Normandy and the D-Day Beaches Part 4

by Paul Holmes

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Remembrance Day 2005

 

Day 6 (continued):  Pointe Du Hoc

The 2nd Ranger Battalion, led by Lt. Col.  James E. Rudder, was assigned probably one of the toughest assignments of D-Day.  Using rope ladders and grapnels, these men were to scale the 100 foot cliffs and capture the German Battery at the top.

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Pointe du Hoc housed a quartet of 155 mm guns, capable of firing on both Omaha and Utah Beaches.  Despite the near 10,000 tons of high explosive Aircraft and Naval bombardments (before D-Day), the concrete casemates still were intact.  When the Rangers actually reached their targets, they discovered that the guns had been replaced by wooden telegraph poles.  The Rangers followed deep wheel tracks inland and eventually found the guns, about 1000 yards back from the cliff, still posing a potential threat to the invading fleet and the men on Utah Beach. 

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Though the unit suffered 75 percent casualties, the brave men of the 2nd Rangers beat off all counter-attacks and held on to Pointe du Hoc.... the first American victory in Normandy.  A memorial to the Rangers now rests upon the top of the Observation Bunker of the Battery.....

On the way back to Bayeux, I stopped at the Bayeux War Cemetery.  A good friend of mine has an Uncle interred there.  I found the Headstone, had a chat with him, shared some Calvados, and took some charcoal rubbings of the Headstone itself... a very memorable part of my trip.

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Day 7: Bayeux and surrounding areas, Utah Beach, and Ste. Mere Eglise....and on to Paris.

With this being my last full day, I wasted no time and left early.....

I found a museum in Bayeux, but unfortunately it is (apparently) closed for renovations... I have also heard that it is possibly closed down for good... a damn shame if it's true.  Regardless, these 4 Armour pieces still rest out front....

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The next stop I made was at the American Cemetery at Colleville.  I don't have much to say (as the pictures speak for themselves), except that I am proud to have the USA as my neighbour....

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I passed through Vierville again, stopping at the D.Day Omaha Museum.  A smaller museum, set up inside an old aircraft quonset, it has so many artefacts, both Axis and Allied, that I'm sure that if I went back several times, I would see something I didn't see the time before.... very cool place!!!

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Despite the lovely blue sky in the pictures here, it started to cloud up amazingly fast... I could hear static bursts on the car radio as I drove, so I got ready for the rain.....

My next stop was the German War Cemetery in La Cambe.  In sharp contrast to the polished (near 9400) white crosses at the American Cemetery in Colleville, this cemetery has over 21000 souls at rest here, represented with small, but poignant crosses and grave markers, most with two buried per plot.  I was later informed that this is the final resting place of German Tank Ace Michael Wittmann and his crew......

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On to Utah Beach.....

The Utah Beach Landing Museum is a fairly modern structure built upon parts of a German Bunker complex.  It is situated right off of the beach where the US 4th Infantry Division landed on D-Day.

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The museum is clean and brightly lit.  There are a number of artefacts on display, quite a few models and dioramas (including a 1/35 diorama of the landings, which is easily the largest single diorama I have ever seen..... shown below.   I bow down to the builder or builders!), and in the main hall, a pair of DUKW's like they were ready for battle...  To add to the effect, they had the soundtrack to "Band of Brothers" playing in the background.

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Though it was getting late, thankfully, I had enough time to make my way to the Airborne Museum in Ste. Mere Eglise........

In one of the more celebrated images of D-Day, Airborne Trooper Pvt. John Steele, upon his descent into the German occupied town, had his parachute snag on the Church tower.  He hung there, injured and playing dead for nearly two hours, eventually being captured.  He became quite a celebrity, and after the war, made many return visits.  A mannequin now hangs there as a memorable reminder.....

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Across the square from the church is the Musee Airborne.  It consists mainly of two parachute shaped buildings, one housing a Waco Glider, and the other housing a C-47.  Many displays of weapons and equipment (most of which are from Veterans personal collections) are shown in a such a way that you can practically reach out and touch them.

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I was very impressed with this museum.  Being a fan of both the book and mini-series of "Band of Brothers", I had a special interest in this place.  The museum helped me discover a small part of who these gentlemen (both the 101st and 82nd Airborne) really were, and the efforts they made over the course of the war.

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I looked at the time, and noticed the museum was about to close.  Reluctantly, I decided to head out towards Paris, and towards my eventual flight home.

So, that's it.  I can honestly say that this was the trip of my lifetime.... but I'm still young, and with all of the stuff I didn't see this first time, I fully intend on returning... hopefully in the near future.

And, just to introduce myself, I thought I'd include a pic of me.... Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you folks!!! ;-)

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I'd first like to thank Steve Bamford for allowing me to post such a huge article.  Also, I'd like to thank my friends and family for helping me out in whatever ways they did.  And to all of you for giving these articles a read.  I took over 2400 pictures and small video clips, so believe it or not, this is just a small glimpse into what I saw.  I know I will never forget it, nor will I forget the sacrifices made by the Men and Women who fought in World War 2. 

Paul

Photos and text © by Paul Holmes