th anniversary of D-Day and will be docked in Cherbourg on June 5th. There is a special fly-over of planes from Britain re-inacting the massive air invasion in the area of Caen that day. Would it be reasonable to take the train from Cherbourg to Caen (1 hr15") for the day to see this? Are advance rail tickets possible? Thank you!
Posted by
Middletown, RI
1140 posts
Glad you'll be there. I am currently planning on jumping out of one of those planes on June 5th flying from England (weather permitting). The actual airdrops could be in several places on the 5th, and Carentan is being mentioned as one (also on the train line). Once the planes fly from Duxford, UK to Normandy, they will mostly be based at the Caen Airport from June 5–9, although some could be in Cherbourg airport too. But there will be flights daily—some including parachute jumps into various drop zones in the area. A larger airdrop that will include not only historical aircraft and jumpers, but also many, many more current day military paratroopers, will occur on June 9th at the La Fiére Causeway in Sainte-Mère-Église. But this will not be the cross-channel flights.
As far as trains, the Intercités trains that run from Cherbourg to Caen (and through Carentan) can be booked three months prior. I would think you would want a rental car at that point, although there may be some special shuttles from the train to the Caen airport—I'm not sure. But getting to the Caen train station is no guarantee of seeing the actual flyover. And keep in mind these aviation events are very weather dependent.
There are still many details being worked out, but most information and organization is being handled by "Daks Over Normandy" (www.daksovernormandy.com).
Just an fyi, there were no airdrops on Caen on D-day, and Caen itself didn't fall to the allies for over a month after D-day. One other point that may be semantic, is that although British and American history refers to it as the D-day "Invasion," I find that the locals think this term is peculiar. France had already been "invaded" and occupied by Nazi Germany. So the locals refer to the allied landings as the "Liberation" on D-day. Not the "invasion."
Posted by
Philadelphia area
97 posts
Phil - good luck on the jump. I wish I could join you, but it has been 36 years since my last jump while on active duty. Besides, my wife would not let me out of the front door to our house if she knew where I was headed. Be sure to do a trip report after you return home.
Posted by
OP
Irvine, CA
11 posts
Thank you for your answers and information! I have been on the Duks over Normandy web site since last year and so impressed that you will be joining them! I think driving from Cherbourg to Caen would not be wise due to the large crowds expected so I think taking the train would be the best. Now, how to get to the train from the cruise line dock in Cherbourg and from the train station in Caen to watch the fly over?!! I was there for the 60th anniversary and it was a beautiful sunny day, hope we have the same weather this year. And yes, it is referred to in France as the "Liberation' not the invasion...good point!
If you haven' already seen it, the Netflix series "World War 2 in Color" in excellent!
Cheers!