Operation Overlord: 0n D-Day, 6th June 1944, the Allied armies finally returned to France to confront the Germans, landing on five different beaches along a 120 kilometre stretch of Normandy coastline. 6,939 vessels, including 1,200 warships, were involved. It would take weeks to fully explore the area – we had 4 days.

The memorials and museums are so numerous in this part of Normandy that it is difficult to know what to visit. We decided to start with the D-Day Omaha Museum on the hills above the famous beach, then the beach itself.

DAY 1

D-Day Omaha Museum

Blood was washed away in the tide although much was to remain hidden in the sea and earth which was where Michel Brissard entered the scene – a local man who hoovered up all the war debris. His greatest find was an Enigma Machine which he bought for the equivalent of £5 at a local car boot sale, the seller believing it to be a German typewriter!

The building has an interesting history too, being an original Quonset hut used to store supplies for the landings and later turned into a field hospital. The collection is still privately owned by Michel’s sons and is great fun once one has worked out the system, having downloaded a guide on entry. You can read the details about the various objects or listen on headphones.

It is simply two rooms packed with stuff, models and equipment. The first is German, the second American, with a small offshoot covering other areas. From the camouflage used by the Germans – dots anyone? – to the folding motorcycle which was parachuted in with the airborne troops, there is a story behind each item.

An original “Sonderkraftfahrzeu 2” tracked motorcycle was unearthed with a metal detector when Michael was 9 years old, following a tip off from a local farmer. A Goliath mini tank was discovered in an old barn, as well as a decoy “Rupert” doll: these were parachuted in with explosives to cause confusion in the run up to the landings.

Outside the hut there are some Mulberry footbridges and various guns, as well as a small snack bar – we decided to wander down the road to the Omaha junction where we had a yummy sausage and caramelised crepe from Aux Delices d’Alice, a little food truck which also had coffee and sweet crepes.

Omaha Beach

They came from many corners of America and from all areas of life, filled with gungho and the shining vitality of youth. They came to free the western world yet many never had a chance to participate – many never even made it off the beach, indeed hardly off the landing craft…

I stood on the dark golden sands of Omaha Beach and thought ‘What a waste!’ Yet was it? It is estimated that 770 men died on Omaha Beach when the D-Day landings kicked off there at 6.35 am on 6th June 1944 yet enough did survive to scale the hills and the heights and drive back the Germans. By that evening a bridgehead had been established, supplies were pouring in and finally the Allies had returned to Europe to finish the war – although it would take another year of fighting and many more lives before it could finally be concluded.

The English disembarked on Gold and Sword, the Canadians on Juno, whilst the Americans landed on Utah and Omaha beaches. Today it is the latter that is the famous one, partially due to the Saving Private Ryan film (whose opening 26 minute sequence is actually fairly accurate) but also due to the horrific conditions faced by the Americans.

Today it is just 5 miles of long golden sandy beach backed by low hills, but in 1944 those heights provided the perfect viewpoint for the entrenched German positions which proved lethal to the Americans.

The men were from the untested 29th Infantry Division with 9 companies of U.S. rangers, whilst the battle hardened 1st Infantry Division landed on the eastern half. However, a lot of whether one got off Omaha Beach or not was down to pure luck especially for those in the early landings where 90% died or were wounded.

In rough seas, 10 landing craft were swamped and 27 out of 29 tanks. The infantry often landed on sandbars 50-90 metres out and then had to wade through neck deep water to the shore, with 180 metres still to go when they got there.

Overladen and bewildered, they faced the 12,020 strong German 352nd Infantry Division, about half of whom were experienced combat troops. There were 3,600 American casualties, 1,200 German but by the end of the day 34,000 troops had landed.

At the bottom of the Vierville hill, there is a boxy memorial to the National Guard (actually built above a German bunker)and another to the infantry, depicting a soldier helping a wounded comrade. The beach spread out behind: Mulberry ‘B’ harbour was constructed here as well as ‘A’ at Arromanches, and operated from 18th June 1944; however it was rapidly destroyed by a storm between 19-22 June.

Following the coast road along the beach, we came to another memorial called “Les Braves” by the French sculptor Anilore Banon. The abstract chrome pieces represent the Wings of Hope, the Rise of Freedom and the Wings of Fraternity, and are strangely photogenic on the beach. The monolithic pile in front of it is the D-Day Signal Monument.

Towards the far end of the beach, there is a memorial to the U.S. Engineers. After the two German strong points there were put out of action by about 10 am, they opened the road behind through the Ruquet Valley, so providing the first exit from the beach. Later they were to construct the Mulberry Harbour and an airfield on the plateau above.

It is amazing what was achieved within a short space of time. It is thought 4,441 Allied soldiers died on D-Day (9000 if one includes the Germans), but considering that 156,000 troops were landed that day, the figure is surprisingly small – which is obviously no consolation on an individual basis but probably acceptable to a commander.

Omaha is sobering but it has also been hijacked by the Americans and Hollywood – one should not forget the other landing statistics which are not far behind. The British lost 1,760 soldiers (350 at Gold with 1000 casualties and 680 at Sword with 1,300 casualties) and the Canadians 370 with 1000 casualties at Juno – the highest proportionally yet they reached furthest inland that day.

2,500 Americans died.

One has to remember that behind the stark numbers were faces and names, each someone’s son or husband or friend and of their futures that were lost – the epitaph “For your tomorrow, we gave our today” is truly apt.

DAY 2

Arromanches-les-Bains

No one died horribly at Arromanches so this pleasant seaside town provided some light relief after Omaha Beach. It has a lot of jolly souvenir shops, an authentic shop for genuine relics and lots of good cafes and restaurants. It makes a great base for exploring the region.

An artificial Mulberry Harbour was constructed to allow the unloading of troops and war materials into France after D-Day. All the components were towed across from England and assembled at Arromanches. By the 12th of June 300,000 men, 54,000 vehicles and 104,000 tonnes of supplies had already been unloaded – it was an incredible achievement.

When it was wrapped up on 19th November, the figures had increased to 2.5 million men, 500,000 vehicles and 4 million tonnes of supplies

Even better, a lot of this harbour can still be seen in the water so one can get a good idea of what it once looked like and the logistics involved. The sparkling new Musée du Débarquement, right on the seafront, covers it all in great detail, but there are also many info boards on the pavement above the beach.

It is worth visiting at low tide when one can walk out on the sands and see the giant concrete blocks that supported the bridges. There is a well preserved example at the end of the beach, from where we ascended to the hill above for a more all embracing view.

On the way we paused at a handy bench – next to a tank – to catch our breath. There was an excellent view over the rooftops of the town and we were entertained by a mousing feline.

At the top, near the Arromanches 360° Circular Cinema, there is a German 88 mm anti-tank gun and the ‘D-Day 75 Garden‘, a 75th anniversary memorial depicting soldiers made with thousands of silver washers – they are surprisingly effective.

From the crumbling, bunker dotted headland, one can see the remains of the Mulberry harbour with Gold Beach stretching away in the distance in the other direction. It is a busy area with a huge paying car park – I would recommend the more attractive approach on foot.

The British Normandy Memorial

Just when one would have thought it was impossible to have anymore memorials, the British decided to get in on the act, building The British Normandy Memorial just inland from Gold Beach.

Opened on June 6th 2019 (the 75th anniversary), this rather rambling set of endless columns and arcades represents all the British lost in the battle for Normandy between the Landings and the 30th August when German resistance to the south of the Seine was ended.

The names of the 1,746 people who died on D-Day are inscribed on the D-Day Wall of the Memorial Court, whilst those who died between 7th June and 31st August are inscribed on the columns. There is also a French Memorial for the civilians who died, caught in the aerial bombing and between the two opposing armies.

If seen from the air, the design resembles a Union Jack in shape. The central D-Day sculpture by David Williams-Ellis portrays three British infantry men. It is all rather stark and the column layout takes a bit of working out, but actually quite photogenic with all the blocks and shadows.

We also coincided with two Standing with Giants installations: moving stealthily through the trees near the French Memorial there were the familiar black silhouettes, this time of 50 French resistance fighters.

To the front was the impactful D-Day display For Your Tomorrow: 1,476 silhouettes representing the British soldiers lost on D-Day. Two women stand amongst them: Sisters Evershed and Field who died saving 75 men from a sinking hospital ship.

Gazing over the many figures moving across the meadow there is a poignancy to the scene and a more personal, visceral connection than that created by the columns. Standing with Giants, who are based in Oxfordshire, are to be lauded for keeping the spirit of remembrance alive and relevant to a modern audience.

DAY 3

Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial

This was a strange visit which rather left me cold which it shouldn’t have as there are 9,389 people buried here. Another 1,557 are listed on a curving wall in the Garden of the Missing. All died during the D Day landings on 6th June 1945 and in the subsequent three months of the Normandy campaign. It is also sobering to know that two thirds of the families actually asked for their relative’s bodies to be repatriated – this is only a small portion of the whole.

We sadly knew we had arrived on American soil by the size of the people wandering around. It was too busy, too American, too like a tourist attraction, but my main issue was that all the graves were roped off so that one couldn’t walk amongst them so all empathy with the men was lost, one was too removed. I am not sure if this was a temporary measure for some reason or not.

So we did an outer circuit of the huge park where serried rows of pristine white crosses gleamed amidst green grass and scattered trees. There are 9,238 Latin crosses and 149 Stars of David, as well as 45 sets of brothers – it was actually Robert and Preston Niland who inspired Saving Private Ryan. They lie side by side in graves 11 & 12 in Row 15 of Plot F.

At the far end were two giant granite statues representing the United States and France, then a small central chapel (check out the mosaics on the ceiling) and to the other end within a columned memorial a 22 foot naked black statue writhed with an artfully placed wisp of cloth: “The Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves” – the statues could have been recycled from the 1936 Olympic Stadium in Berlin.

The memorial has a wall to each side with details of the Normandy campaigns which are quite impressive although you do have to look twice to find the British contribution (Canada will probably soon be erased!)

There is a museum to the end with a reflecting pool (it wasn’t on our visit, as a rather windy day) with simple, concise explanations. The models of the infantry man and the paratrooper were interesting to see just how much these men had to carry.

To the rear one can look out over Omaha beach with Arromanches in the far distance. A path leads down to it but this has now been closed. What with rigorous opening hours, a feeling that if you put a foot out of place a guard would jump on you and the sanitised presentation I didn’t find it a very moving experience.

However I paused to look at the visitors book as I left the museum. The last entry read “In honour of my father who died on Omaha Beach 06-06-44”. It was the most poignant part of the visit.

Pointe du Hoc

“Lead the way Rangers!”

Sadly the Americanisation continued here. Much of the area is roped off whilst a shiny new visitors centre and pathways are built. At the moment it is still a pleasantly overgrown scrubby area pitted with deep bomb craters and crumbling blockhouses and casements, although access is fairly limited, for now at least. The monument appears to be missing.

The 30 m cliffs of Pointe de Hoc which divide Omaha and Utah sectors look impressive from a distance and could have been more so in the landings but when 261 2nd Battalion rangers valiently scaled the cliffs (using ladders borrowed from the London Fire Brigade) in the face of the guns, they found that the large guns were decoys. After aerial bombing in April, the remaining guns had been hidden 1,300 m further back and although locked and loaded, their operators had fled.

The 380 tonnes of bombs which were dropped on the Pointe before and during D Day landed on fakes made of telegraph poles. Nevertheless, there were some German troops to hinder the Rangers and some were lost with a landing craft, but most of their casualties happened when the Germans finally launched their counter attacks.

By the morning of 8th June only 90 exhausted rangers were still fighting when reinforcements arrived and the Allies finally prevailed.

The German War Cemetery, La Cambe

We decided to see how the other half lived, or in this case died as it contains over 21,000 graves. Unlike British cemeteries which are often near where the men fell, these soldiers were gathered here from all over Normandy. It is both the largest cemetery in Normandy and the largest German cemetery.

A large mound in the centre holds 300 unidentified bodies. It is mounted by huge statues of a man and a woman, representing the mothers and fathers who lost children in the war.

There are dark crosses scattered in clusters under spreading oak trees – they are not marking specific graves, but rather represent the camaraderie of soldiers, the larger one being the commander. The graves are marked by simple stone plaques, many holding several names. I found the place far more atmospheric that the American cemetery, although it helped that we were virtually alone.

There is an excellent little museum on the other side of the road to the cemetery which is well worth a look. It does a good job of bringing one’s attention to the good and the bad that are buried here, including Michael Wittmann (thought to be one of the greatest tank commanders of the War having destroyed 114 enemy tanks on the Eastern front), Adolf Diekmann (responsible for the atrocities at Oradour-sur-Glane near Limoges on 10th June 1944 when 642 people were murdered) and Hans Pfeiffer (died leading the SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend in June 1944. Between 1941 and 1942 he was Hitler’s personal adjutant).

The end result is that one actually seeks out their graves and there is a well worn path to each – I won’t tell you where they are, you can have the fun of finding them!

DAY 4

St. Lô

First came the beaches and then came the hedges, or le bocage as it is commonly known in France: a countryside of small fields fenced with high, thick banks and hedges.

It was a nightmare scenario for the Allies who wanted to advance into Normandy and found their formidable enemy making full use of the natural landscape and the sunken lanes – distance became a matter of how many hedges they had crossed.

Behind it all was the German strongpoint of St. Lô, guarding a strategic road junction and the route to Paris. Once a vibrant market town, aerial bombing and the two adversaries were to reduce it to rubble so that when the American XIXth Army Corps finally reached it on 17th July, it already merited the title City of Ruins.

They symbolically laid the body of their commander on the rubble of the cathedral steps, draped in the American flag. They had lost over 1000 men in their battle for the city but finally Operation Cobra was possible, allowing the Allies to drive the Germans back and open up their advance into France.

We left the beaches on our last day and checked out St. Lô. Unfortunately the Musée du Bocage Normand seemed to be temporarily closed but we explored the town which is surmounted by tall ramparts and towers which once enclosed the medieval city.

They are the most obvious reminders of the old St Lô as little else remains and it is a sea of post war development. 50% of the cathedral, which dates back to the 13th century, was destroyed and rather than rebuild the missing tower, a plain wall was inserted in its stead, supposedly as a memorial but also as a cost measure.

The interior still soars elegantly upwards, supported by pillars which are scarred by bullets and shrapnel. It is an interesting example of what happened to those towns which were levelled in the war and I recommend the wall walk for its great views over the reconstructed city.

We finished the day with a delicious Tarte Normande from the Pâtisserie Vincent Le Boyer in the central Place du Général de Gaulle – some things in France never change and one can always find a good bakery.

V.E. Day

What had started with Operation Overlord and the D-Day landings finally ended when Victory in Europe day was declared on 8th May 1945.

After the complete unconditional surrender of the German forces. Churchill addressed the nation and declared “This is your victory! It is the victory of the cause of freedom in every land.”

It was the victory of every soldier who had landed on those beaches, each a small but vital part in a great war machine.

NOTES

We stayed at La Croisée des Chemins in Cerisy-la- Forêt, a bucolic campsite with a range of options from camping to posh safari style tents. The hosts are very friendly and it is well placed for visiting the beaches, Bayeux and St. Lô. Nearby the impressive Benedictine L’Abbaye St Vigor de Cerisy le Forêt dates back to the 11th century.

There are various walks in the area (in September everyone was foraging in the nearby forests for mushrooms) and the village has a popular local bar and bakery.

Landings area