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How about the French tank museum at Saumur, Will? A more manageable (and family friendly) two and three quarter hour trip south from Caen.

Edit:
Suggested highlights from my trip over there in 2014:

Merville Battery & Pegasus Bridge (you can do both in an afternoon at a push)

The Grand Bunker in Ouisterham (fire control point for Merville Battery) & defense point Hillman (didn't visit, wish I did - important strong point that held up the forces from Sword Beach)

Longues-Sur-Mer battery (between Port En Bessin and Arromanches - 150mm naval guns still in place, plus fire control station - best done after the Grand bunker so that you can visualise the range finder in place)

Pont Du Hoc - massive shell craters from the bombardment, and a good example of coastal errosion - a good chunk of the cliff in the iconic photos of the 2nd Rangers resting under the main fire control bunker is now gone, hopefully now that the US National Parks Service have taken over ownership and shored it up it will hold up a while longer.

Utah Beach - good indoors museum for a wet day, the land owner much prefers that you visit this rather than tresspass around Brecourt Manor (I'm told there isn't much to see, a small plaque on the road side down a tiny lane is all there is to show the events of Band of Brothers Episode 2)

Crisbecq Battery - didn't visit as it had only just been done up, looks pretty good from what I have seen online, but might be more of the same if you have seen Longues Sur Mer, tbh?

Wasn't impressed with the Arromanches Mulberry museum, but its ok on a wet day.

Best Tank museum by far is the Overlord Museum at Le Bray, they have an amazing collection of German Armour (most of it was captured around Falise where the collection used to be housed) as well as the usual suspects (MDAP M4A1E8 76w, CCKW, DUKW, Ford GP etc...) The museum is located at the turn off to the US cemetery - the most scenic of the lot with nice setting and landscaping, the Commonwealth and German ones are rather more somber...

Musée des épaves sous-marines du débarquement just south of Port En Bessin is interesting for its collection of recovered tanks - they did have one of the 2 surviving 75mm big hatch M4A1 DD's (the other is at Slapton Sands)

Obviously you must visit Bayeux for the military museum and Commonwealth cemetery, the Cathedral and the Tapestry. Its all within walking distance, just check the amount of time you are allowed to park at the museum...

Carentan isn't really worth visiting IMHO, you'd have to be a massive geek to be able to spot the part of town featured in Band of Brothers, and its not the same as the show apart from the initial row of shops that the MG opens up from when they are all creeping down the dirt road... Also - like all of France, its closed on Sunday afternoons. Recommend that you make plans for sunday lunch and dinner ahead of time to avoid awkward moments or hunger...

Sainte-Mère-Église is certainly worth a visit for the Paratrooper museum.

I had heard that the tank collection at Catz had been sold off, but it seems to still be in operation - https://www.normandy-victory-museum.com/index.php/fr/ - if its anything like it was they had an extensive range of American vehicles in running condition, and a couple of German suprises.

There are a whole load of tiny roadside musuems, we didn't bother on our trip with them as they looked way smaller than the 5euro admission fee would suggest they were worth. Maybe the Deadmans Corner Museum between Carentan and Sainte-Mère-Église would be worth a visit out of the pile of "looks like a single room full of metel detector finds" type of estabishments going around?

Don't bother with the Juno Beach museum, unless you want to see a building loaded full of laughably one sided French Canadian anti-British propaganda - the DD sherman in the area is more interesting on its own. It is a pity as it really politicises the Canadian contribution to the war as a crusade of the Québécois ("who were forced into the war by their evil British colonial masters" - I sh*t you not, I read that sentiment in several places in that museum) to help their French cousins, and does a massive dis-service to the motivations of the rest of their countrymen in my opinion...

I shall be in Honfleur 6th and 7th June. Hope to see some of the commemorations.

Bit of a disaster. The car broke down half way down the M6 at sandbach.
So managed to get it going and drive back home. That was fun driving 6hrs to sandbach services and back. So now swapping cars and trying again. Hopefully have more luck this time!

Thanks for advice will check them out.

Oh no Will that is a nightmare it's a little bit ironic though as you spend hours fine tuning your trucks and making them bullet proof and then your car goes and breaks down glad you have a backup mate, hope the rest of the trip runs smoothly for you

Cheers, Lee.

Model Builder 4 wrote:Oh no Will that is a nightmare it's a little bit ironic though as you spend hours fine tuning your trucks and making them bullet proof and then your car goes and breaks down glad you have a backup mate, hope the rest of the trip runs smoothly for you

Cheers, Lee.

We managed to get to Reading. So Kent tomorrow

Not that far to go to Kent tomorrow then Will, glad you got it sorted

Cheers, Lee.

Model Builder 4 wrote:Not that far to go to Kent tomorrow then Will, glad you got it sorted

Cheers, Lee.

Hopefully, so far 700+ miles done in order to do the first 350 haha

American Speedfestival @ Brands Hatch tomorrow first all day then to the ferry.
We like to be busy on our holidays, but always good to start a holiday with sound of a million v8s

On way down today on the motorway we saw a few WIllys Jeep & other manor of WW2 military vehicles being trailored down the road. So heres hoping we get to see a good few collections of vehicles heading to the ferry.

Brands Hatch, one of my favourite race circuits Will, been there a lot as a spectator and also been lucky enough to ride around there a few times too I hope you'll be posting lots of pics of your adventures on your return

Cheers, Lee.

You are all way more geographically advantaged than I am
Will be an unforgettable time there.

For the Normandy tank museum, it has been closed in 2016 and all the collection was sold by auctions. Now, it is an another museum "Normandy victory museum" who is open since 1 or 2 years. I don' t visited this museum for moment, because somebody say than there is a lot of mistakes.

I m agree with you about Overlord museum. It is maybe THE museum to do. Impressive collection (Famo and Borgward in running condition, Panzer IV, Sdkfz 251, a damaged Panther under a Strabokran etc...). And tomorrow ( june 3), a new part of the museum of 700m2 will open, with new materials ( I don' t know what). Normally, I will visiting the museum next friday.

If you are going to visit Normandy next weekend. Visit Overlord museum, because the Saumur tank museum has send 1 Panther and the new Panzer IV during june 7,8,9. Normally, several running demos per day.

The Panther and Panzer IV can be seen at Normandy victory museum few days before going to Overlord Museum.

Too bad, for me, because I m going in Normandy only friday, because the rest of the weekend, I m going to Saumur museum for the annual model contest..........., but with friends.

For Arromanches museum, it is an old museum, but the big model of the mulberry can explain how works the artificial harbor. And you have a view on the Phoenix caissons (nearly destroyed by the sea).

For people who wants to see a beast (but need to drive 1 hour), you have the Vimoutiers Tiger to see!!!

For me, it will be a pleasure to show you some places about DDay. But not next weekend, and with less people to drive normally...