Wed 8th April 2008
If you´re ever in Northern France, a stop at the D-day beaches in Normandy is definitely worth your while, especially if you´re from any of the countries who fought here. My cousin, Shane Armendariz, shipped off to fight in Iraq literally 3 days before we left London so seeing these battlefields and the cemetary really hit home, knowing the danger that he´s facing as a U.S. soldier every day. Shane, if you´re reading this - please stay safe!
Bevan & I started our tour of the battlefields from the eastern end of the coast at Juno Beach, where the Canadian troops had landed. Driving up to the beach front, I was struck by how normal the town around this area appeared. Despite the area holding so much historical significance, it’s clear that the people of Normandy were keen to strike a balance between remembering the horrific events of June 1944 and carrying on with their lives along this gorgeous coastline. It looked much like a beach promenade you’d see in New Hampshire with hotels and apartments lining a boardwalk, only broken up by a large museum and memorial to the 21,400 Canadians who fought and 304 men who died on this beach. With only a day to explore this area, we decided to carry on to Arromanches before stopping.
The village of Arromanches was home to the famous temporary British port called “Winston” that was built to provide supplies to the Allied troops as they advanced throughout Europe. Expecting an invasion, Hitler had destroyed most of the ports along this coastline, so the American and British built a temporary port in Southern England and floated it across to Normandy, reassembling it at Arromanches within 3 weeks of D-day. Driving over a large hill as you approach the town, you get an amazing view of what’s left of the structure. It’s one of the few places along the coast where you can still see evidence of the war, so I definitely recommend stopping. There’s a small museum that explains how the port was built so quickly, which really brings the structure to life.
After a quick lunch stop in the back of the van, we carried on to the American cemetery at Omaha Beach. Let’s just say that a wee bit of cash has been spent honouring the thousands of American troops who died in Normandy. We were visiting in early April, so there only appeared to be about 100 cars in the car park, but the parking lot could easily have held several thousand cars. I can only imagine what this place must be like in early June.
The cemetery itself overlooks Omaha Beach, which is ironically a very beautiful setting. Funny how something so tragic can appear so peaceful and serene 60 years later. Over 10,000 American soldiers are buried across the 70 acre plot on pristinely manicured lawns, each with a white cross. Gazing across the thousands of crosses really brings home the magnitude of how many men were killed here.
Our final stop of the day was Pont du Hoc, a clifftop that held a number of powerful German guns overlooking Omaha & Utah beaches. The story goes that the Allies bombed the clifftop in preparation for the invasion, but there was no certainty that the guns had been destroyed. D-day morning, approximately 225 American rangers climbed the clifftop to ensure the Germans wouldn’t fire further hell down on the landing troops. Upon climbing to the top, the rangers destroyed the remaining guns but were ambushed by German troops hiding behind the main gunnery field. Thinking the Ranger mission had been successful, backup troops were not sent to Pont du Hoc for 2 days and by the time the Germans on the hill were defeated, only 90 Americans remained.
The site is now a popular stop for tourists as it holds the most visible ruins from the invasion. The hilltop is pocked with large craters, and you can still walk through a number of the large cement bunkers here.
Right, I’ve written a tour book entry rather than a blog today! But I hope I´ve convinced you to check out Normandy.
Bevan & I started our tour of the battlefields from the eastern end of the coast at Juno Beach, where the Canadian troops had landed. Driving up to the beach front, I was struck by how normal the town around this area appeared. Despite the area holding so much historical significance, it’s clear that the people of Normandy were keen to strike a balance between remembering the horrific events of June 1944 and carrying on with their lives along this gorgeous coastline. It looked much like a beach promenade you’d see in New Hampshire with hotels and apartments lining a boardwalk, only broken up by a large museum and memorial to the 21,400 Canadians who fought and 304 men who died on this beach. With only a day to explore this area, we decided to carry on to Arromanches before stopping.
The village of Arromanches was home to the famous temporary British port called “Winston” that was built to provide supplies to the Allied troops as they advanced throughout Europe. Expecting an invasion, Hitler had destroyed most of the ports along this coastline, so the American and British built a temporary port in Southern England and floated it across to Normandy, reassembling it at Arromanches within 3 weeks of D-day. Driving over a large hill as you approach the town, you get an amazing view of what’s left of the structure. It’s one of the few places along the coast where you can still see evidence of the war, so I definitely recommend stopping. There’s a small museum that explains how the port was built so quickly, which really brings the structure to life.After a quick lunch stop in the back of the van, we carried on to the American cemetery at Omaha Beach. Let’s just say that a wee bit of cash has been spent honouring the thousands of American troops who died in Normandy. We were visiting in early April, so there only appeared to be about 100 cars in the car park, but the parking lot could easily have held several thousand cars. I can only imagine what this place must be like in early June.
The cemetery itself overlooks Omaha Beach, which is ironically a very beautiful setting. Funny how something so tragic can appear so peaceful and serene 60 years later. Over 10,000 American soldiers are buried across the 70 acre plot on pristinely manicured lawns, each with a white cross. Gazing across the thousands of crosses really brings home the magnitude of how many men were killed here.
Our final stop of the day was Pont du Hoc, a clifftop that held a number of powerful German guns overlooking Omaha & Utah beaches. The story goes that the Allies bombed the clifftop in preparation for the invasion, but there was no certainty that the guns had been destroyed. D-day morning, approximately 225 American rangers climbed the clifftop to ensure the Germans wouldn’t fire further hell down on the landing troops. Upon climbing to the top, the rangers destroyed the remaining guns but were ambushed by German troops hiding behind the main gunnery field. Thinking the Ranger mission had been successful, backup troops were not sent to Pont du Hoc for 2 days and by the time the Germans on the hill were defeated, only 90 Americans remained.
The site is now a popular stop for tourists as it holds the most visible ruins from the invasion. The hilltop is pocked with large craters, and you can still walk through a number of the large cement bunkers here.
Right, I’ve written a tour book entry rather than a blog today! But I hope I´ve convinced you to check out Normandy.
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