Join us for the Saturday opening of D-Day Conneaut.

D-D-Day Ohio has our very own museum right here in Conneaut. The D-Day Ohio WWII Museum features displays that focus on Conneaut's contributions to the war effort and regional veterans on our handicapped-accessible first floor. The basement display area contains a full-size 1940's kitchen, dining area, living area, sewing area, bedroom and study as well as our gift shop with original 1940's memorabilia. The museum is housed in a 1914 Hungarian Church located five blocks east of Township Park.

Join us for the raising of the Allied Flag and the start of the Saturday events.

Listen and watch as our artillery and tanks fire every hour to solute our veterans.

Developed by Andrew Higgins, the Higgins Boat single handedly chained the course of the war by eliminating the grid lock by allowing commanders to land troops and supplies easily on beachheads. According to Eisenhower, "Andrew Higgins is the man who won the war for us." So notable was the Higgins boat that even Hitler referring to Andrew Higgins as the "New Noah." By the end of the War, Higgins industries would produce some 20,094 Higgins boats for the Allies. Join us at the Conneaut Public Docks, just a short walk from the park, for a free ride in a real historical Higgins Boat.

Witness French freedom fighters as they attempt to sabotage the German troops stationed in their area. The French Resistance played a vital role in the days and hours prior to the D-Day landing by disrupting communications lines and railways.

During the war, keeping moral of the troops up was key. Men and women, many away from home for the first time, needed a break from the horrors and a reminder of what they were fighting for. Thanks to organizations like the USO, many entertainers traveled overseas to entertain our troops; providing them a much needed 'shot in the arm'! Often performing in less-then-glamorous conditions, sometimes on a hood of a jeep or from a back of a truck, these performers were a vital part of keeping our men and women going. Join us as we wait the arrival of the Airborne troops on their way to liberate Foucarville.

Through the night all over the northern coast of France, groups of Airborne soldiers link up and proceed upon their objectives to cut off major intersections and hold cross roads leading from the beaches so that the landing troops could mobilize inland. Some soldiers don't locate their companies until next day as, during the drop, they are scattered across the drop zone and into adjacent areas.

The Airborne portion of the campaign also spread confusion to mislead the German command. The widespread attack, and the use of paradummies (Ruperts) made the initial Allied attack from the air seemed larger and made the Germans think they were being attacked across a wide front. German Command had difficulty mobilizing successful counter attacks because of this mistaken understanding of the breath of the attack. Come watch ast our British reenactors take on the mission of securing the area for the landing teams.

On the night before the landings, hundreds of brave men parashooted behind the lines to help prepair the way for the landing forces. Come learn about Major John Howard and the D-Day British Paratroopers.

Come watch the Commonwealth landing teams train for the impending landings.

Come learn how the Allies created forgeries of much needed documents to aid in the war efforts.

61 Vermessung und Kartenabteilung, German Surveying and Sand Table Demonstration

Prior to the invasion of the beaches of Normandy, extensive reconnaissance was done of the terrain. Detailed "sand table" miniature models (sand tables) were produced with as much detail as possible for the troops. Come and experience the Rangers as they receive last minute briefing about what they may expect in the hours and days that follow.

Cover your ears and find some cover! Join us for a "Q and A" presentation and live-fire (blanks) demonstration of some of the most common infantry weapons wielded by the German forces during the Normandy Invasion and throughout WWII. This demonstration will include the K-98 Mauser, MG-42 machine gun, MP-40 sub-machine gun, and the P-08 or P-38 pistol.

If you are still wondering what the heck that noise is at the top of each hour... make your way to the bluff or beach and watch, hear, and feel the power of WWII era artillery and tanks as they give us a taste of their power. This is a site, and sensation, you won't easily forget.

Communication is key. No cell phones or texting here. With wireless field radio still in its infancy, stringing radio wire was a must in many situations. Come learn how all this state-of-the-art technology was integrated and what required to keep in contact with the men and machines leading the fight to break out from the beaches and into the heart of Normandy and beyond.

The German army was not just made up of Germans. Come and learn about how the Germans utilized consctipts and foreign "volunteers" to fill out their ranks.

Practice, practice, practice. Watch as the Allied Temas demonstrate their rifle skills that will be put to the test very shortly with the invasion of France.

Fix Bayonet's! Watch as our men train and learn the life saving skills of hand to hand combat.

Description: Join for the German training academy and learn about various subjects such as drill, hand and arm signals, tactics, leadership, weapons employment, etc.

Description: Join the Master Gardeners at their booth as they discuss the use of Victory Gardens across America during WWII to aid the war efforts.

Come learn how the tank crews managed the ever present danger of dealing with crew casualties and evacuations.

Watch as the French Resistance perform some limited incursion with their German occupiers.

Ever wonder what "all that stuff" was that you saw the German soldiers wearing or carrying in pictures or all those war movies? Join us as we demonstrate the different uniforms and field equipment issued to the German infantryman during the war. This presentation will also give attendees an interactive and hands-on look into some of the history, evolution, and utility of what the German soldier would take with him into battle.

Allied troops assemble on the Allied parade grounds for the Raising of the Garrison Colors flag raising.

Allied troops spent months in England training for every aspect of the invasion. Watch our platoon demonstration of proper practices and explains what was required for accurate mortar firing.

The 505th parachute Infantry Regiment, originally the 505th Infantry Regiment was activated in July 1942 and was instrumental in pre-landing jumps behind the lines to prepare the way for the invasion. Come watch as they have their briefing and learn more about their training and actions.

Information about troop positions, movement and vulnerabilities were key to a sucessful Allied landing. Come learn how the French Resistance risked everything to gether the vital information needed by the Allies.

Through the night all over the northern coast of France, groups of Airborne soldiers landed gliders and parashooted in and linked up to proceed upon their objectives to cut off major intersections and hold cross roads amd brodges leading from the beaches so that the landing troops could mobilize inland. Learn about these British forces and their battle to take and hold one of the most strategic bridges needed to bring troops and equipment off the beaches.

On the night before the landings, hundreds of brave men parashooted behind the lines to help prepair the way for the landing forces. Come learn about Major John Howard and the D-Day British Paratroopers.

If you are still wondering what the heck that noise is at the top of each hour... make your way to the bluff or beach and watch, hear, and feel the power of WWII era artillery and tanks as they give us a taste of their power. This is a site, and sensation, you won't easily forget.

In 1944 the US Army was segregated. The 320th Barrage Ballon Battalion was an African American United States Army unit that played a crucial roll in protecting the ships and men landing on the beaches. Being the first African American unit to come ashore on D-Day and being the only American barrage ballon unit in France, the sussess of the 320th mission was essential for multiple reasons. Come learn more about their heroic actions and what life was like for these men.

Texting 1944 style: Morse Code. Developed in 1836 by Samuel Morse and Joseph Henry, Morse Code is a way of converting the alphabet into a series of dots and dashes that can be sent long distances over wires or by flashing light to communicate without voice. Come watch as "new recruits" lean the in's and outs of sending, receiving and translating Morse Code messages.

Come and learn about life of Eastern Battalions along the Atlantic Wall.

Join us for a brief service and discussion about the vital roll the Army Chaplains played in WWII.

"Bloody Omaha" it was called. Location of some of the fiercest battles of D-Day. Come learn about those who's who took on this impossible job and cared for the wounded and dying on Omaha and all the other beaches of D-Day.

Come experience "virtual reality" 1944 style! Detailed miniture sand table models were produced to give troops a birds eye view of where they would be fighting. Come lean more about how these models were created and used.

The key to protecting the largest amphibious landing ever attempted was to control the air. Sit in and listen as the Army Air Corps goes over final preparations for the D-Day Invasion.

"Come and learn first hand how the French Resistance and the SAS (Special Air Service) fought an underground war in Occupied France and helped the Allies to win on D-Day.

"Play Ball! With our boys over seas fighing, something had to be done to give those at home some entertainment. The South Bend Blue Sox was a women's professional baseball team who played from 1943 through 1954 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. A founding member, the team represented South Bend, Indiana, and played their home games at Bendix Field. Come lean more about the team and their homefront efforts during the war.

The first "field radio/telephone" was deigned by the US in 1889 but proved too expensive for mass production and adoption. The die was cast however, and by WWI the use of field telephones was commonplace. Unlike the SCR-536 Handie Talkie (we call them walkie talkies), field radios required wire to be run between a phone and a command booth. The task of running these wires and operating these stations fell on the the Signal Corps. Come experience a working WWII communications center and learn just how vital to the success of the invasion they were.

If you are still wondering what the heck that noise is at the top of each hour... make your way to the bluff or beach and watch, hear, and feel the power of WWII era artillery and tanks as they give us a taste of their power. This is a site, and sensation, you won't easily forget.

A historical narrated account of the preparations for the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944 and description of what will take place during our recreation of the landings.

Codenamed Operation Neptune, the largest seaborne invasion in history commenced at 0630 on June 6, 1944.

After months of planning and training, allied infantry and armored divisions began landing along a 50 mile stretch of the Normandy coast in 5 distinct sectors. From west to east, they were: Utah, Omaha, Gold Juno and Sword. (In the D-Day Conneaut historically inspired recreation, our beaches are in reverse order with Sword represented on the west and Utah to the east.)

Nearly 5,000 landing and assault craft, 289 escort vessels, and 277 minesweepers participated in the invasion and almost 160,000 troops crossed the English Channel on D-Day. By the end of June, the Allies had landed some 875,000 men.

The landings were preceded by extensive aerial and naval bombardment and the airborne assault by 24,000 US, British and Canadian paratroopers the night before.

Strong winds blew the landing craft east of their intended positions, particularly at Utah and Omaha. The men landed under heavy fire from gun emplacements overlooking the beaches, and the shore was mined and covered with obstacles such as wooden stakes, metal tripods, and barbed wire, making the work of the beach clearing teams difficult and dangerous.

Casualties were heaviest at Omaha, with its high cliffs while at Gold, Juno, and Sword, several fortified towns had to be cleared through house-to-house fighting.

Members of the 8th Infantry Regiment of the 4th Infantry Division were the first to land on Utah Beach, arriving at 06:30. Their landing craft were pushed to the south by strong currents, and they found themselves about 2,000 yards from their intended landing zone, to a point that was more lightly defended. Officers in the first wave had subsequent waves redirected to this spot because of the light resistance. The initial assault battalions were quickly followed by engineer and demolition teams to remove beach obstacles and clear the area directly behind the beach of obstacles and mines.

Gaps were blown in the sea wall to allow quicker access for troops and tanks. Combat teams began to exit the beach at around 09:00. The 4th Infantry Division landed 21,000 troops at the cost of only 197 casualties.

The capture of Pointe du Hoc, a prominent headland situated between Utah and Omaha, was assigned to two hundred men of 2nd Ranger Battalion. Their task was to scale the 30 yard cliffs and destroy the coastal gun battery located at the top. While under fire from above, the men scaled the cliff, only to discover that the guns had already been withdrawn. The Rangers located the weapons, unguarded but ready to use, in an orchard some 600 yd south of the point, and disabled them with explosives.

Omaha Beach, the most heavily defended beach, was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division and 29th Infantry Division. Strong currents forced many landing craft east of their intended position or caused them to be delayed. Many of the landing craft ran aground on sandbars and the men had to wade 50 to 100 yards in water up to their necks while under fire to get to the beach. Problems clearing the beach of obstructions led to the beachmaster calling a halt to further landings of vehicles at 08:30.

A group of destroyers provided fire support so landings could resume. Exit from the beach was possible only via five heavily defended gullies, and by late morning barely 600 men had reached the higher ground. By noon, as the artillery fire took its toll and the Germans started to run out of ammunition, the Americans were able to clear some lanes on the beaches. They also started clearing the gullies of enemy defenses so that vehicles could move off the beach.

At Gold Beach, high winds made conditions difficult for the landing craft, and the failure of aerial attacks to destroy embrasures and artillery meant that the British soldiers had to land under enfilading fire. An 88mm gun from a casmate emplacement was disabled around 0730 but a second gun continued to take its toll until 1600 when it was destroyed by a tank.

Once upon the beach, infantry began clearing the heavily fortified houses along the shore and advanced on targets further inland. Allied casualties at Gold Beach are estimated at 1,000.

On Juno Beach, rough weather forced the first waves of 3rd Canadian Division soldiers to be delayed until 07:35 and the men arrived ahead of their supporting armor. Several assault companies of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles and The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada took heavy casualties in the opening minutes of the first wave. Exits from the beach were created, but not without difficulty. However, strength of numbers, as well as coordinated fire support from artillery and armored squadrons, cleared most of the coastal defenses within two hours of landing.

The subsequent push inland achieved mixed results because of delays and heavy resistance. When all operations were ordered to halt at 21:00, The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada had reached its D-Day objective and the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division had succeeded in pushing farther inland than any other landing force on D-Day. By nightfall, the contiguous Juno and Gold beachheads covered an area 12 miles wide and 7 miles deep. Casualties at Juno were 961 men.

On Sword Beach, units of the British 2nd Army were began landing at 07:25 am. Resistance on the beach was weak; however, the beach was heavily mined and peppered with obstacles, making the work of the beach clearing teams difficult and dangerous and the windy conditions caused the tide came in more quickly than expected. Yet, within 45 minutes, the fighting had been pushed inland. On the east flank Commando units linked up with British paratroopers by 13:00.

The only significant German counter-attacks on D-Day came at Sword Beach. Starting around 16:00, the 21st Panzer Division made two attacks against the British forces and were not fully neutralized until late evening. By the end of 6 June, the German 716th Infantry Division had been almost entirely destroyed, many having fought to the death.

Estimates of Allied casualties on Sword Beach are as high as 1,000. Though the Allied invasion plans had called for the capture of several towns, with all the beaches (other than Utah) linked with a front line 6 to 10 miles from the beaches these objectives were not achieved.

The five bridgeheads were not connected until 12 June and Caen, a major objective, would not be completely captured until July 21, 1944. Successful Allied deception campaigns, incomplete German fortifications, Allied air superiority and disruptions to the French transportation infrastructure all helped ensure victory in the Normandy campaign. German casualties on D-Day were around 1,000 men. Allied casualties were at least 10,000, with 4,414 confirmed dead.

Join us shortly after the beach battle (to allow for equipment and persons to be collected before presentation) See OST and German POWs escorted off the beach into a POW holding area. Watch as MPs split Germans from Russians and interrogate POWs. See the processing of POWs and the handing out of POW tags. MPs will be on hand to keep order to ensure Russians and Germans stay separated.

Allied troops spent months in England training for every aspect of the invasion. Watch our platoon demonstration of proper practices and explains what was required for accurate mortar firing.

Information about troop positions, movement and vulnerabilities were key to a sucessful Allied landing. Come learn how the French Resistance risked everything to gether the vital information needed by the Allies.

After the epic battle, come and be surprised as our troops make one final presentation in formation for the day.

Through the night all over the northern coast of France, groups of Airborne soldiers link up and proceed upon their objectives—to cut off major intersections and hold cross roads leading from the beaches so that the landing troops could mobilize inland. Some soldiers don't locate their companies until next day as, during the drop, they are scattered across the drop zone and into adjacent areas.

The Airborne portion of the campaign also spread confusion to mislead the German command. The widespread attack, and the use of paradummies (Ruperts) made the initial Allied attack from the air seemed larger and made the Germans think they were being attacked across a wide front. German Command had difficulty mobilizing successful counter attacks because of this mistaken understanding of the breath of the attack.

One of the first engagements with the enemy during the invasion occurred at Fourcarville, a small village a little more than a mile NW of the WXYZ barracks near St. Marin-de-Varreville. The WXYZ Barracks were a key target because they housed the soldiers that manned the costal artillery along the Normandy beaches. Nearby Foucarville is seated at a crossroads that leads from the barracks and other inland points to Utah Beach.

Much of the action at Foucarville occurred at the base of a heavily fortified rise of ground just to the NW of the village. This enemy stronghold became the focal point of much of the fighting as at least 3 planes dropped paratroopers over the German positions at Foucarville.

Several men from Able and Baker companies were taken prisoner. At 0200 on June 6, 1944, Captain Cleveland Fitzgerald (Baker Company) and Lieutenant Harold Hoggard of the 101st Airborne, 502 parachute infantry regiment (under Colonel Cassidy) led a group of 9 men to attack the positions at Foucarville. Because of misdrops and the wide dispersal of personnel during the drop, only a small handful of men could be rallied at that early hour.

Proceeding with what men could be assembled, this party fired on a German sentry posted in the courtyard of a headquarters in the town. Captain Fitzgerald was wounded and, believing the wound fatal, he directed the small party to retire leaving him behind. Later that morning, Lieutenant Swanson(Able Company) led a second attack on the town with a party of approximately 50 men, and set up road blocks in accordance with 1st Battalion’s mission.

The fortified roadblocks, protected by machine guns, bazookas and mines, were to prevent the Germans from moving in and out of the area toward Utah Beach. Throughout the day, soldiers at the roadblocks were under enemy fire from snipers in the town and machine gun positions that the Germans had placed on a platform in a large tree. Yet, as the soldiers of the 101st increase the pressure on the enemy, the Germans gravitate to the fortified hilltop.

Through the day, the captive paratroopers on the fortified hill had been thinking of ways to get free. Ultimately, they decided to try to bluff their German captors. The fortified positions had been scheduled for assault at 2130 by the 1st Battalion and the prisoners had expected to hear heavy fire. However, this had not occurred. The prisoners began checking their watches, whispering to each other, and acting agitated. Eventually curiosity got the better of the Germans who interrogated the prisoners and found that they were anxious because the 377 Parachute Field Artillery was scheduled to begin bombardment of the position at 2230. The position was to be totally destroyed.

Uneasiness about the oncoming bombardment spread to the German garrison and, as the time approached 2200, the Americans were amazed to see white flag raised over position. 87 enemy soldiers surrender, but a die hard group refused to surrender and bolted to the rear of the position. They were caught in the cross fire of the advancing paratroopers, former prisoners, and the advance units of the 4th Infantry Division. About 50 Germans were killed.

All camp related public activities close for the day. Thank you for coming. Please consider leaving a donation with one of our many volunteers on your way out. It's with your support we are able to tell the stoies and honor those who gave so much.

Started in 1941, with a challenge by President Roosevelt for US Service Organizations including the Salvation Army, YMCA, YWCA, National Catholic Community Services, National Travelers Aid Association and the National Jewish Welfare Board to provide a means of  emotional support for troops at home and abroad. USO shows typically included comedians, actress and actors and numerous famous musicians of the day.

Come join us in our final event of D-Day Conneaut -- our USO Salute and dance complete with the fabulous live "Big Band" Madison Jazz Project. You never know who you'll see. Space is limited. 1940s dress is strongly encouraged. Reenactors are free and there is a small admission fee for the public.