- Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial at Colleville-sur-Mer
- Omaha Beach
- Pointe Du Hoc
- Arromanches
- La Cambe German Cemetery
The Normandy Landings were a coordinated effort by the allied forces (France, Poland, Great Britain, Soviet Union & USA) to recapture European land taken by the Germans. The Normandy Landings were a pivotal point in WWII, representing a significant victory for the allies.
Normandy Landings: Omaha Beach; Utah Beach, Pointe Du Hoc, Gold Beach, Juno Beach, Sword Beach.
Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial at Colleville-sur-Mer (France):
Normandy Landings: Omaha Beach; Utah Beach, Pointe Du Hoc, Gold Beach, Juno Beach, Sword Beach.
Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial at Colleville-sur-Mer (France):
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| Normandy American Cemetery at Colleville-Sur-Mer |
The Normandy American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer is a beautiful, well manicured cemetery and memorial. The 172.5 acre site contains the graves of 9,387 U.S. deceased military soldiers who fought and died in WWII. A majority of the the graves belong to soldiers who fought in the D-Day battle on June 6th, 1944.
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| Normandy American Cemetery at Colleville-Sur-Mer |
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| 1,557 Missing Unknown Soldiers Names |
Also listed here are another 1,557 missing unknown soldiers whose names are carved into the walls surrounding the memorial.
There is an open arc facing the memorial that has a 22 foot bronze statue which has the inscription
"The spirit of American youth rising from the waves".
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| Statue of the Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves |
The feeling of loss was so overpowering that my eyes filled up with tears as I walked around this cemetery. All I could do was imagine the terror that these young men must have went through during this war.
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| Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr. |
As we walked through the cemetery, we saw Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr.'s grave. Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr. was one of the three medal of honor recipients. On D-Day, he led the first wave of the U.S. 4th Infantry's landing at Utah Beach and earned the Medal of Honor. One of the nice things I found in visiting the American Cemeteries during this trip is that they bury brothers next to each other. This particular site has 38 sets of brothers buried next to each other. In fact, Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr. is buried next to his brother Quentin who was an Air Corps Pilot shot down in WWI in 1918.
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| Chapel in center of cemetery |
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| Chapel Ceiling Mosaic of America Blessing her Sons |
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| Entrance to Memorial |
Spanning an area of about 10 kilometers, the Omaha Beach assault was the largest of the Normandy Landing sites. Omaha beach was the code name for one of the five sectors of the allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy Landings on June 6th, 1944.
Just down the hill from the Normandy American Cemetery and memorial is Omaha Beach. I hiked down the trail to Omaha Beach and stopped at the Mulberry to view the German Casemate's that housed artillery. on top of one casemate, there is a monument that pays tribute to the American Soldiers of the 5th Engineer Brigade who gave their lives in the assault on this beach on June 6th, 1944. As I entered the casemates I saw chunks of missing cement due to the artillery.
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| Omaha Beach Casemate |
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| 5th Engineer Brigade Tribute at the Mulberry at Omaha Beach |
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| Another Casemate at the Mulberry at Omaha Beach |
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| Pathway to Omaha Beach |
Point Du Hoc "Competence, Courage and Sacrifice":
Pointe Du Hoc was the next visit. This is the site that is situated between Omaha Beach and Utah Beach, two of the landings during the Battle at Normandy. The site has HUGE craters all around caused by the weaponry. This site also has several bunkers, some of which have been partly destroyed by the war. Some bunkers housed 10-20 soldiers. Others were used for medical, command centers or morgues.
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| Large Crater |
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| Pointe Du Hoc Cliff |
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| Bunker |
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| Bunker |
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| Bunker |
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| German Casemate at Pointe Du Hoc |
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| German Casemate at Pointe Du Hoc |
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| Pointe Du Hoc Ranger Monument |
Arromanches Les Bains (Artificial Mulberry Harbor)
Arromanches was our next visit. This was where the secret "temporary Harbor" was set up by the Brittish based on Winston Churchill's idea of building a temporary Harbor to get the soldiers their supplies for the war. Arromanches has a beautiful little town right by the beach. There is a military tank that overlooks the town, and statues of Jesus and Mary on the hill above.
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| Arromanches 360 Cinema |
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| Arromanches Les Bains |
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| Artificial Mulberry Harbor |
La Cambe German Cemetery:
Our last stop for the day was a visit to the La Cambe German Cemetery. This is where the fallen German soldiers were relocated after 1945 from St. Laurent-Sur-Mer. La Cambe was originally the site of a battlefield cemetery, where American and German soldiers, sailors and airmen were buried.
After the war had ended, the American soldiers were exhumed and either sent back home according to their families wishes or buried at the American Cemetery and memorial at Colleville-Sur-Mer.
In walking around this site I noticed that there are two bodies buried per gravestone. I imagine it is due to the lack of space, I assume.
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| La Cambe German Cemetery Monument |
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| The grave marker for an unknown German solider |
The unknown soldiers are marked as "ein Deutscher Solidat" " a German Soldier".
