D-Day at Normandy

 

The next day was a full day of exploring and remembering the massive sacrifice that took place here in June of 1944. I'll let you do all the history if you haven't done it before as it is written in tens of thousands of pages of documentation about the tens of thousands of lives given up here.

 

There were three contingents on our cruise ship, one for the British landing beaches, one for the Canadian, and one for the American ... oh yeah, and one Aussie. So we split up to visit the respective landing beaches.

 

Our first stop was at Pointe du Hoc lying between Omaha and Utah beaches. Below is the German view of the cliffs between the two beaches with Omaha beach to the east around the point.

 

Above these cliffs sat this observation post which was crucial to the Germans as they could see both of the Allied landing beaches and direct gunfire at any force approaching across the English Channel.

The promontory was heavily defended and the allies had bombed it steadily just before the invasion.

But that didn't make it easy for the US Rangers as they tried to scale the cliff and knock out the position so the landing could take place. Lt Col Earl Rudder of Texas commanded 225 rangers climbing up to here under heavy fire and when they were finally successful on the third day to take it out, only 90 men were left.

The monument below is a copy of the grappling hook used by the rangers to slowly crawl up the sheer face of the rock and here you have the commanding view of the English Channel.

The place is marred by hundreds of bomb craters with Jo-Anne standing by one of the destroyed gun emplacements.

After that we went to the American Cemetery and Museum. A beautiful place of remembrance for so many of our parents and loved ones who gave their lives within a few miles of this place.

The 9,900 Americans buried here represent a small portion of all who died on these beaches and then the slow trek inland to secure the French coast for invasion. And you cannot forget the 35,000 German soldiers buried near here who died defending what they believed to be their homeland for their loved ones.

And then to walk on Omaha Beach and look up at the hills where the German forces were positioned was pretty chilling.

 

With the monument to all of the international soldiers, sailors, and airmen who gave their lives not just for this pretty stretch of Normandy beach ...

... but so we as their children could continue the way of life that promised freedom from dictatorship and tyranny. No dry eyes for this day of touring.