Finally, here I was--at the height captured the hard way by Rudder's Rangers!
5. Breakfast again was on top floor of the Hotel Moderne in Caen. Afterwards, we gathered in the lobby, exited, and boarded the bus for an early morning trip to Omaha Beach. The weather was cold, cloudy, with heavy mist. Herve drove us out of Caen, on through Bayeux, and threaded his way down narrow, country roads to approach Omaha Beach. Cold drizzle continued. Something I was expecting to see was Norman hedgerows, but very few remain. When many area farmers acquired tractors (starting in the 50's) and farms and fields were consolidated, most of the hedgerows were removed.We came to a country road which went past a calvados-producing chateau and then turned 90 degrees to the left down a steep-sided, narrow, one-lane affair where the bus had to stop awhile to let French military trucks pass. We then drove down to Omaha Beach. There were WW II jeeps and trucks to meet us--along with two gentlemen who would be our guides. I skirted the parking lot and headed for the hotel to the left for an après-café visit. Several other members of our group soon followed. This area sloped down to the water's edge, and the hotel and several intact German pillboxes looked down to the beach from elevated positions. In the distance to the left, steep slopes started. To the right we had a good distant view of beach with small hotels and restaurants all the way to the horizon. This area was also backed by steep slopes.
Gordon Smith arrives at Omaha Beach!
I had read books on D Day, and I listened to the lecturer at times, but I still looked around, moved, took pictures, and tried to take in the scene. Something the lecturer said that pleased me and that I did not realize is that although most of our tanks sank before reaching shore, a majority of the crews were rescued.
The weather remained cool, misty, very overcast. The conditions for photography were terrible. Again, to my left and up the slope, I could clearly see another intact pillbox with an excellent view of the beach below. These pillboxes seemed undamaged--with their very thick walls of reinforced concrete. All those shells from our battleships seemed hardly to have made a dent. No traces of wrecks, ships, barriers remained. This was a quiet, clean, beautiful coastal area which this morning we had almost to ourselves.MY OVERALL IMPRESSION OF OMAHA BEACH was one of sadness and reverence for our men who died but also awe at the success of the Allied invasion. The Germans had every advantage of natural position and an almost invulnerable network of pillboxes and bunkers connected by underground tunnels. They may have been expecting the invasion at Calais, but they were well prepared for it here, too. I consider the fact that we ultimately captured this beach and successfully moved inland and triumphed over the Nazis an absolute MIRACLE!
Our on-site guide was an older gentleman assisted by a young man who held up photographs and carried equipment around. The younger man shot pictures of us on the beach, etc., but he never solicited us; I don't think Louis would allow it. The docent was full of information and both men were very respectful and helpful.
We approach Omaha Beach on a cold, wet October morning near Vierville-Sur-Mer.
That German bunker still had a clear view of everything!
Using photos, our guide ([medical]Dr. Juan Prière) and his helper did a wonderful job of explaining the landings.
This quiet, peaceful place gave few hints of the carnage of June 6, 1944.
It was great having our own "GI Joe" from the European Campaign right there with us! Joe is a WW II veteran who came through Calais in October of '44. At 89, he could outwalk us all!
Dr. Prière asked Joe to place a cross with a poppy on the beach, and we had a moment of prayer. (Incidentally, prière is French for prayer.)
The memorial behind the statue is in the shape and size of troop transports. It's built right on top of the forwardmost German bunker.
View of the memorial from the beach side
German 88 still points towards the beach at base of memorial.
The Chateau is very old and basically unrestored. Part of it is a museum with German weapons on display--among them the terrible machine gun that so many of our men were killed by. The thing shoots 1500 rounds per minute. The building served as a command post for the Germans during the War.
Sampling apple brandy and calvados at Chateau d'Englesville
That gun doesn't look like much, but MG 42's fired 1,500 rounds per minute at "our boys."
Another thought that occurred to me both entering and leaving Omaha Beach by that narrow, steep-sided road is how horribly difficult it had to have been to move men and armor out from the beach area even after it had been secured. Everything about the locale favored defense.
When I got back on the bus to go east to Pointe du Hoc, I sat two seats back from the rear door--behind Chris and across from Geraldine. All three of us had two seats to ourselves--one for us and the other for coats, cameras, hats, and totes. The trip was short. Since our time at the famous site of Rudder's Raiders famous assault was limited, I scrambled to get as many pictures as I could and still stay with the group
Paula Rogers McCollum's father Leroy was one of the Rangers who climbed up this cliff and fought here, and I wanted to be able to report to her about this location. Pointe du Hoc is the place where two very large German cannons were put to threaten any ships that approached the area. There were still large bomb craters to go around and big chunks of concrete from bombed installations, but several bunkers were still intact, and I went down into two of them. The view from the pillboxes of the surrounding ocean approaches was superb. Approaching ships would have been sitting ducks.
We then gathered around a large turret--which we were told had been underground and had been a turning mechanism for tunnel trains that brought shells and ammunition there. Then we posed by a stone point which marked the highest ground there. The guide reminded us that the large guns had been moved away from the hilltop by the Germans to protect them from bombing, but that Col. Rudder had known the guns were not there before our assault and never told his men about it. My own thought is that Rudder must have believed the information would discourage them, and occupying that height remained vital anyway. Upon scouting the area, the Rangers did locate the cannons and disabled them.
Another story that I had never heard is that we suffered numerous casualties because as our exhausted men lay sleeping there on the hill after they captured it, the Germans would come up from their tunnels and shoot them before they knew what was happening.
Scenes of Pointe du Hoc
Bunker at Pointe du Hoc
Several of us went down into this bunker, but it was too dark for pictures.
These turrets were protected by reinforced concrete before our bombs fell.
Standing by the "pointe" at Pointe du Hoc
Views from the cliff's edge at Pointe du Hoc
We boarded the bus again and drove east to a nice, rural restaurant run by a friendly young couple. The Fruits de Mer (seafood) platter was featured on the big chalkboard by the road, but we simply ordered from the menu. The two men who were our guides ate lunch with Louis and us. I chose a Shepherd's Plate of cheeses, sausages, veggies (crudités), etc., and it turned out to be pretty dull stuff.
Next, we said adieu to our guides of the morning and drove a short distance to the American Cemetery and met a new docent, a well-spoken French woman who led us to the front-central memorial statue and joined attendants there for a wreath-laying ceremony honoring all our victims of D-Day and in particular the four veterans among us, and most of all honoring Joe Kratovil--who came to France after the invasion and fought his way deep into Germany--until the surrender.
Afterwards, our whole group walked through the grounds filled with white crosses, and a few stars of David, all the way to a cliff's wooded edge, which looked out to the Channel beyond. The grounds were green and beautiful and tended with care that reflected 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week attention. If anything, other than the hushed respect and reverence of the many French people who were there that day, showed that France is grateful for what we did, it is the awesome appearance of this cemetery. Our visit much later in the tour to a WW I American cemetery would only confirm this.
The graves spread out across a level hilltop surrounded by trees--but with a clear view of the beautiful, blue ocean beyond. I was stunned by the peacefulness of this place. Even though people were walking all around us, EVERYONE was quiet and respectful.
After a slow walk back to the bus, we started our return trip to Caen. Unlike the cold, misty morning, the afternoon had been sunny, clear, and comfortably cool. Certainly this allowed us to see the American Cemetery at its very best.
After lunch, we visited the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial.
Aerial view of Cemetery high above the beach
Wreath-laying to honor the veterans among us
What a beautiful, peaceful place! Being here is something I will never forget!
Gen. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. is buried next to his brother, who died in WW I.
Few sights I have ever visited are as serene as the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial.
Fin
