Normandy

We got off the train this morning to meet our tour guide and group at the Arche de Triomphe at 6:45 am. Another early day! There were 3 couples plus Jo Anne, me and our guide. It was a 9 passenger van so we filled it up. It was an interesting group: a couple from Madison Wisconsin who were in the process of moving to Houston Texas, a couple from Colorado who would like to move to Texas because they are fed up with the politics in Colorado, and an Israeli couple. One man ran to get in the front seat of the van and his wife got in the next row by the window. Everyone else loaded up leaving Jo Anne and me. I sat in the middle of the back row of seats, between the Colorado couple, which was awkward, leaving Jo Anne in the second row of seats. The man that jumped into the front seat immediately pushed the seat as far back as it would go and then reclined the seat back so that he was pretty much in Jo Anne’s lap, which was even more awkward than me sitting between the couple from Colorado. 

We stopped for breakfast at a gas station about 2 hours into the drive. The guide said 15 minutes. The rude couple said 20. It was just the beginning of a long day of waiting for them at every stop. 

First Normandy stop was Omaha beach. 

It’s really hard to describe how it feels to be standing here thinking about what happened on this beach. 

Omaha was 6 miles long, the largest beach. Taking Omaha was the US first army, 5th corps’ responsibility, with sea transport from the US navy and elements of the Royal Navy. The 1st infantry assault experienced the worst ordeal of D-Day operations. The Americans suffered 2400 casualties but 34,000 allied troups landed before nightfall, divided into Charlie, Dog, Easy and Fox zones. Eisenhower and Churchill estimated a possible loss of life around 25,000 for this blitzkrieg. “Only” about 4,000 soldiers were killed that day with most of them American. Heartbreaking!

Sorry I couldn’t get this picture to flip. 

German defense walls. 

Craters where bombs landed 

Steps leading up to a memorial for those Americans who died. 

The memorial

If you look closely you can see Jo Anne’s head (middle of the photo and just off center to the right) as she goes down into a German bunker. 

The Germans who were fighting from the bunkers were German prisoners. They knew when they entered the bunker they would likely die there. 

And here she is coming out. 

The total Allied troups who landed in Normandy: 156,115

Allied airborne troups: 23,400

American troups 73,000 (Omaha and Utah beaches plus airborne)

Total allied aircraft supporting landings: 11,590

Naval combat ships: 1,213

Landing ships/craft 4,126

Ancillary craft 736

Merchant vessels 864

The involved allied army divisions: 4th infantry Utah beach

 1st and 29th infantry Omaha beach 82nd and 101st airborne 

Night drop on Cotentin peninsula behind Utah beach

2nd ranger regiment on Pointe du Hoc. 

Next stop was Normandy American Cemetery, which overlooks Omaha beach, established by the U.S. First Army on June 8, 1944 as the first American cemetery on European soil in World War I. The cemetery site, at the north end of its half mile access road, covers 172.5 acres and contains the graves of 9,386 of our military dead, most of whom lost their lives in the D-Day landings and ensuing operations. This land belongs to the United States. The guide asked us the question, if a baby is born on this land, is she/he American or French? Good question. On the Walls of the Missing, in a semicircular garden on the east side of the memorial, are inscribed 1,557 names.

You probably can't read this but it marks a time capsule in memory of Dwight D. Eisenhower and the forces under his command, to be opened on June 6, 2044.

At the center is the bronze statue, "Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves.” Engraved in the circle around the statue are the words, “Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.” 

An orientation table overlooking the beach depicts the landings in Normandy. 

Facing west at the memorial, you see in the foreground the reflecting pool. 

beyond is the burial area

The cemetery is immaculately kept. 

with a circular chapel

and at the far end, granite statues

representing the United States (holding the eagle)

and France (holding the Gallic rooster)

An aerial view of the cemetery really gives you an idea of the mass number of white marble crosses marking the graves.

Following the cemetery, we visited the Overlord Museum, which chronicles the period of the Allied landing until the liberation of Paris. Personal items from individual soldiers and armored fighting vehicles from the six armies in Normandy are presented as a series of reconstructions showing over 35 vehicles, tanks and guns. Overwhelming to see the actual tools of war with bullet holes in much of it. 

We made a quick stop for lunch at the crêperie, then headed off to Pointe du Hoc, the location of a series of German bunkers and machine gun posts. 

On D-Day, the United States Army Ranger Assault Group attacked and captured Point du Hoc after scaling the 100’ plus cliffs. Unfortunately, they scaled the wrong cliffs first at a high cost of life. Situated in the middle of Gold Beach and Omaha Beach, this gun battery was perfectly positioned to fire on the landing fleets of both beaches. Despite 1,200 tons of bombs dropped on this position by the Allies in the run up to D-Day, they had succeeded in hitting only one of the four massive bunkers. Even this hit did not knock the gun out though and on the morning of D-Day this was the very first German coastal battery to engage the Allied Landing fleet, opening fire at about 5:30 am. Fortunately for the Allies the Germans had more than enough of their own problems that day and even with the guns firing for a total of over four hours on D-Day, the German gunners did not succeed in hitting a single Allied ship. The battery was finally knocked out in the evening of D-Day by Allied Naval gunfire. Today, you can still see the gun battery installed at Longues sur Mer by the Germans in early 1944. 

The guns are still in the bunkers, left much as they were in 1944 after the fighting was over. All of the guns (which could hit a target at 13 miles) and their bunkers still show the scars of battle from 1944 except for one which is in almost perfect condition. The footprints of a German soldier who stepped onto the concrete floor while the cement was still wet can also still clearly be seen. 

We stopped at an old (~1,000 years old) castle for a cider tasting. This place has a ton of potential but is in much need of repair, which has begun. 

The castle defense. 

There is so much more I could write about all we saw today but it was quite an emotional experience and I’m exhausted and having a hard time staying awake. It’s now 11:45, 15 hours after we started this Normandy tour. 

15,326 steps

7.3 miles

13 floors

Bonne nuit!