Visiting Normandy has long been at the top of our list. Not only is the area beautiful with it's many beaches and small villages, it is the historic site for the greatest military amphibious invasion in history. This past Memorial Day weekend offered a great opportunity for us to take it all in.
For those that have not been there, the Normandy area is quite large. You can spend multiple days simply driving along the coast visiting the many museums and sites dedicated to the WWII battle. The Normandy landings, or Operation Neptune, was the initial part of Operation Overlord and involved landings at 5 different sectors stretching over 50 miles (80 kilometers): Sword Beach (French and British troops), Juno Beach (Canadian troops), Gold Beach (British troops), and Utah and Omaha Beaches (US troops).
The drive to the Normandy area from our village in Germany took about 7 hours, but the time passed quickly thanks to the beautiful scenery along the way. We chose to stay in the village of Port en Bessin that is located right along the coast and just a stones throw from the town of Arromanches.
Exploring the coastline was the primary objective for our long weekend, so we began the visit with Arromanches. This lovely little town (or "cute" as Andrea called 100+ times) was part of the Gold sector for Operation Neptune and was also one of the two sites for Mulberry Harbors to be built. These temporary harbors were built along the coastline to help offload the huge quantities of material and vehicles during the Operation. Today, many of the large cement caissons remain with some resting on the beaches and some still standing out in the shallow sea.
Looking over the beaches at Arromanches. Notice the caissons in the water and on the beaches.
Where we stayed.....the lovely little town of Port en Bessin.
Walking around the surrounding hillside of Arromanches. The trenches that run parallel to the coastline still exist today....although slightly overgrown with vegetation.
One of the many cement bunkers found at Arromanches.....
Looking over Arromanches....
Arriving at the American Military Cemetery on Memorial Day for the ceremony.
Looking down at Omaha beach.
The cemetery is massive and covers over 172 acres and contains the graves of over 9,300 military members, most of whom lost their lives during the D-Day landings.
The reflecting pool with the memorial in the background.
The flag at half mast for the ceremony.
The beginning of the ceremony....
A fly over by a C-130....
Laying of the wreaths......
Once the ceremony concluded we made our way down to the beach......here is an overview of the 5 different landing zones for D-Day.
Standing on Omaha beach.
Looking up from Omaha beach to the cemetery......
The first thing you realize is how massive the beach really is.....
One of the many bunkers overlooking Omaha beach.
The fallen soldier display inside the visitor center.
Looking out from the memorial towards the reflecting pool and graves in the background.
The bronze statue "Spirit of American Youth".
The Walls of the Missing with over 1,500 names inscribed.
Standing in one of the massive craters at Point du Hoc. This clifftop location lies about 4 miles from Omaha beach and stands on top of 100ft cliffs above the sea.
The monument dedicated to the 224 US Army Rangers who scaled the cliff walls using nothing but ropes, grapples, and ladders under enemy fire to take the strong point.
There were several air attacks prior to D-Day....and the craters can still be seen today at Point du Hoc...
One of the remaining 6 casemates that defended the coastline. The only thing missing is the massive gun that was mounted inside.....
The monument on Utah beach....
Looking down upon Utah beach....
Taking a few minutes to take it all in on the shore of Utah beach....
A Sherman tank on display outside the Utah beach museum.....
New York 3,078 miles to my right and Berlin 687 miles to my left.....
Our last stop during our visit: the four massive 152mm guns at Batterie de Longues. These guns were designed to hit targets over 20km out at sea.
The "lookout" for the massive guns sitting atop the cliff overlooking the sea below....
The four casemates.....
Looking at the front of the large lookout.
We headed back to
Arromanches to get a closer look at some of the equipment that was used to make the Mulberry Harbor. Here is one of the floating roadways that were code named "Whales".
No visit to France should be without visiting a cheese shop. And so, on our way back home, we stopped by a great little shop just south of the city of Caen. A great cheese shop will always have a vintage truck parked out front......
With our stinky cheese purchased, we started the long drive back home. Visiting the Normandy area left us both in awe and with a sincere appreciation for those that serve our country. The sheer size of the region and what was accomplished can only be appreciated once you visit.....and even then, it is hard to fathom. We were very lucky to time our visit with the Memorial Day....making the visit even more special. I believe the motto of the 1st Infantry Division who led the attack of Omaha beach on D-Day best describes the impression you have of the soldiers who took part of this world changing event: "No Mission Too Difficult, No Sacrifice Too Great, Duty First".
