Normandy Victory Museum, Museum in Catz, Carentan-les-Marais, France

The Normandy Victory Museum is a private museum in Catz, a delegated commune of Carentan-les-Marais, on the site of the former A10 Airfield. Its long, low building has a light grey stone facade with a dark band reading "NORMANDY VICTORY MUSEUM" above tall, narrow bays of dark glass and doorways. Inside, nearly 2,000 m² of exhibition space holds over 15,000 authentic objects, including weapons, uniforms, vehicles and personal items, arranged in chronological scenes from the declaration of war to the reconstruction after the Battle of the Hedges.

Three Normandy enthusiasts, Christophe Beaussire, Patrick Fissot and Nicolas Bellée, initiated the museum, which opened to the public on 19 May 2017 and was inaugurated on 1 June 2017 in the presence of General Poppas of the 101st Airborne Division. It stands on the former A10 Airfield, laid out by the US 826th Engineer Aviation Battalion from 14 June 1944 and operational from 26 June to 4 November 1944, after which the land was returned to its farmers.

The museum is in Catz, a delegated commune of Carentan-les-Marais, on the Cotentin peninsula. Its name refers to the victory that followed the Normandy landings. Each year it holds two commemorative events: the D-Day anniversary and the end of the Battle of the Hedges, with the Cobra 44 festival. A thematic exhibition covers the role of women during the Second World War.

The exhibition hall covers nearly 2,000 m², with scenes arranged chronologically from the 1939 declaration of war to the reconstruction after the Battle of the Hedges. Outside, a genuine Bailey bridge and period vehicles and equipment stand in the grounds. The site lies at Catz, in the Carentan-les-Marais area between Omaha and Utah beaches.

Outside the museum stands a genuine Bailey bridge, alongside period vehicles and equipment. The site was the A10 Airfield, a 1,524-metre runway built by the US 826th Engineer Aviation Battalion from 14 June 1944 and operational from 26 June to 4 November 1944. A stele on the former airfield honours the men who fought there.