Thursday, October 19, 2006

D-Day Continues

After checking out Omaha Beach, the Budman and I continued our trek through the Normandy D-Day sights. As we saw more and more sights, I realized I had seen some of these before in the movie or so it seemed. In fact, I had seen them in the epic film, The Longest Day. Great film, by the way, if you’ve never seen it.

Next up, Utah Beach. The US troops had a much easier time securing Utah than Omaha – its flatter, has low sand dunes, and proved easier to attack than Omaha. Allied troops landed at dawn and within just a few hours had conquered the German defenses and headed inland to join the airborne troopers.

DSC01129

P1010114

P1010107

Monuments to those who landed on Utah Beach.

P1010115

P1010112

P1010106

P1010087

Part of the prefabricated bridges used at Utah…still lying on the beaches.

P1010109

Close to the Utah beach, Dunes de Varreville, with its monument to French Leader General Leclerec.

P1010099

Some of the most spectacular scenery is along the coast at Point du Hoc. Today, the grasslands and jagged cliffs share the spotlight with German bunkers and craters formed from Allied bombs. Pointe du Hoc is also the location where Colonel Rudder and his 225 US paratroopers scaled the cliffs with only rope ladders to capture the German defenses. Only 90 of the men survived, with many of their rope ladders being cut as the ascended the cliffs.

P1010094

P1010097

P1010098

P1010091

P1010090

Passing through the village of Carentan, we stopped for a late lunch at the B52 Café, met a great English guy who collected WWII memorabilia. He and his wife ran this café (next to their home), and he gave us some great touring tips. He even had an army jeep in his front yard…wonderered how his wife liked that...

Anyway, the main event of D-Day pertains to Carentan, the site of the 82nd US Airborne Division drop. Paratroopers fell from the sky about 2:30 am on the morning of the D-Day invasions, heralding the start of the D-Day operations. One parachutist, John Steele, caught his parachute on the church spire of Sainte-Mere-Eglise. Today, a dummy is strung up each summer to recall the event.

DSC01123

P1010101

Inside, lovely stain glass windows pay tribute to the paratroopers landing.

P1010102

DSC01126

DSC01128

Last but not least, as the D-Day tour drew to a close, we stopped for dinner (yes, sightseeing works up an appetite) and feasted on galettes and crepes in a little café (and the only game in town, I might add) across from St. Marie du Mont. During the D-day invasions, gunfire broke out in the church with a couple of German soldiers being captured. The confessional still shows signs of the machine gun bullet spray.

DSC01132

DSC01131

P1010119

No comments: