Maisy Battery

Oh yes, don't skip this great stop! We added this last minute and so glad we did. Tons of cool walk-through bunkers, great artillery, boat, super friendly staff... Very family friendly as well... Take a look through the gift shop, support the restoration & rememberance cause. Crazy to think this was untouched for so long. Our guys were brilliant beyond their time.

We visited with our two teenage boys and it was a great experience. You get to walk through all the old buildings and really get a taste for the history. And it’s very cool that they are continuing to uncover and preserve more of it. Also purchased an allied WWII helmet as a souvenir. Highly recommend as an alternative to the museums and major tourist attractions!

I really enjoyed the visit to Maisy Battery and found it very interesting. We had a nice welcome from the lady at reception. The only negatives were that the toilets were most possibly in the top ten of the worst that I have ever seen - not an accolade to strive for - appearing to have never ever been cleaned. Also, we had a heavy breathing/snorting dog following us for the first part, which was irritating and felt inconsiderate to us. Other dog owners seemed far more respectful in passing by us at the tight spots, keeping their dogs quiet etc.

What an interesting site. Well preserved and much more left undiscovered. It was so cool to walk those paths and get inside many of the bunkers. Highly recommend!

August 2024:

This is a must if you want to see and feel what it would have been like to have been a German gunner defending this area, There are 4 Howitzers gun positions with three of the huge 155mm guns still in situ. So glad we found this place. How anyone can score this less than 5 because of the toilet or mud is beyond my comprehension.

Absolutely no disrespect to the tank on display outside the Utah Museum that's had 40+ coats of gloss over the 80 years, the buildings and war machinery here are in "as found condition".

No offence meant here, I just have to say my bit when people criticise unfairly especially when it's such an emotive subject, as this is !

Well done to EVERYONE involved in providing this opertunity.

Edit: there's a great review by Ann Morris lower down June '23

I purposefully didn’t take a ton of pictures.. because MORE people NEED to SEE this place IN PERSON. What a fascinating cover up by… many people. I’m not the biggest conspiracy theorist but this spot offers a ton to be curious about. Approx 1/3 of the bunkers have been uncovered and restored.. fascinating that we don’t hear more about the Maisy Battery!! Go and see for yourself!!

10 out of 10 for the experience today at Maisy Battery. Not only was this a true reflection of the layout and distances, but the true history of this location was an amazing find. I would highly recommend this to as a sight for anyone. Of note - wear sensible shoes, but you are advised of this by staff on arrival.
Karen in the ticket office and her husband were both welcoming and knowledgeable. After a week in Normandy, this has been the highlight of our 5 days.

I was very exited to come here as I love to learn about WWII, and this was my favorite part of my trip to France. I came here on the 5th of June and found there to be a German reenactment for D-Day going on in the middle of the place! (See pictures below) Be prepared for a few patches of mud, but nothing to be concerned about. I was able to go into all the bunkers I could find, and it was really cool inside! (Most had lights that would activate by sensing movement for dark spaces but I would still have my phone light on.) After I was done touring the place, I went to their gift shop (Mostly War Militaria) and bought some items (See Below) for a great price!

-I suggest to bring your kids here as there are a couple small spaces I found fun to crawl into.
-Very nice staff, while I was there, the workers spoke good English, and supply you with a map of the compound.
-I felt like my 8 Euros was well worth it
-Really close to GrandCamp-Maisy so stop by if you’re near!

A new dday site having only been discovered in 2006 but provides a fascinating insight to a less well known aspect of D day. It is still being further excavated and well worth a visit, gives a bit of an idea what it was like to defend from the Allies and see how hard an established battery would have been to overcome

Crazy this place was forgotten for 60 years before being dug up. This place has history, and it's crazy to see what the earth will do if left alone. As American coming here gives chills to know about 80 years ago, this was whole complex and ammo, and during d day, this play was firing on Utah Beach... while paratroopers assaulted it...

Re-Enactment!! DDay 80th Anniversary. June
2024. We were amazed at the depth of the authenticity these actors/re-enactors showed us. It is a well preserved German offensive position that overlooks the beaches and has eyes on all the landing sites and the approches from England. These guys hammered the allies. The life here was not comfy. I’d say miserable! But we learned a lot about their technology - the radio specifically - and the ‘pass’ which was given to soldiers when they had time off was a great way to experience the level of control they all lived under.

Amazing! Walk through the trenches and see the fortified positions of the German artillery. Believe it's 3k worth of trenches you can walk in.

Make this one of your ‘must visits’ of your trip to Normandy.
It has been extremely well restored after being buried for 60 years!
It’s a fascinating place, so much insight to the German defence emplacements.
Well done to those who have, and continue, to work so hard to make it an interesting experience.
Use the handy map to guide you around, there are information display boards too.
FYI there are picnic tables for you to bring your own, but no refreshments available there.

I loved this place. It's non-commercial and authentic. It's old. And it shows. That's what makes it so real.

Much more to see than our last visit (2015) Being Welsh it was a treat to find the people who let us in were originally living 10 miles from my home (Swansea Jacks)

Un tampered with , raw and fascinating. A must see. Not manicured in any way

What a find! Meaning from both the point of view of Mr Sterne, who quite literally uncovered this site, & on mine and my husband's for getting there this trip. It's a place that's caused & is still causing, much theorising & controversy - so it was always on the to-do list, especially as we were staying 3 minutes down the road in Gefosse Fontenay.

The mystery surrounding the very existence & ultimate secrecy of the Maisy battery is still very much up in the air. But perhaps this layer of cover-up just goes to add to the overall 'vibe' and raw quality of the place, a quality that that is disappointingly missing from other sites such as Pointe du Hoc to name just one, now that access is 99% restricted & you're forced to follow the herd & take photos at designated spots only. It's the freedom, the untapped possibility, & the quiet reverence of Maisy that sets it apart.

So no, there are no mannequins here thank goodness! There are no disruptive audio displays or pristinely mocked-up rooms, no meddling or messing. Perhaps this is just me, but I feel that these cliches of the museum leg of the tourist trail just serve to detract from the location. They're great for an actual museum, brilliant, the more the merrier, but for the actual location.... not for me. You can't feel what's happened somewhere (and surely that's why you're there?) if all your senses are being ambushed by mock-ups & glossy, noisy displays. Maisy is the perfect example of beautiful rawness, & whilst the artefacts found there will at some point be on display in a museum, it's fantastic to explore the site in its current state.

We visited three times during the 79th anniversary of D-Day, & and (obviously) there was something that drew us back. Not only the unpolished tracks and explorable bunkers, but the friendly & welcoming staff too. Many thanks to Lorna & her lovely colleague! On our final trip the day we went home, we were allowed to observe a short but emotional ceremony, the 10th June being the 79th anniversary of the liberation of the battery.

Thanks to all for allowing access to such an important, fascinating & respectful location... we aim to be back!

Great site to visit. If you like the manicured lawns of Merville or Crisbecq batteries, then you may not find the rugged grittiness of Maisy Battery to your taste. However, if you're open to a more interesting adventure at a site that actually had guns on d-day, then Maisy is just the place. The site is being slowly excavated by a private family, so don't expect a big corporate site. It gets muddy in the rain, so come prepared. Maisy also has a great little shop on site, selling both regular souvenirs and some great authentic items. If you're lucky, you might get to meet Emma, who works behind the counter. She is both extremely helpful and very knowledgeable. Allow 1.5 hours for your visit.

I visited Maisy Battery while on a trip to Normandy. It was - by far - the best preserved battle site that I visited on my trip. If you want to see renovated sites and batteries along the Atlantikwall, they are plentiful, but none will capture the historic feel as Maisy Battery. Gary has done an excellent job as preserving the site how it would have looked during the invasion, while adding small “conveniences” to allow tourists to walk through the same trenches the Germans did. There is also a fine collection of artifacts and weaponry near the start to walk around and touch. The battery is well worth the admission price. It is not handicap accessible and you won’t find concrete paths, so wear appropriate shoes as it can get a little dirty after a heavy rain. Gary is doing what he can to address the flooding issues, but keep in mind where you are and the experience you are getting from viewing this battery. I hope that more elements of this battery are uncovered and that it only grows. For now, it’s a must-hit item on your Normandy trip! Thanks for the memories!

Great bit of history. Little bit of water & mud on the paths which added to the experience for me. Lovely lady in the pay booth really helpful. (Plus she loved our Triumph motorcycles) Just go there!