From the pacifist perspective the visit to the "D Day Beaches" (Jour J in French!) had the potential to be quite a depressing day, but the ride through real Manior France was fantastic with quite literally scores of medieval court yard buildings lining the roads and dotting the rolling countryside ... but as a tourist black spot the speed limits were a tedious 45mph throughout!
I'll now hand over to the war mongers for their high lights of the day Mark
From the 'war mongering' perspective the D Day beaches leave me with a sense of awe and admiration for those who were involved in the largest sea invasion in history. I have been here before whilst in the RAF and had the good fortune of doing a military guided tour. That tour gave me the background detail that makes visits to this place all the more rewarding. The scale of that task is breathtaking and being here brings it home and reinforces my respect for those that made the ultimate sacrifice to which we should never forget.
Point Du Hoc is the sight where the US Rangers carried out a cliff assault to 'take out' the guns that could of caused problems for the assault beaches of Utah and Omaha. However once the Ranger made it to the top they discovered that the guns had in fact been moved! Older readers may recall this from the film 'The Longest Day'. Younger (and older-me included) may recall this from playing the computer game 'Call of Duty 2' which is so accurate that actually knew my way around one of the defensive bunkers from having been there before in game mode!
Omaha beach and the cemetery are probably known to most people (if not where have you been?) and was so well depicted in the films 'The Longest Day' and 'Saving Private Ryan'. The scale of the cemetery is breathtaking and contains graves of the fallen not only from Omaha beach but from many of the other battles that took place right up until the end of the war. All the graves face the US (nice touch). The reason the US troops were tasked with taking Utah and Omaha beaches (named after the Corps commanders home states) was that they were the nearest to the US. The British assault beaches of Gold, Sword and Juno are further to the east.
I personally find the stories behind each battle fascinating with the tales of near disaster, courage, leadership, naivety, sense of duty, friendship, fear, heroism...... (you get the idea). So for me not really 'war mongering' more a case of hoping it never ever has to happen again. Pete
Part of the mulberry harbour constructed on the orders of Churchil to provide a safe anchorage on the beach after British troops had secured them. They were huge concrete structures towed over and beached in a semi circle around a vast beach. The size was a suprise and gave you an idea of what it had been like in 1944. It says something that even today a substancial part of this harbour still exists.
Bob on the beach at Luc Sur Mer. Its a long story but my dad served for 6 plus years in the 2nd world war. Shortly after D Day he arrived of the coast of Normandy and was billetted on this beach ( in tents ) for a number of days before going inland an onwards to Holland where he met my mum and finally Germany from where he was demobbed.It was a visit I have always wanted to make another box ticked.
Bob and Olive arrive at Luc Sur Mer. Looking at the town today it is hard to imagine what it was like back in 1944 when so many men like my dad just did their bit to make Europe free again. We all owe them a huge debt of gratitude and its good to see that in this part of France they do not forget.
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