Normandy: No Words Can Possibly Do It Justice

(Note: We have caught up on the blog so you can see additional posts before this one.)

A lifetime of waiting has finally brought Jason to Normandy, the region in France where the D-day landings, codenamed Operation Overlord, took place and the subsequent Battle of Normandy. Without a doubt this has been one of the most amazing experiences we have ever had. Not just because Tracey's grandfather was among those soldiers who landed on Omaha Beach and bravely fought through Normandy, Belgium and Germany. And not just because this whole real life conflict of good vs. evil has fascinated Jason since he can remember. It's because when you are here, the stories you hear, the battle fields you walk, and monuments you see involve every human emotion there is and capture the imagination like nothing else.

While here we visited the two American beaches, Utah and Omaha. These are open beaches that you can walk freely. German bunkers are still there with very little damage. To see the vastness of these beaches at low tide and to imagine having to run the approximate 300 yards of distance under heavy fire just to reach the sea wall is unfathomable. That was just the half of it. We learned that before landing these soldiers had been sea sick from hours in a non-streamlined water craft and from the chemicals on their clothing that were intended to tell them if chemical weapons were used. They had also been bailing water out of the landing craft as many stood waist high in water. We could go on and on about the difficulties faced here and never do it justice but suffice it to say that all they went through just to land on the beach sounds impossible in itself. To go through all that and the fighting on the beach and then continue fighting the next day and day after that is why every veteran from this place is a true hero.

This whole strech of 5 beaches (Utah, Omaha, Sword, Gold, and Juno) was only defended by 800 of Hilter's conscript soldiers. This was because he beleived the real attack would be more north. Imagine if he knew the invasion was going to come here.

We also visited Pointe Du Hoc. This is the cliff face that U.S. Army Rangers climbed while under enemy fire to take out six large enemy guns they thought were at the location. When they reached the top they found the guns had been moved prior to the invasion and replaced with dummy wooden poles. They would soon discover the new locations and destroy the guns. The landscape here is entirely cratered due to allied bombing and shelling. The craters are huge but despite this, the concrete german bunkers are largely in tacked and none that we saw had any damage from the bombing. Here you also get an amazing view of the ocean and can imagine the difference in scenery for the Germans from sunset on June 5, 1944 and sunrise June 6, 1944 when 6,900 naval warships would suddenly decend upon them virtually covering the entire seascape.

We saw actual locations of numerous other battles including those depicted in Band of Brothers and many others just as incredible but not as famous. The American and German Cemetaries are especially thought provoking. Here you stand where the actual men who fought here are now located. You also gain a bit of understanding for many of the troops who fought for Germany because they were forced into this war by Hilter after their countries were invaded by Germany.

All in all there are far too many stories, facts, and experiences to list here. We can only say that anyone visiting Europe has to make Normandy a must see. Not only should every generation visit here to ensure this part of history is never repeated but Normandy is also a very beautiful region of France. It is a popular vacation destination here and rightfully so. It certainly has the character anyone could be looking for in a Europeon holiday.

We will definately be back.

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