Normandy
Liberty Road - Milestone 00 - Utah Beach
Liberty Road - La Voie de la Liberté
Liberty Road - Voie de la Liberté, a lasting commemoration of the Liberation of France!
Colonel Guy Vasselais is behind this Road that links Sainte-Mère l'Eglise to Bastogne in Belgium and was inaugurated on September 18, 1944.
The Liberty Road marks the route the 3rd US Army of General Patton and the French 2nd DB (armoured division) followed in 1944 during the Operation Cobra.
The historic breakthrough in the Cotentin Peninsula resulted in the liberation of Avranches on July 30, 1944 and suddenly changed the dynamics of the battle.
The breakthrough from Normandy to Metz - in Eastern France - took 54 days.
The Borne 00 - Milestone 00 is located on Utah Beach.
It marks the spot where General Theodore Roosevelt Jr. landed and decided to lead the assault from.
The Borne 0 - Milestone 0 is located in front of Sainte-Mère l'Eglise town hall.
These two milestones commemorate the inauguration of the road Utah Beach - Sainte-Mère-l'Eglise.
The milestones, sculpted by François Cogné, are placed at an interval of 1Km along the Liberty Road.
Milestone of the Liberty Road
Each milestone is 1.20m tall and weighs 435kgs.
A crown of 48 stars symbolizing the 48 states of America (Alaska and Hawaii joined in 1959) marks their top.
The four red sections placed beneath the stars represent the four sections of the Road to Freedom:
1- Sainte-Mère-l'Eglise-Cherbourg
2- Sainte-Mère-l'Eglise-Avranches
3- Avranches-Metz
4- Metz-Luxembourg-Bastogne
The name and inauguration date of the road is printed in blue, just above the Torch of Liberty.
The torch is embossed with the emblem of General Patton's 3rd US Army.
The milestone's base is blue and symbolizes the waves of the Atlantic Ocean.
A white plate, located at the rear of the milestone, indicates its number and mileage.
N.B. Michelin has a great map, which you can buy online, for those who want to follow the Liberty Road circuit.
War Memorials in:
Juno Beach: Bernieres-sur-mer - Corseulles-sur-mer - Graye-sur-mer - Douvres-la-Delivrande
Gold Beach: Arromanches - Ver-sur-mer
Sword Beach: Ouistreham-Riva Bella
The other Landing Beaches: Sword - Gold - Juno - Omaha
Coordinates:
Milestone 00 on Utah Beach: Lat 49.413386 - Long -1.173743
Milestone 0 in Sainte Mère l'Eglise: Lat 49.409693 - Long -1.318452
Beny-sur-mer Canadian War Cemetery near Juno Beach
D-Day 75th Anniversary Commemorations – We were there!
La Cambe German War Cemetery
Sword Beach War Memorials
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