NORMANDY, France - In 2009, Europe will commemorate the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, and Americans the 65th anniversary of D-Day. To deepen our understanding of the Normandy campaign, we took a battlefields tour of the D-Day landings in Normandy, led by a seasoned historian. Because the tour company is Britain-based and caters mainly to an English clientele, the itinerary included museums and memorials portraying the roles of both countries in the liberation of Europe. Because we wanted to understand more of the American story, we were accompanied by a private guide who customized the experience.

LA POINTE DU HOC

Standing at La Pointe du Hoc memorial on a cliff 100 feet above Omaha and Utah beaches where American and British forces landed on June 6, 1944, it's difficult to fathom the dangers they faced and the courage required to free France. The memorial is a massive granite sculpture symbolizing the dagger carried by the 2nd Ranger Battalion, who scaled the cliffs to beat back the German defensive.

"Not only did the terrain prove unsuitable for the grappling hooks and fire ladders with which the Rangers planned to scale the cliffs, but their boats almost landed in the wrong place," our guide Tony Lea explained. "By the time they reached the top and secured the Pointe, Nazi artillery had picked off all but 90 of the Rangers."

At the same time, the offensive on the beach was being spearheaded by rank-and-file soldiers instead of the officers trained to lead them. As the dead mounted, it was clear that the loss of officers was disproportionate to the number of enlisted men killed.

"This was German strategy," Lea told us. "They tried to sabotage the invasion by taking out a layer of command - they simply targeted those men who were wearing helmets decorated with stripes and other indications of high rank."

As the number of officer casualties mounted, leaving the troops floundering in indecision, the rank-and-file assumed leadership. One private who worked in the regimental Post Exchange turned on-the-job knowledge to a great advantage. Having delivered mail to the men, he knew all of their names. The personal touch - being able to address them as individuals - turned the focus on action rather than fear. They followed him over the sea wall away from the massacre.

NORMANDY AMERICAN CEMETERY VISITOR CENTER

Eight miles from Pointe du Hoc, the inspirational Normandy American Cemetery Visitor Center is the somber resting place of American soldiers that died during the D-Day campaign and a vivid testimony to their courage. D-Day films, interactive exhibits, artifacts and interviews put a human face on war and make it relevant to all those who come to remember.

Like the Guggenheim museums, the impact of the center's architecture is on par with its contents and stands as a suitable complement to the cemetery just beyond its doors. The glass-walled lobby sets the tone of solemnity immediately with a mesmerizing view of the D-Day beaches and a reflecting pool linking the site to the English Channel on the horizon.

On the bottom level are three galleries appropriately named Competence, Courage and Sacrifice, and a small theater. In the Sacrifice gallery, a recording reads out the alphabetized names of the 9,387 heroes who will never return. Here you come face to face with a likeness of many of those named; their portraits are etched above a glass panel recounting the heroics of those caught up in war - nurses, Medal of Honor recipients, fathers and sons, and the four Niland brothers on whom "Saving Private Ryan" is based.

From the cemetery we walked down to the beaches. Partially hidden in the rutted earth and camouflaged by the tall grass are the remains of German bunkers and the massive craters formed by naval fire. Though it can be tricky going here, the dodgy footing didn't seem to deter those who had come to honor the fallen.

From the beach we could still see a surviving segment of Mulberry Harbor, a hollow concrete foundation designed as a landing ramp for the Allied forces. Churchill's brainchild, it was built in secret in London docks and towed across the channel to Normandy. Ironically, its engineers never expected it to last beyond its immediate use.

SAINTE MERE EGLISE

Our last stop was Sainte Mere Eglise, where paratroopers of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions landed on the nights of June 5 and 6. Here are two mesmerizing sights: a mannequin representing an American soldier hanging by his parachute from the church tower parapet and the distinctive parachute-shaped roof of the Airborne Museum. The representation is accurate - the American paratrooper did land tangled in the church steeple, but played dead and was later rescued by the villagers.

Don't miss the museum, which features "Battle for Freedom," a moving narrative of the paratrooper landing; a very rare Waco glider, an engineless plane designed as a troop carrier; and its towing vehicle, the Douglas C47.

We left Normandy with a much deeper understanding of how the war was won, and the true meaning of the word "Allies." In the first few days following D-Day, the French had no food to give the GIs. They made up for it by filling their canteens with wine and gratitude.

IF YOU GO

Guided tours to the Normandy battlefields are available by coach, air, minibus and even bicycle. Or you can hire a car and drive yourself.

From the United Kingdom: Companies like Leger Holidays (011 44 845 4585120; www.leger.co.uk) and W.A. Shearings (011 44 1942 824824; www.travel55.co.uk) offer guided coach tours.

By air: Perception Travel Co. offers one-day air tours and private car tours: www.d-daytours.com.

From Paris by rail: www.linkparis.com, 866-427-4882; by bicycle: www.essentialfrance.com, 866-285-8758.

Richard Every and Sheila Sobell are professional travel writers and photographers. Visit their Web site at www.writersobell.com.

Visit Copley News Service at www.copleynews.com.

© Copley News Service