After watching Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers we had to put Normandy and the D-Day sites on our list of places to travel. Regardless of whether or not you are a WWII junkie, Normandy is a wonderful place to visit, and a quaint corner of France. I'm not surprised that this region is such a popular get-away for visitors near and afar!
I love the half-timbered homes, thatched roofs and rustic feel of the area.
...And the cows...my goodness were they big!
There are lots of D-Day tributes to visit in Normandy. The coastline is scattered with WWII museums, monuments, cemeteries and battlefield remains. With so much to see, it's always good to plan out the highlights of what is interesting to you. We spent a day focusing on the American sector which is west of Arromanches.
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| Over 75 miles of coastline were attacked on D-Day |
Our tour started at the artificial harbor of Port Winston. Now get this, the harbor was made by sinking ships and steel railways along the shore. The harbor then allowed soldiers, vehicles and supplies to land in France and bring aid to the Allied troops to help win the war.
Along Omaha Beach we went to Longues-sur-Mer Gun Battery. It was amazing to see the artillery that the Germans used. The casemates (bunkers) that remain at Longues are only a few of the 13,000 that once covered the coastline from Normandy to the Pyrenees.
When I imagine a gun, I think of a little pistol that can fit in a jean pocket, but these guns are
huge. It required seven men to maneuver, and they would fire 40 pounds shells! I can only imagine the deafening noise they would make.
We had a very moving experience at the WWII Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. It was a beautiful commemoration to the fallen Americans who fought to win such a treacherous and unyielding battle.
"Our debt to the heroic men
and valiant women in the service
of our country can never be repaid
they have earned our undying
gratitude. America will never
forget their sacrifices"
-President Harry Truman
We learned all about the preparations and challenges that Allied soldiers, sailors, airmen and civilians faced.
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| All of the Allied flags by the end of the war |
I had no idea about all of the obstacles they fought against, some unimaginable, like the fact that there were 6.5 million mines along the Atlantic wall. There is a must-see 16 minute video that centers around the stories of individuals who gave their lives to go help end the war. They fought with such competence, courage and sacrifice and are truly heroic.
We walked through the American Cemetery. It covers 172 acres and over 10,000 American soldiers are buried there. During the war the soldiers were buried in temporary gravesites, after the war ended families were given the option of bringing the remains of their loved ones home or having them interred here.
The sea of white headstones is peaceful. The headstones have the names, home states, and dates of death inscribed on them. Although there are no birthdates, the average age of a soldier was 24 years old. Their graves are a permanent and visible symbol of their heroic devotion.
We walked down the steps to the beach below. It was here that the Allied forces entered into major combat with the Germans. The shores are so rocky its difficult to imagine trudging onto them with wet army gear on while bullets are flying everywhere.
The sand was so soft I had to get a feel for it... It was much nicer than the California sand, we took a little bit of it home as a momento.
We visited Pointe du Hoc which is on a beautiful bluff that overlooks Omaha beach to the east and Utah beach to the west. The Germans built a number of bunkers here for guns that could protect the beaches and shoot at ships 12 miles away. The Allied commanders knew it would be crucial to capture and so they tasked the U.S. Army Rangers to capture it. They climbed the 90 foot cliffs with grappling guns and ladders, surprising the Germans who were facing the other way because they thought nobody would be able to climb the cliffs.
This is a grappling gun like the ones the Rangers used to climb up the cliffs. It is as big as Jordan!
Its easy to see that this area was one of the most intensely bombarded sites of all the D-Day targets. The Allies bombed Pointe du Hoc to smithereens, dropping over 1,500 tons of bombs on this one cliff. We walked through the huge craters created by the bombs. They reminded me of the sand pits you find on a golf course but 3x the size.
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| Jordan inside a 40-foot crater |
We went into a machine gun nest. At one time three soldiers would be holed up down there-a commander, a gun loader, and the gunner. It seemed like a tight squeeze for the two of us!
We explored the German communication center bunker. From inside, there is a room with a tiny opening where men would direct the firing of guns, there was also a room for eating and sleeping.
Look at how thick the walls are!
Normandy is known for their Camembert cheese and Cidre. Of course we had to try both. We ordered a galette with camembert cheese and the cafe owner was impressed telling us "it's a cheese with attitude". It was strong but tasty!
Traditional Normandy Cidre is fermented using the yeast that exists in the peels of the apples. We stopped at
Ferme de la Sapinière to try some non-alcoholic Cidres and it was so good and refreshing! We left with three flavors: traditional apple, apple/pear, and apple/black current.
We had a really great trip to Normandy and will return to learn more history.
We're not surprised that this region is such a popular get-away for visitors near and afar! That night we we checked into our Ibis which was in Saint Lo, a perfect location halfway between the beaches of Normandy and Mont. St. Michel our next stop!
