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Published: December 23rd 2005
Pegasus Bridge
Will in front of the relocated Pegasus Bridge (replaced by a newer bridge).After a sleepy morning, we went into Honfleur with the intention of visiting a Christmas market. Unfortunately, we found out the market was tomorrow, boo! So, we made do by having a lovely breakfast of scones, toast, and hot chocolate!
It was then off to Pegasus Bridge, which was taken early D-Day morning by British paratroopers to secure a path across the Orne River. The memorial was not open, but we were able to walk around the perimeter and see much of exhibits (see the picture of Will with the relocated bridge).
We then followed the Orne River down to Ouistreham (edge of Sword Beach). We were happy to see that the Atlantic Wall Museum which we thought was going to be closed was open. The museum itself was a five story command bunker. We had the place to ourselves and had a blast exploring it. See the picture of five of us on the top of the bunker with Sword Beach in the background. There was also a Stuart tank which William is standing in front of.
We made several stops along Sword and Juno Beaches where the kids would run up the beach while someone manned
Top of Bunker
Atlantic Wall Museum Bunker looking toward Sword Beach a bunker. It was nice having the beaches almost to ourselves instead of the mass of summertime beach goers. Along the way, we kept seeing Pere Noels (Santa Clauses) hanging on ladders outside of windows. Evidently, he comes by ladder through a window in France rather than down the chimney. There’s a picture showing our Pere Noel friends.
At Juno Beach, we went to the Juno Beach Centre, which is a new museum opened by Canadian veterans specifically focused on the Canadian effort at Juno Beach. The museum was small but interesting. There were several interesting items on the beach nearby to explore. Will can be seen next to a Churchill tank.
On the way back to the cottage, we picked up a small Christmas tree for the house. You can see photos of both the cottage and the tree. It was another great day on the trip. Tomorrow, we’re off to Utah Beach and Ste. Mere Eglise.
Will’s field report: Today I had a fun time with tanks. You can see the pictures of me next to a couple tanks. We saw several bunkers. And we went to a museum that was a HUGE command
Stuart Tank
Will hams it up in front of a Stuart Tank bunker. It was 5 STORYS tall. In it I saw these weapons: a Bren machine gun, a bolt action Lee Enfield rifle, a CAR95, a Sten light machine gun, a MP40 machine gun, and lots of others. We went to Sword Beach and Juno Beach. In a bunker I got to man a huge machine gun.
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