“The mission was simple: isolate Cherbourg. The execution? Anything but.”
In the days following the D-Day landings, American forces faced a race against time—and terrain. Their objective: cut off the Cotentin Peninsula, a vital piece of Normandy jutting into the English Channel, and capture the deep-water port of Cherbourg.
This tour isn’t about grand speeches or iconic beach landings. It’s about mud-soaked boots, hedgerow firefights, and the unshakable grit of the American infantry who clawed their way through unforgiving countryside to outflank the Germans and sever their hold on the region.
Welcome to our personalized guided tour: “American Infantry in Normandy: Cutting the Cotentin.”
The Forgotten Fight: From Utah Beach to Cherbourg
While the beaches of Normandy are often front and center in WWII history, the campaign inland is where the outcome of the invasion truly hung in the balance.
After landing at Utah Beach, American forces of the VII Corps, including the 4th, 9th, and 79th Infantry Divisions, launched an aggressive drive across the base of the peninsula. Their mission was to isolate German forces to the north and prevent reinforcements from pouring into the fight.
It wasn’t fast. It wasn’t clean. But it was essential.
Tour Highlights – What You’ll Explore
Utah Beach to Sainte-Mère-Église
We’ll begin where it all started—Utah Beach—and trace the path inland toward the airborne landing zones. You’ll learn how coordination between the paratroopers and infantry helped secure a strong foothold for the push west.
Montebourg – The Gateway to the North
The fight for Montebourg was fierce. We’ll walk the same roads and farmlands where American troops encountered entrenched German resistance and began the bloody process of choking off German supply lines to Cherbourg.
Chef-du-Pont & Pont l’Abbé
These strategic crossing points over the Merderet River played a crucial role in moving men and equipment forward. Your guide will unpack how terrain, timing, and tactical brilliance helped secure these vital links.
Hill 122 & the Battle for Forests and Fields
High ground meant everything in the bocage country. At places like Hill 122, the Americans faced machine-gun fire from camouflaged bunkers, mortar barrages from unseen foes, and the suffocating maze of hedgerows. We’ll explore how infantry units adapted to close-quarters combat and invented new tactics on the fly.
Cherbourg Approaches – Fortresses on the Cliffs
As the noose tightened, German defenders dug in around Cherbourg, hoping to delay the inevitable. You’ll visit the outskirts of the city and see remnants of fortifications where infantry units pushed through mines, artillery, and bunkers to capture this key objective on June 26, 1944.
A Personalized Journey Through Courage
At D-Day Your Way, we tailor every tour to fit your interests, background, and curiosity. Want to focus on the experiences of a specific division, like the 4th Infantry or the engineers who cleared roads under fire? Interested in tracing the route of a family member who served in Normandy? We make it happen.
We don’t just show you where the battles happened—we bring the story to life, from tactical decisions to personal acts of valor that never made the headlines.
Experience the True Grind of Victory
This tour is for those who want to understand the hard-fought campaign beyond the beaches—the relentless push through hedgerows, the struggle against weather, geography, and a stubborn enemy. It’s a tribute to the quiet, determined infantrymen who turned the tide not in a single day, but in a brutal, relentless campaign.
Ready to Walk the Line?
Book your “Cutting the Cotentin” tour today and step into the shoes of the American infantry who didn’t just land in Normandy—they conquered it.
Let’s craft a personalized tour that brings their journey—and your connection to it—to life.
Because history is better when it’s not just told—it’s felt.