D Day reads and movies!

If you have the Military Channel on cable they run some great stuff on D-Day and the days after. WWII in color and such. Band of Brothers I believe has a section on D-Day. If you hve ever been afraid or know someone that has you will be very moved by your journey to Normandy. PS; Bring back the apple cider. We bought some from a little fam near the village he stayed in. Pellitier I believe.

Look for The Bedford Boys and Band of Brothers. Band of Brothers is on video, but the book was also very good.
And if you can, look up Robert Capa and see if you can find some photos or information on him. He was a photog with the troops, unfortunately the film was damaged/lost and only a few images survive....but they are powerful.

Sharon, I agree that Band of Brothers would also be good, as they were involved in Normandy. One site you might visit if you get a chance is the small Church at Angoville au Plain, where two Medics from the 101st performed exemplary service. You can see a short description at www.flickr.com/photos/16833954@N00/247802853/ (there's a link on that site to another that covers St. Mere Eglise). A couple of other sites to visit if they're not covered on the guided tours you take. The Gun Batteries at Longues sur Mer (just outside Bayeux). They were partially used in the filming of The Longest Day. If you visit, be sure to take a Flashlight as the Command Bunker has no lighting. You might also consider a visit to the Pegasus Bridge Museum (a site captured by British Paratroopers). The first three Gliders landed remarkably close to the bridge! The original bridge is still there, on the grounds of the Museum. The "Gummi-Puppen" in the Museum have a different appearance than those shown in the movies. One set of Bill Millen's Bagpipes are displayed in the Museum also (he was Lord Lovat's Piper). As I recall, the Museum closes for a "siesta" in the afternoon, so plan touring accordingly. Although the site is more significant for Canadians, the Abbaye d'Ardenne is another one to consider. You WON'T have any shortage of historic places to visit in that area! Although it's a fairly LARGE book, you might have a look at D-Day by Antony Beevor. It will take a while to get through it, but there's some interesting reading there. Some of the content was obtained from the personal notes of various Generals. My impression was that some of them didn't get along very well. Happy travels!

Thank you to each of you for your replies. I have learned so much for our trip from this forum. It's like having my own personal travel consultants, only better! Once again my thanks. Sharon

Sharon - If you're also going to Paris, I recommend reading Is Paris Burning? Even though you know Paris doesn't burn, you won't be able to put this book down. The book is much better than the movie, very well researched and a page turner.

Another very, very enthusiastic recommendation here for Band of Brothers. Incredibly powerful stuff and provides some really good context - one of the best, most moving "war" movies ever made IMHO. If you're concerned that you won't have the stamina or interest to digest the entire 10-part series (or however many episodes it is) don't worry - they move on from Normandy after the third or fourth episode, so you can always bail out there if you want (although after seeing the first few, I suspect you will want to watch them all). Really a great mini-series, incredibly well done.

When it comes to reading about D-Day, Stephen Ambrose is your go-to man. I particularly recommend "Pegasus Bridge".

Hands down....Band of Brothers. If you have time order the set from WalMart online or Amazon. Well worth watching. I am sure it will be something you will watch again after your trip. We went on the Battle Bus all day tour of the beaches. Very very interesting.

Check out the excellent video "The Americans on D-Day" by Livingbattlefiled hosted by tour guide and battlefield historian Ellwood von Siebold (http://www.livingbattlefield.org/the-americans-on-dday.html). This is one of 3 WWII videos (the other two deal with Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge). Although they have apparently been shown on public TV, our local station did not carry the trilogy and I actually learned about it from responders to this website (the Traveler's Helpline). Based on their comments, I purchased the 3 DVDs. I can report that the series is outstanding! The twist with these videos is that they are filmed on the location and at approximately the same time of day/month that the action/event took place (e.g., night, winter, etc.). Each video contains a mix of archival footage, reenactment, and narration that, in my opinion, sets this series apart from typical documentaries.

Thank you everyone for your wealth of great information. I've got a lot of reading and viewing to do. We are taking our 16 year old grandson to Normandy because he is very interested in World War II so this will be wonderful reading and viewing for him also.

Sharon... have a great time. Guess we Michigan people like taking our grandkids :)... I took my 15 year old grandson to Normady last Nov. and we had a wonderful time. We did not have a lot of time to do much reading/movies ahead of time as it was a quick decision to go, but he had learned quite a bit in school so his knowledge of what happened there was amazing to me. It was a very moving experience, but one of his more poignant statements was when he looked over at me and said... "It's sad... we have gotten really good at building war memorials."

Sharon,
You don't mention when you are visiting France, but if it is not until next year I also suggest you keep you eyes open in bookstores next spring for volume 3 of Rick Atkinson's "Liberation Trilogy," his volume on the Normandy invasion and all that followed. No title for volume three has been made public yet. The first two were An Army at Dawn (about North Africa) and Day of Battle (Italy). Atkinson's whole series is amazing (vol. 1 won the Pulitzer Prize) and covers the development and evolution of the US Army over the course of the war. They are big books (600-800 pages) but incredibly well written and informative.

Not sure if this book (and movie if I remember correctly) will relate to your Normandy visit but a good read-A Bridge Too Far.

'A Bridge Too Far' is about Operation Market Garden (September 1944), which took place in the Netherlands.

Great replies here, in regards to books I agree with the comment about Stephen Ambrose. I have read his D-Day, Band of Brothers, Pegasus Bridge, and The Victors books, all of which are very, very good. The Victors is a great overview of all WWII.