NORMANDY BEACHES AND CEMETERY

We had selected Victoy Tours as our guide to the  Beaches at Normandy.  Many companies are available to do this but Rick Steves as well as some personal recommendations led to our choice.  There were seven of us on the tour which is a perfect number.  We met at 9: 40 and  picked up a few arrivees at the train station and off we went in Raol's van.  

Roel is originally from Holland and just happened to have the first McDonald's franchaise there.  When he and his wife retired they bought a French Chateau and opened up a bed and breakfast.  On outings around the area they would visit the war sites and musems and Raol became very interested in it and after a few years one of his friends who he was showing around told him he ought to start a business and give tours.  The rest is history as they say! He had many visitors to the Chateau who had history here in the Normandy  area so he gathered a lot of personal information from those VETS.  He's a wealth of information, fast talking, story telling guy who has lots of "cousins" in the area.  

Our guide, Roel.

We arrived at Arromaches where one of the three artifical harbors was built.  A few days after completion a storm hit the area and only one harbor was left in tact,  The one here at Arromanches. 

It was absolutely amazing that they couold build these harbors which were so important in suppling the allied forces with much needed supplies.  As Roel kept pointing out - he who has the logistical support wins the war.  We arrived in Arromanches at high tide.  What you see as specks in the water are part of the artifical harbor that remains still. 

Located on the Arromanches cliff tops, the Arromanches 360 Circular Theater dominates the remnants of one of the two artificial Mulberry harbours set up by the Allies. On 8th June 1944, two days after the liberation of Arromanches, the first Phoenix blockships were sunk. They formed a dike that sheltered the ships from the swell when they unloaded their cargoes. Some "whale" floating roadways and some platforms following the movements of the tide completed the deployment. On 14th June, some ships started to unload their cargo. In 100 days, "Port Winston" permitted to land 400 000 soldiers, 4 million tons of equipment and 500 000 vehicles. It remained active until 1st December 1944. A few dozen "Phoenix" blockships are still visible today and continue to keep the waters of Arromanches smooth.

                                              .An interesting aside.  Twenty five hundred persons worked on the various parts which would make up these artifical harbors and out of those only 8 people knew how they would fit together and what they would be used for.  

"When Arromanches falls asleep

Bathed in the heavenly light,

A feeling of eternity

Blows on the rocks.

Arromanches

I hear your heart beating

In history's heart leaping!

 They have built a harbur

Amidst the billowing seas.

They have built a harbor 

'Pon sunken wrecks.

And, on a misty night,

You can make out

through the spray,

Indistinct at twilight,

The pontoons that form a way.

Arromanches

In the heart of the storm

Your harbor stayed firm.

The break-waters smashed

The fright'ning, oncoming surge,

As armoured-cars rushed over

Floating bridge.

Long lines of lorries,

In a deafening roar,

Raised stinging sand-eddies;

The battle still to the fore.

Arromanches

Whose heart keeps on beating

Whilst battles keep thund'ring!

See these children laughing

And playing in the sea,

Today's sun

Dries yesterday's tears.

                 Jean

Memorials to those who fought.

To those who lead.

We left Arromanches after getting our picnic lunches from Camilla , Roel's cousin and departed the pay parking lot which was owned by another "cousin" (parking was free) .  Oh, how nice to have relatives in all the right businesses to keep the overhead down.  

We next drove to one of the sites of the German fortifications.  The Germans had built 2000 miles of fortifications along the beach.  They used enough concret to build 100 Hoover dams.  It was known as the Atlantic Wall.

Atlantic Wall
Part of the Third Reich
Western coast of Europe and Scandinavia
The Atlantic Wall, shown in yellow
Type	Defensive fortification
Site information
Controlled by	Nazi Germany
Open to the public	Yes
Condition	Partially demolished, mostly intact
Site history
Built	1942–1945
In use	1942–1945
Materials	Concrete Wood Steel Other materials
Battles/wars	World War II
Events	D-Day
Garrison information
Past commanders	Erwin Rommel (1943–44)
Occupants

Today, the ruins of the wall exist in all of the nations where the wall was built, although many structures have fallen into the ocean or have been demolished over the years. While in the immediate years after the war there was little interest in preserving these structures, there have been recent movements to preserve the remaining structures in order to preserve the memory of what existed during the war.

This particular battery at Longues sur Mer included a range-finding post and four casemates, each housing a 150-mm gun.

 

It was built on a clifftop overlooking the English Channel. In the heart of the Allied assault sector, it played a strategic role during the Normandy Landings on June 6th 1944.

 

Despite numerous allied air raids on the night of 5 June 1944, the battery was still operational on the morning of 6 June.

 

It was disabled later that day by bombardments from allied battle ships at sea.

On 7th June, the battery surrendered to British soldiers from the Devonshire Regiment.

                          

A bunker hit by Navel Gunfire and than the ammunition stored in the bunker exploded and destoryed the remains.  Unfortunately too many of the bunkers were not destroyed. 

Our next stop was lunch.  Not a lot of time to eat so we had sandwiches that Cousin Camilla had made, chips and wine.  

From there we went to Omaha Beach.  

The landings at Omaha Beach had incurred significant casualties and in fact, the enemy defenses were stronger than expected. Very little progress had been made in the push to the interior and this caused significant backups on the beach. Of the 2,400 tons that were planned to arrive on the beach on D-Day, only 100 tons were delivered. Operations on the 7th and 8th of June would be spent deepening the bridgehead.

Understandingly, casualties were high among those first units, which landed on Omaha Beach. Casualties for V Corps that day were about 3,000 (killed, wounded, and missing) with the 16th and 116th sustaining about 1,000 casualties each.



By evening on D-Day, General Gerhardt landed, set up his command post near the Vierville exit, and waited to take over command of the 29th Division. Pointe du Hoc was still isolated and known to have sustained heavy casualties. 1st Battalion of the 116th, along with the 5th Ranger battalion, companies A, B, and C of the 2nd Ranger Battalion, and several tanks moved west along the Grandcamp highway towards Pointe du Hoc. It just failed to reach the Rangers at Point du Hoc by the end of June 7th due to stiff enemy resistance. 

                                      

Beach obstacles.   One of the reasons for planning the landings at low tide.  These would have destroyed the HIggen's landing crafts which were made of plywood.  They are completely covered during high tide. 

                                      

The following gives just a brief picture  of one of the companies landing on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944.

"Lieutenant Edward Tidrick in Boat No. 2 cries out: "My God, we're coming in at the right spot, but look at it! No shingle, no wall, no shell holes, no cover. Nothing!"

His men are at the sides of the boat, straining for a view of the target. They stare but say nothing. At exactly 6:36 A.M. ramps are dropped along the boat line and the men jump off in water anywhere from waist deep to higher than a man's head. This is the signal awaited by the Germans atop the bluff. Already pounded by mortars, the floundering line is instantly swept by crossing machine-gun fires from both ends of the beach.

"Able Company has planned to wade ashore in three files from each boat, center file going first, then flank files peeling off to right and left. The first men out try to do it but are ripped apart before they can make five yards. Even the lightly wounded die by drowning, doomed by the waterlogging of their overloaded packs. From Boat No. 1, all hands jump off in water over their heads. Most of them are carried down. Ten or so survivors get around the boat and clutch at its sides in an attempt to stay afloat. The same thing happens to the section in Boat No. 4. Half of its people are lost to the fire or tide before anyone gets ashore. All order has vanished from Able Company before it has fired a shot.

Already the sea runs red. Even among some of the lightly wounded who jumped into shallow water the hits prove fatal. Knocked down by a bullet in the arm or weakened by fear and shock, they are unable to rise again and are drowned by the onrushing tide. Other wounded men drag themselves ashore and, on finding the sands, lie quiet from total exhaustion, only to be overtaken and killed by the water. A few move safely through the bullet swarm to the beach, then find that they cannot hold there. They return to the water to use it for body cover. Faces turned upward, so that their nostrils are out of water, they creep toward the land at the same rate as the tide. That is how most of the survivors make it. The less rugged or less clever seek the cover of enemy obstacles moored along the upper half of the beach and are knocked off by machine-gun fire."

Seven thousand yards of beach , in a crescent shape.  When the landing took place it was low tide.  The landing craft ramps were put down and the units were left off and had to run the length of 5 football fields in full gear, combat boots, loaded down with the ammunition, and their weapon to get to the beach.  All the time the German's were shooting at them.  

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1960/11/first-wave-at-omaha-beach/303365/

Read more on this account of the landing on Omaha - just 3 pages and truly gives you a sense of what those young men went through on on that day.  The price of freedom is indeed costly!

If you have an interest in WWII visit the World War II Memorial in Bedford, Virginia.  

The German embackments behind Omaha Beach.

                                          

This phenomena known as the Red Tide occurs on Omaha Beach.  It never happend before D-Day.  

Many of the rocks on the beach are heart shaped.  

The beach is sacred ground!  Many of the beaches that were part of D-Day have resorts located by them and people swim in the waters and sunbath.  Not on Omaha Beach.  Even the Seagulls don't land there.  There is just something about it.  As you walk the ground and envision the events of that day more than 70 years ago you can not help but be emotional.  You listen to the sound of the quiet, just the sound of the water, and you look around at the beauitful green countryside and try to envision the scene of June 6, 1944.  t's a stirring feeling.  

Our next stop - The American Cemetery.

                                   

HISTORY

At the conclusion of the fighting in Normandy, there were more than ten American cemeteries on the battlefield, with hundreds of small burial grounds and isolated graves. The American Battle Monuments Commission (AMBC) repatriated at least 60% of these burials back to the United States, and concentrated the remaining casualties into two main cemeteries; one here in Normandy and another in Britanny.

To a size of 172.5 acres, the Normandy American Cemetery has 9,387 burials of US service men and women. Of this number, some 307 are unknowns, three are Medal of Honour winners (see below) and four are women. In addition there are 33 pairs of brothers buried side by side. It is the largest American Cemetery from WW2, but not the largest in Europe: that is the Meuse-Argonne Cemetery from WW1 with more than 14,000 burials.

The main body of the cemetery is rectangular with the main paths laid out in the pattern of a Latin cross. On entering the cemetery, theere is a Visitors Building where veterans can sign the Veteran's Book, and all others the main Visitors Book. Here you can also trace US servicemen and women who are in the care of AMBC either in cemeteries or on memorials. You can also pick up a free leaflet about the cemetery.

The wording reads: " I Give Unto Them Eternal Life and They Shall Never Perish."

Inside the chapel.

The ceiling in the chapel.

                                       

The serial number is on the back of each marker.

The tombstone for Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, nephew of the President.  He is buried beside his brother Quintin, a pilot killed in WWI. ( The only WWI causality buried in this cememtery).  He was a Medal of Honor recipient.

Looking at the Beach from the cemetery.

                                    

The main feature of the memorial is a 22 foot bronze statue "The Sprit of American Youth Rising From The Waves". Either side of this are huge wall maps showing the campaign in the European Theatre of Operations (ETO).

We departed the cemetery for one last stop on our tour.  

This memeorial is "To the Heroic Ranger Commandoes D 2 RN,  E 2RN , F 2 RN of the H6thINF who under the command of Colonel James E  Rudder of the First American Division attacked and took possesion of the Pointe Du Hoc.

At Pointe du Hoc, rockets and bombs turned the plateau into a moonlike landscape. This site is a testimony to the terrible battle that took place there between June 6th and June 8th.

On June 6th 1944 at 7:11 am, the 225 men of Lieutenant colonel James Rudder's 2nd Rangers batallion landed on the shingle shore at the bottom of the cliff. . Their mission was to climb up the cliff and to destroy the six 155mm guns.

The Rangers climbed up the cliff under heavy fire and loads of grenades. Supported by the destroyers, they succeeded in reaching the top and first discovered empty gun emplacements. Later, a patrol discovered more guns hidden in an orchard 800 meters further inland and destroyed them. Rudder's men, who had been left on their own, repelled many attacks for two days. When the troops coming from Omaha finally met them, only 90 of them could still fight.

                                

German fortifications - all part of the Atlantic Wall.

                                     

The area looks like a moonscape with all the craters caused by Naval gun Fire and bombing.  

All were camouflaged,  This is the roof . You see the hooks that they would put the grasses through to help camouflage it.

                                                  

Before leaving the beaches , two little asides.  The allies  laid a Pipeline under the ocean (PLUTO)which  consisted of four "hoses".  This pipeline went from the Isle of Wright in Britian to  Port Em Bessen in Normandy.  It provided water, gas and oil to the Allies. The Allies had 22 million "Gerry Cans" on Normandy.  They were used to transport water, gas and oil to the field.  

It was quite a day,  so much to take in.  I've spent years reading about the war but to actually see the places where the battles took place is something I've always wanted to do.  I can't imagine how those WWII veterans feel when they return to this place.  It must evoke some terrible memories and I only hope some good ones also.

We returned to the hotel a ittle drained from the days excursion but of course we had to find nourishment for the body.  Roel has a cousin....  He had recommended a restaurant and gave us a card but since we had reservations for the night we didn't pay much attention to it.  As it turned out when we did look after dinner that night while sorting through things to throw away we noticed it was the same restaurant.  

They had a three course meal with the  entre being a pork with mushrooms  delicious!

                                      

Cute restaurant 

Lots of wine.  Our wines with the meal were wonderful so we bought a bottle of each ,a red and a white, to enjoy at our resort.

A little parting kiss from the owner.  What better way to end a day!