LA MONT ST MICHAEL

La Mont St Michel is an abbey built in the 10th century on top of an island off the west coast of Normandy. The archangel Michael appeared to the Bishop of Avranches who then ordered the abbey to be built. It is very well fortified with only a causeway linking it to the mainland. The abbey is very impressive from a distance as it stands alone surrounded by sand and water. The tides cause the sandbars to continually shift and the solid sand is based on top of shifting sand so that it becomes quicksand.

As this is a UNESCO heritage site the tourists come in their thousands. The narrow streets of the old city have become a tourist trap as they are lined with restaurants and shops selling everything with the mountain’s name inscribed on it. One keeps climbing up and only the fit can make it to the top.

 

 

 

SWORD AND JUNO BEACHES

 

 

 

 

MERVILLE BATTERY

 

The Merville Battery is some 10 miles north east of Pegasus Bridge with a commanding view of Sword Beach. It was thus essential to neutralize this strongpoint of the Germans as quickly as possible.

This task was given to Lieutenant-Colonel Terence Otway of the 9th Parachute Battalion and his 600 troops.

 

The night parachute drop was not that successful and the troops were scattered around, some as far as 5 miles away. Otway gathered about 150 of his men and led them in a complex and successful attack against the heavily defended battery.

The battery remains in excellent condition to this day and visitors can see a fully restored C47 and in one of the bunkers a sound and light simulation is presented.

 

 

 

 

 

PEGASUS BRIDGE

If you read one of my earlier postings I explained why it was so important to secure the flanks of the invasion beaches.

The British Airborne was given the task of securing the bridges over the River Orne at Benouville on the eastern border of Sword Beach.

In what was a spectacularly successful operation Major John Howard led his D Company of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghampshire Airborne in their Horsa gliders, towed by C47 Dakotas, into battle

The glider pilots flew their craft with precision and Major Howard’s Horsa landed 45 meters away from his targeted bridge, no easy task as it was shortly after midnight on the 6th June.

 

 

Below is a bust of Major Howard

 

The Germans were taken by complete surprise and within an hour the bridges were secured

The first building taken was a restaurant owned by the Gondre family – Mr Gondre encouraged the British soldiers and dug out from his garden bottles of champagne which he had hidden from the Germans. His restaurant was turned into the first aid station and the injured troops were attended to in the kitchen

The Gondre’s still own the restaurant and it has become a must for all visitors to Pegasus Bridge.

 

There is an excellent airborne museum with a full sized replica of a Horsa and the original bridge is alongside it, having been replaced by a larger one recently.

 

 

 

OMAHA BLOODY OMAHA

Omaha Beach proved to be a disaster of major proportions to the American troops and has become known as OMAHA BLOODY OMAHA.

Those of you who have witnessed the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan, the marvelous film produced by Steven Spielberg, may have a fair idea of the hell on that day.

Omaha is a long flat wide beach with dunes preventing access inland. The Germans, under Field-Marshall Erwin Rommel’s direction, had set up excellent defensive positions with machine guns and heavier weapons. On the beaches he had built many obstacles, including tank traps, mines and boat rippers.

The American infantry troops therefore had to arrive at low tide for the landing craft to avoid these obstacles but that would force the soldiers to move over a large exposed width of beach.

For the Germans it was a turkey shoot. Many landing craft were destroyed by their artillery whilst still approaching the beach. Many soldiers were dropped off by the landing craft too early and drowned as a result of their equipment becoming waterlogged.

As the landing craft lowered their doors the German machine gunners were provided with the perfect target and they poured fire into these apertures, killing and wounding many soldiers. The first assault wave was a complete failure with whole regiments being decimated. The sea became red from the blood of the victims as their bodies were washed onto the seashore.

The next assault wave was more successful as a few good commanders took control and coaxed their men to advance along the beaches as quickly as possible. A team of engineers eventually breached a dune with Bangalore Torpedoes and the infantry poured through the gap to attack the enemy from their flank.

Over 4,500 American troops were killed on Omaha Beach and many more were injured and missing. It was really hell on earth. What really won this battle was the sheer masses of soldiers and the bravery of the American GI.

 

 

 

 

NORMANDY AMERICAN CEMETERY

The Normandy American National Cemetery is situated near Omaha Beach at St Laurent su Mer – there are some 10,000 American soldiers buried there but one must remember that the remains of some 25,000 killed in Normandy were repatriated to America at the request of their families.

On entering the cemetery grounds you first arrive at a huge semi-circular memorial with a large Spirit of America statue positioned at its apex. Looking down towards the other end of the cemetery you overlook the reflective pool towards the chapel, which is almost a kilometer away. The cemetery overlooks the sea and its emerald green lawns and sculptured trees are immaculately maintained.

On each white cross is the inscribed with the name of the soldier buried beneath it, his rank and unit and the state where he lived. There are approximately 150 white Magen Davids, some with small stones left by their families, bring home the fact that there were a fair share of Jewish soldiers in the American armed forces.

Strongly contrasting to the somber German cemetery at La Cambre this cemetery seems more to depict the inherent patriotism of the American nation.

The cemetery draws over 2 million visitors annually.

Those opening and closing scenes Saving Private Ryan were filmed at this cemetery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OMAHA MUSEUM