History of the museum
A must-see museum on the theme of the Second World War
The NORMANDY VICTORY MUSEUM is one of the most important museums in Normandy on the theme of the Second World War. If it deserves a detour, it is because it deals in detail with the Battle of the Hedges which took place during the summer of 1944 in the Normandy bocage. An event that deserved to have an entire museum dedicated to it because it was so important, so strategic, and left such a lasting impression on the memory of the locals and the soldiers involved in the battle. This is where the history of the museum begins.
The Normandy Victory Museum’s origin
Three men driven by the same passion: the history of the Second World War
The Normandy Victory Museum is the result of the meeting in 2016 of three history enthusiasts: Patrick Fissot, history professor (and author of several books including “D-Day, 70 jours pour libérer la Manche“). Christophe Beaussire, entrepreneur and Nicolas Bellée, chartered accountant. Three collectors animated by the same desire, to make known the Battle of the hedges, major event of the Second World War which marked so much their department and to pay homage to those who fought courageously to deliver the Manche dpt from the German yoke, military as well as civil.
A personal historical heritage at the service of the public
Patrick Fissot and Nicolas Bellée are already great collectors when they join forces for this great museum project. Their respective personal collections are impressive and between 2004 and 2014, they put together a few large temporary exhibitions that earned them recognition from the community and the public. Building on these successes, they began to mature a museum project in 2015.
In 2016, they were joined by Christophe Beaussire, entrepreneur, and also a passionate collector of military vehicles. He owns a building in the town of Catz (Carentan-les-marais) which will be the ideal place to install the collections of the three men and make them available to a large public.
June 2, 2017, inauguration of the Normandy Victory Museum in the presence of General Poppas
On May 19, 2017 after long months of effort, the museum opens to the public and it is on June 02, 2017 that the inauguration of the Normandy Victory Museum will take place in the presence of General Poppas, commander of the 101st American Airborne Division. A presence rich in symbolism as we know the importance of this airborne division which liberated the city of Carentan in June 44.
A museum that has won over its public
The work and the passion of a whole team paid off and the figures show a public conquered by the theme of the museum and the way of presenting this important period of the local history during the Second World War.
- 2017: 10,000 visitors
- 2018: nearly 20,000 visitors
- 2019: nearly 35,000 visitors, including a growing number of school children.
- 2020/2021: despite the crisis, the number of visitors has been maintained thanks to French and some European tourists and we thank them.
- 2022: return to pre-Covid attendance levels.
Encouraged by these statistics and the very positive feedback from our visitors, the museum team continues to improve its museum tour and to imagine new activities for our public.
Mars 2020, a brutal stop and a battle to be fought
This beginning of 2020, will have shown us how fragile man is and how great he can be in adversity. The Covid crisis was an ordeal such as our generation and that of our children have never known. It allowed us to touch a small part of what our elders experienced during the Second World War and forbade us to give up.
That year, the museum was not able to reopen as planned at the end of March, but we continued to work: improvement of the museum’s scenes, development of the exteriors, enrichment of our collections, postponement of conferences, organization of virtual ceremonies such as “Les clochers de la Liberté” (The bells of Freedom) or “The June 6 Drive”.
We also redesigned the website and set up an online reservation system that allowed us to welcome the public as soon as we were authorized. Unfortunately the health situation forced us to close again and to reduce our team but we continued to prepare the reopening: redesign this time of our E-commerce website (to find online all the products sold in the store), layout and decoration of the museum entrance, finishing touches in the Greenfield Room for cultural events and professional and private meetings.
2021, we were looking forward to the return of our visitors and they came back
On our side, projects continued to bloom. The store has been redesigned. The Greenfield Room was completed and since then, it has been used for a variety of business and private events.
In 2022: the museum celebrated its fifth anniversary.
The museum has evolved a lot since 2017 and the constantly increasing number of visitors and their enthusiastic reviews show us that we have been able to meet your expectations and confirm to us that it is necessary to always improve and surprise our visitors. That is why in 2022 we have installed two new scenographies.
An authentic landing barge and a testimonial film
It’s a big and audacious job to bring an authentic landing barge into our little museum! But it has entered and is now integrated into the tour. Walkers are invited to go inside and then to sit down to watch a few minutes of film made especially for the museum. In an original format, mixing archive images and animations, we discover the testimony of Bill Parker, one of the first soldiers to have landed at Omaha Beach. A realization that makes the film accessible to all spectators.
A P-47 Thunderbolt, in the museum
It was part of the recognizable elements of the museum. the P-47 which was parked outside, also entered the museum. It was actually a life-size model, made by an artist, Patrik Letouzé, and we were worried about its conservation. That’s why we installed it indoors, protected from the elements. From now on, the P-47 is highlighted in a crash scene in the middle of the Normandy countryside. This painting was created by several members of the museum’s team who were able to stage it with subtlety and respect for historical details.
The “Portraits of Veterans” exhibition grows each year
This exhibition by Florent Plana, tour guide and author of nearly 900 interviews with World War II veterans, was set up in 2021. In addition to the photo portraits and written testimonials, there are now videos installed in various places in the museum. In addition, Florent regularly travels to the United States to interview other veterans and “bring them in” to the Normandy Victory Museum
Deployment of the free audioguide application
The entire course can now be followed on a smartphone. Each scene has a Qr code that you just have to flash to read or listen to the description in different languages. The application also offers additional content for the most curious of our visitors and some small games to entertain the youngest.
Easy to use: the visitor just has to scan a Qr code which leads him directly to the application then he is guided. Headphones are required to hear the audio notes and for those who have forgotten them, the museum offers headphones at cost price (1€)
A new activity: historical tours in a World War II vehicle (DODGE WC51)
Florent Plana collaborates once again with the museum and this allows us to offer you two commented tours around the museum.
The first tour “In the footsteps of the 9th Air Force” takes visitors in small groups in a vintage military vehicle (Dodge WC 51) to the side of the A10 Airfield (American military airfield) for a 40-minute guided tour. The second circuit “On the tracks of the 101st Airborne” follows in the footsteps of the 101st Airborne around Carentan, for a 1h15 guided tour.
In 2023
A new decoration for the “Liberated Avranches” scenography
Our decorator, Frédéric Rauline, created a dummy facade entirely by hand representing a typical building in La Manche during the Second World War. We have integrated authentic elements collected in the field by our historian Patrick Fissot.
“Jean Gabin, la guerre c’est pas du cinéma”. An exceptional exhibition that we are proud to host from April 1 to November 5, 2023
An exhibition that narrates the incredible journey and commitment of the icon of French cinema, Jean Gabin, during the Second World War. Dozens of personal items will be presented as well as unpublished photos and archives but also a tank like the one he led. Many events will punctuate this exhibition which will welcome on many occasions, the son of Jean Gabin, Mathias Moncorgé who allowed the organization of this event. Find all the information about the Jean Gabin exhibition here.
Our team
A small team 100% passionate
- Patrick FISSOT (Founder)
- Christophe BEAUSSIRE (Founder)
- Nicolas BELLEE (Founder)
- Godefroy BEAUSSIRE (Director of the museum)
- Elsemiek Dekker (Head of reception and store)
- Frédéric RAULINE (Decorator of the museum)
- Florent Plana (Dodge tours and veteran exhibitions)
- Cécile JEANNE (Webmaster, in charge of digital and print projects)
- And our interns and seasonal workers.
Push the door of the Normandy Victory Museum
To discover these treasures of our heritage, the exceptional lives of these famous or unknown heroes and heroines. To pass on to your children… push the door of the Normandy Victory Museum. And so you don’t have to wait, reserve your skip-the-line tickets now (undated tickets – cancellation possible at any time).