Normandy beaches

[LFS517]

I am so happy to hear this. My great-uncle is buried there and I was hoping to see his grave. It is one of the main reasons we decided to do this trip. I"ll certainly follow your advice and speak to one of the officials when we get there.

 

It will help expedite your visit if you know the location of the grave. You can search on abmc.gov to find the location. Good luck and enjoy your trip!

[DaKa2002]

It has tamed down of the years as many of the veterans have now passed on. I was there for the 50th, 60th and the 70th anniversary and I can honestly say it is something I will never forget. Even got a chance to ride in a C47 airplane one year.

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Had to laugh so hard..... at your last sentence!

I was stationed in Europe in the late sixties - and our 'organic' aircraft assigned to the installation was a C-47; my boss was the pilot. As the most junior officer on the site, I had many great flights on the old goony bird.

[TravelerThom]

Allow me to quibble. It is among the best uses of my tax dollars! ...

I totally agree. My attempt at understatement. And it is good for citizens to see with their own eyes that war has Consequences.

[DaKa2002]

I totally agree. My attempt at understatement. And it is good for citizens to see with their own eyes that war has Consequences.

 

Consequences - and our world leaders never learn! In the more recent history we lost a generation of young men and women in Korea, in Vietnam, and now in Afghanistan, Iraq, etc.

 

And how many folks have ever visited our own National Cemeteries - for Vicksburg to Arlington (and more)?

[SOShrink]

JPH (and others), thanks for the information. I think we’ll attend the port talk on board and see exactly where they are going and then make the decision. There are no bad choices! As with most places, one day is not enough but we make it work and go back on our own in the future...

[dan4182]

Pick up a copy of the book or spend some time on the internet researching the beaches and you will see their is a lot to do:

 

Here are some things you can do on your own but won’t get the advantage of having a tour guide explain all the history:

 

Arromanches: these are the piers that they floated over to create a harbor to dock ships

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Brits nicknamed the piers “mulberries”.

 

 

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[dan4182]

The red ball express was a nick name given by the Americans to the supply route between Normandy and the front line. A simple red ball on a sign let the troops know they were headed in the right direction. The signs are still there today, so if you see the red ball you know you are on the supply route.

 

 

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Almost all those trucks were driven by African American soldiers, they were brave men who drove non stop through dangerous territory for hours and hours.

 

 

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[dan4182]

American military cemeteries overseas are maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commission (https://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials#.Wpl4wudG1PY). I know Uniworld provided the wreath because we were told that in advance so they obviously worked with the cemetery staff. The Commission's website includes a form for requesting a time for the ceremony (wreath laying, anthem and taps). Having visited the Normandy Cemetery once before the flyover was totally unexpected and amazing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Ms SailAway]

The visit to the American Cemetery is a must-do for us. My great-uncle is buried there. I never knew him in life but want to honor his sacrifice with a visit to his grave.

[dan4182]

The guides/docents at the cemetery have plat maps of each grave at the cemetery. It will save time looking for a specific grave.

[Airrace]

I thought what I would do is talk about some of my favorite parts of Normandy in no particular order:

 

Pegasus Bridge, 47 miles from the beaches was actually the first part of Operation Warlord, it is their were the British landed in a glider. (I will talk about the airplanes and para troopers latter) Allies new they needed to secure the bridges towards the beach of Normandy to have any chance of a successful landing. So a little bit before midnight on June 5th just minutes before D-day the wooden Horsa Gliders landed near the bridge. I won’t actually call it a landing as most the men if not all onboard the gliders were knocked unconscious upon landing only to wake up minutes later on the ground lucky to be alive. To make maters worst the landing area was loaded with Rommel’s asparagus (posts in the ground) to prevent people from landing near the bridges. The crew could hear the arrester parachute in the back of the airplane deploy knew it was only a short period of time before they were on the ground. Touchdown was at 100 mph and the landing drill was for everyone to link arms together and legs up to prevent breakages when the floor disintegrated and prey for safe landing on the bumpy field. The men grouped up and had no problem with securing the bridge. Their is a great museum nearby Airborne museum that was quite a bit of cool stuff. From their you can go across the road to Gondree Cafe the home to the Gondree family that was forced to allow their home to be occupied by German officers. This was the first french place to have welcomed the allies. The cafe is still operated by Arriete Gondree who occasionally will talk about her experiences as a young girl living in her home. There were quite a few ceremonies at the cafe over the years and most of that information along with metals are on the wall.

 

If I had a choice to start a tower of Normandy I would prefer it started from Pegasus Bridge just because of the time line of how things occurred.

 

 

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[CPT Trips]

http://normandy.memorial-caen.com/

 

This museum is well worth the visit, time permitting

[dan4182]

JPH (and others), thanks for the information. I think we’ll attend the port talk on board and see exactly where they are going and then make the decision. There are no bad choices! As with most places, one day is not enough but we make it work and go back on our own in the future...

 

 

 

You can’t go wrong with any of the available choices, all are reverential and awe inspiring sites.

 

 

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[Airrace]

http://normandy.memorial-caen.com/

 

This museum is well worth the visit, time permitting

 

 

 

A lot of the tours start in Caen at this museum

 

 

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[TravelerThom]

...Pegasus Bridge, 47 miles from the beaches was actually the first part of Operation Warlord, it is their were the British landed in a glider....

To be clear Pegasus is quite a distance from Omaha Beach, but it is a relatively short walk from Sword Beach, an area assigned to UK Commonwealth troops with support from others. Taking Pegasus was critical to blocking German armor from sweeping in on the East flank (had they been released by Hitler).

[Ms SailAway]

The guides/docents at the cemetery have plat maps of each grave at the cemetery. It will save time looking for a specific grave.

 

Thank you! I'll keep that in mind.

[Airrace]

Pointe du hoc (Omaha Beach):

 

This was considered one of the strong points of the German strategy to protect the beaches of Normandy. The guns were thought to be 155 mm with a range of 25,000 yards. The battery position is set upon the cliffs that drop vertically over 100 feet to a small rocky beach. In early May they began using aircraft to drop bombs to destroy as many bunkers as possible. The plan was to come ashore on June 6th (D day) climb the cliffs and secure the bunkers from using the huge guns.

 

James Rudder was given the task to led the rangers. The plan called for 3 companies of the 2nd Ranger Battalion to land below the cliffs climb them and make an assault on the bunkers. The strong tides that early morning blew them farther east than they wanted to be. After realizing there mistake they had no choice but to turn west towards the beach front to make it to Point du hoc, this left them very vulnerable to attack. Three of the seven LCA’s were sunk. Lt Col Rudder’s landing craft was the first to reach the beach. They had brought along grappling hooks and fireman ladders to scale the cliff. Meanwhile the Germans had rigged the cliffs with explosives and were rolling grenades down the cliffs edge as the Americans were trying to climb up it. After some help from airplanes dropping bombs and the destroyers torpedoing the cliffs the Americans reached the top and secured the bunkers. It was not an easy battle and a lot of lives were lost.

 

More battles insured for hours that day, but finally the Rangers were able to secure the cliffs at Point du hoc. They discovered that the actual large guns had been dismantled and were in the process of being removed. The Germans were able to defend the area with machine guns, grenades and trip wires on 240 mm shells.

 

You can actually visit this site and see the large guns as some are still there. You can walk around the area and actually walk inside the bunkers. Just looking over the cliffs edge shows what the Rangers had to accomplish that day.

 

 

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[Airrace]

Thank you! I'll keep that in mind.

 

 

 

On the entry level is a reception area and they have a person that will help next of kin find their grave site. As I remember they take you to a room where several computers are set up and help you look for the information. They will even escort you to the grave site.

 

 

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[Ms SailAway]

On the entry level is a reception area and they have a person that will help next of kin find their grave site. As I remember they take you to a room where several computers are set up and help you look for the information. They will even escort you to the grave site.

 

 

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That's great! Thanks. I appreciate all the information about this portion of our trip. This visit to the Normandy sites was the main reason for making this journey.

[dan4182]

We toured the American Cemetery one day before the government shut down in 2013. Every American male on the boat would have staged a mini riot if the cemetery been closed because of the budget impasse.