When I planned our vacation this year that would include the Normandy beaches, I didn't make the connection that it was the 75th anniversary of June 6, 1944. Being there near this important milestone made it even more meaningful. (Because of the age of the surviving soldiers, this is probably nearly the last of the commemorations that most of them will be able to attend.)
(*I apologize ahead of time for any mistakes in the information I'm sharing here... just repeating what we were told on our tour.)
Leading up to the D-Day events back in 1944, the Allies had a campaign of misinformation to lead the Germans to think that they were going to invade France much further up the coast where the channel from England to France is much narrower. The propaganda was so effective the German commanders didn't believe reports that the invasion was taking place where it did. General Rummel, the German commander in charge of the coast, was even in Paris for his wife's birthday party at the time.
Our first stop was at Longues-sur-Mer battery to see the German bunkers and fortifications there. (We did the Overlord Tours afternoon tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable, and we really enjoyed it.)
There are photos from the war on display as you drive through the town.
Nearby is Omaha Beach, the landing beach where so many lost their lives. It's impossible to convey the vastness of the beach when the tide is out, as it was the morning the invasion occurred. I think of the boys and men crossing that beach, fully exposed to the shots ringing out at them... About 2,500 soldiers died on this beach that morning.
(The one monument there is the rock in the photo - a tribute to the medics that served that day.)
One of the reasons for the soldiers coming onshore during low tide was to expose the traps and barriers that had been erected in the water and along the shore that would be hidden at high tide.
The American Cemetery overlooks the end of the beach.
Moving along the coast to the west is Pointe du Hoc, the place where the first Ranger mission took place as they scaled the cliffs to secure that important point.
On our way back to our hotel that night we stopped by the beach where the British forces landed at Arromanches or Gold Beach. They used these huge structures called a mulberry to create an artificial harbor by connecting them together. There are still some out in the water and this one on the shore that Dave is inspecting.
We found a little cafe to get something to eat and by the time we left, the tide had come in. You can see how dramatically it changes the landscape! That's the mulberry that we had walked around just a little while earlier.
All along the roads you can see tributes to soldiers decorating the region...
The next day we stopped in the tiny town of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont very near Utah Beach. This church has an interesting story that you can read from the sign below...
We walked out onto Utah Beach....
It looks and feels like any ordinary beach until you see photos like this in the museum...
As a scrapbooker and collector of stories and memorabilia, I found the mementos in the museum there particularly moving. These are things found in a US ship that was destroyed. I cried. The sadness is profound.
We also visited Ste-Mère-Église where John Steele, the American paratrooper, became famous of getting hung up on the church as the paratroopers came in on June 5. He hung there for a few hours, pretending he was dead but was eventually captured by the Germans. He escaped though and rejoined his unit and became a legend for this small town!
You can see a mannequin and a parachute hanging up on the side of the church.
I'm so glad I got to see the area when I did. I know that we barely scratched the surface of all there is to see. I'm so thankful for the soldiers and the sacrifice that they and their families made (especially the moms.) The mix of emotions when you are there is very powerful. I wish everyone could visit for themselves.
Such great pictures! The scope of what happened in the area is hard to take in! We came away wanting to study more and go back again!
Posted by: Joey | June 06, 2019 at 07:30 AM
When I visited four years ago, all I could do was weep as I walked among the crosses and thought of what those men ( and the one woman) sacrificed for our freedom. It was overwhelming and honestly I was rendered speechless! Then I visited the museum and was so overcome with a flood of emotions from supreme sadness to a deep sense of gratitude that brought me to more tears. It was a profound experience. I can only imagine what these men who were part of the invasion must be feeling be feeling today as they visit that site. Even writing this comment today brings it all back and I’m choking back my tears! So so grateful!!!
Posted by: Rita Carbuhn | June 06, 2019 at 07:57 AM
Fabulous pictures and a walk thru history. I learned much from just reading your notes. As it is in many families, I lost an Uncle in the invasion but the stories of that time were not shared very often and now that generation is gone in my family, so I especially appreciate your photos and info!
Posted by: Cathy R | June 06, 2019 at 08:03 AM
Thank you for sharing all of these pictures and the information. I have read a plethora of books and articles about WWII and such. Every time I see more I am so very thankful for all who were involved in this horrible event and in everything to do with the war. My parents met while my Dad was in the service during WWII. They got married the year after he got out and everyone was home. I'm always grateful he came home, they married and my brother and I were born to them. So many didn't come back and that just breaks my heart.
Posted by: Deb J | June 06, 2019 at 10:28 AM
We were in Ste-Mère-Église a couple of days ago. There
were a lot of people and military exhibits.
Posted by: DORIS MURAI | June 09, 2019 at 07:14 AM
Your photos are great! We were there for 60th. thank you for taking us through the memories, not of our trip but of the thousands of service men that both died and lived through the Normandy experience. My uncle when into Normandy D-Day+1.
Trying to find a way to visit you when you are in Houston.
Posted by: Judy M Webb | June 09, 2019 at 10:23 AM