ITEM DESCRIPTION

To mark the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings, Monnaie de Paris is minting a collection paying tribute to the soldiers of the four major Allied nations. Through four singular destinies, French commandos, British airborne troops and American and Canadian infantrymen are honored in this historic collection.

James is an American officer in the 1st Infantry Division. He landed on Omaha Beach, nicknamed "Bloody Omaha". Here, he poses in front of the beach at the end of the day. In the background, you can see the bunkers, as well as the many landing crafts and ships out to sea to support the beachhead.

On June 6, 1944, the 16th Infantry Regiment landed at 6:30 a.m. in Normandy, in front of Colleville-sur-Mer. But German resistance was extremely strong and the Americans were on the brink of disaster. Their losses were immense.

But they didn’t lose heart, and break through the Atlantic Wall!

The reverse of these coins depicts a spiral of all the Allied nations that took part in the landings, whether on land, sea or in the air. The stars under the flags are also a tribute to the Liberty Road, the milestones marking the route taken by the 3rd American Army to liberate France, as far as Luxembourg.

• Limited minting of 10000