This new statue honouring General Dwight D Eisenhower was erected for the 80th anniversary of D-Day celebrations in June 2024. It stands in the town square opposite the famous church with the paratrooper dummy suspended from its spire.
The plinth which stands next to the stature reads: 'General Dwight D Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, conveyed the magnitude of Operation Overlord when he gave the order to invade Normandy on D-Day. It would be the defining moment of World War II in the European Theater.
'By land, air and sea, the Allies surged into France and began the 11-month great crusade to defeat Nazi Germany.
'Eisenhower, who would go on to serve two terms as President of the United States, led with accountability, humility, heart and head. Should the mission fail, he stood ready to take full responsibility.
'A life member of American Legion Post 39 in Abilene, Kansas, Eisenhower made some of the 20th Century's most important decisions, including the June 6, 1944, order to launch history's largest amphibious assault, behind the courage, training and determination of all who served under his command.'