« System D-[DAY]. When norman peasants reuse military equipment from World war II »

New exhibition in 2024 for the 80th anniversay of the DDAY

Get ready to delve into an unknown history, full of ingenuity : that of Norman peasants during and after the Second World War.

The daily life of civilians during the Second World War

Beyond the famous June 6, 1944, and the parachute drops that made the reputation of Sainte-Mère-Eglise, the farm-museum examines the lives of civilians during this war and the Reconstruction period that followed. Indeed, after 6 years of deprivation, shortages, and rationing, civilians showed a lot of inventiveness to transform war materials.

Abundance and modernity of military equipment

After the D-Day and the Battle of Normandy, the population benefited from the significant supply of raw materials to reuse them in farms or in daily life. Thus, for example, a helmet becomes a grain measure, a gas mask case becomes a milk pot, an American parachute becomes a blouse…

What do these objects, witnesses of a troubled and painful period for the Normans, who paid a heavy tribute for Freedom, tell us ?

Today, what remains of this equipment in the landscape of Manche?

Some military elements are still used in fields 80 years after the D-Day, including at the farm-museum ! Keep your eyes open while exploring the surrounding countryside.

A visit guide in english is available on request from the museum reception desk.

In connection with this exhibition, the Azeville battery offers a photo tour « War and fields. The reuse of military equipment in the landscape of Manche. »

The museum offers various activities related to the exhibition during summer.