Normandy

Today it was back to following World War II, this time along the beaches of Normandy. I was very excited to see this area as it has played such a huge role in history, not to mention the personal interest with my grandfather. On day one we toured the eastern beaches of Gold, Juno, and Sword. This is where the British and Canadian troops came ashore. Day two took us farther west to Utah and Omaha Beach, home of the American landings.

In 1942 the Germans started construction of the Atlantic Wall, meant to protect against a coastal invasion. By 1944 the coast of the North Sea contained over 150,000 different defensive structures. But the German command had been expecting the attack much farther east in France, where France was closest to Great Britain. They figured Normandy would be a less likely attack position, especially given its shallow water. On the morning of June 6, 1944, the British, Canadian, and American armies launched the largest military operation in history. Over the next four days, over 320,000 troops, 50,000 vehicles, and 100 tons of supplies would make their way across a 50-mile stretch of beach. Supported by more than 11,000 aircraft and nearly 7,000 vessels, the Allies had definitely arrived. Today the coast is littered with museums, monuments, cemeteries and battle remains.

In the end, the Battle of Normandy lasted three months, much longer than originally planned by the Allies. After that time, all German survivors were ordered to evacuate the remainder of Normandy, cross the Seine and make their way back towards Germany.

The Longues Battery, on Gold Beach, consisted of four German casemates arranged in a semicircle to maximize firing range. Each bunker still contains the original 150mm gun, which was capable of firing up to 12 miles away with relative accuracy. (The top photo is from one of the bunkers as well.)

Another bunker hidden along the beach with a modern day monument in the background.

Once on shore, the "Churchill" tank had a canon specifically designed to destroy the German bunkers dotting the coast.

The next three shots show remnants of the worlds first prefab harbor in Arromanches. Made out of umpteen ships that were purposely sunk bow to stern, this was one of two prefab harbors created to help off-load all the vehicles and supplies.

The Normandy American Cemetery, located right on Omaha Beach, is another striking tribute for the 9,387 soldiers that are buried here.
The Germans most heavily fortified position was here at Pointe du Hoc. The Americans were determined to take this position so they literally bombed it to smithereens. It's a site that is best experienced first-hand, so I included this aerial photo from off the internet to give a better perspective. After the bombs fell, 300 US Army Rangers scaled the 100 foot cliffs to try and take this strategic position. In the end, the Rangers took control, but at the cost of two-thirds of their men.

The night before the invasion 13,000 paratroopers were dropped behind enemy lines. One of those men, Private John Steele, got hung up on the church spire of Ste. Mére Eglise. He could only watch the fighting going on below as he played dead to avoid being captured or shot. The events were made famous in the movie The Longest Day.

This big stained glass window in the church portrays some of the paratroopers. Army men portrayed so vividly in a church is certainly an unusual sight.

This monument sits a top a hill in Mortain. This was a pivotal battle for my grandfather's unit in which over half the men were killed. In the end though, the Germans were forced to retreat.

Our troops got a special ride from some soldiers we met.