Bloody Battle For Normandy

 Two extraordinary paintings hang together here in the Normandy section of the World War Two gallery at the War Museum. Invasion Pattern Normandy is by Eric Aldwinkle, depicting the air perspective of the D-Day landings. D-Day: The Assault is from the point of view of those on the beach itself fighting their way from the water. Orville Fisher was a commissioned Canadian war artist who had the peculiar distinction of being the only war artist who landed on the beaches of Normandy that day. While everyone else was fighting around him, he took out his pencil and waterproof sketchpad, and started to sketch what was happening. 

The quotes here speak volumes of that day. By the end of the day, Canadian soldiers had pushed further inland than their British and American counterparts.

A door leads out onto a balcony. The visitor gets a look at the Lebreton Gallery below, where tanks and other military equipment from a variety of countries and eras is to be found. A guide was speaking with visitors.

The Normandy campaign became a vicious one for the Allies.