Explore World War II overseas American cemeteries with new mobile apps

New free mobile apps can take you on a tour of two of World War II’s most enduring landmarks: the American cemeteries in Britain and France.

With your smartphone or mobile device, you can explore the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer in France and the Cambridge American Cemetery in Cambridge, England.

You can search on grave sites for individual soldiers and access maps as well as find driving directions and visiting times. Whether or not you are traveling to the sites, you can see photos and learn the stories of the soldiers who fought and died.

The Normandy American Cemetery holds the graves of more than 9,387 military members and lists the names of 1,557 missing in action.

Most of the soldiers buried there died during the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944, the decisive offensive that marked a turning point in the war and ultimately led to the Allies defeating Germany.

The Cambridge American Cemetery holds the burial sites of more than 3,800 war dead and records the names of an additional 5,127 missing in action. Most buried here died in the Battle of the Atlantic (1939 to 1945) and in air battles in northern Europe.

The apps were created by the American Battle Monuments Commission, which oversees American cemeteries and memorials abroad.

To download the apps, go to the Cambridge American Cemetery in iTunes or Google Play and the Normandy American Cemetery in iTunes and Google Play.