Day Six - Boxing Day Stinks for the Lunds

The D-Day Coverup

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Prior to the Normandy invasion, the Allies staged a "practice" landing that ended in disaster. For 40 years the story was covered-up: "It was two hours after midnight on 28 April, 1944. Since the moon had just gone down, visibility was fair. The sea was calm. A few hours earlier, in daylight, assault forces of the U S 4th Infantry Division had gone ashore on Slapton Sands, a stretch of beach along the south coast of England that closely resembled a beach on the French coast of Normandy, code-named Utah, where a few weeks later U.S. troops were to storm ashore as part of history's largest and most portentous amphibious assault: D-Day The assault at Slapton Sands was known as Exercise Tiger, one of several rehearsals conducted in preparation for the momentous invasion to come. So vital was the exercise of accustoming the troops to the combat conditions they were soon to face that commanders had ordered use of live naval and artillery fire, which could be employed because British civilians had long ago been relocated from the region around Slapton Sands. Individual soldiers also had live ammunition for their rifles and machine guns. In those early hours of 28 April off the south coast in Lyme Bay, a flotilla of eight LSTs (landing ship, tank) was plowing toward Slapton Sands, transporting a follow-up force of engineers and chemical and quartermaster troops not scheduled for assault but to be unloaded in orderly fashion along with trucks, amphibious trucks, jeeps and heavy engineering equipment. Out of the darkness, nine swift German torpedo boats suddenly appeared. On routine patrol out of the French port of Cherbourg, the commanders had learned of heavy radio traffic in Lyme Bay. Ordered to investigate, they were amazed to see what they took to be a flotilla of eight destroyers. They hastened to attack. German torpedoes hit three of the LSTs. One lost its stern but eventually limped into port. Another burst into flames, the fire fed by gasoline in the vehicles aboard. A third keeled over and sank within six minutes. There was little time for launching lifeboats. Trapped below decks, hundreds of soldiers and sailors went down with the ships. Others leapt into the sea, but many soon drowned, weighted down by water-logged overcoats and in some cases pitched forward into the water because they were wearing life belts around their waists rather than under their armpits. Others succumbed to hypothermia in the cold water. When the waters of the English Channel at last ceased to wash bloated bodies ashore, the toll of the dead and missing stood at 198 sailors and 551 soldiers, a total of 749, the most costly training incident involving U.S. forces during World War II. Allied commanders were not only concerned about the loss of life and two LSTs -- which left not a single LST as a reserve for D-Day -- but also about the possibility that the Germans had taken prisoners who might be forced to reveal secrets about the upcoming invasion. Ten officers aboard the LSTs had been closely involved in the invasion planning and knew the assigned beaches in France; there was no rest until those 10 could be accounted for: all of them drowned." From "The Navy Department Library".

Maybe Next Time

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Now I wish I had gone into the museum, but at the time it didn't seem appealing. Over the years I must've been in too many museums because now I tend to avoid them. Information overload. I'd rather buy a book on the subject and read at my own leisure I guess. Besides, travelling with others it's hard to gauge their interest in something you may or may not find fascinating.

German War Cemetery at Le Cambe

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After getting kind of lost leaving Utah Beach because I thought I was smarter than bothe GPS devices, we began our drive back toward Bayeux and Arromanches. Just outside Carentan we had passed a marker for a German graveyard. There was still a slight bit of sunlight so I left the highway to squeeze in one more site.

A City of the Dead

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As the Battle for Normandy raged, the hard-pressed Germans didn't have time of the manpower for burial details so thousands of German soldiers were hastily buried where they fell or in unmarked graves throughout the millions of acres of Norman farmland. Originally the cemetery at Le Cambe was supposed to be the final resting place for fallen Americans, but after the War the bodies buried here were moved to the bigger cemetery on Omaha Beach. German casualties were reburied here. Now there are over 21,000 Germans, more than the population of most Norman towns, buried here.

Too Dark to Devote Much Time to Investigating

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A Nearby sign says: “The German Cemetery at La Cambe - In the Same Soil of France Until 1947, this was an American cemetery. The remains were exhumed and shipped to the United States. It has been German since 1948, and contains over 21,000 graves. With its melancholy rigour, it is a graveyard for soldiers not all of whom had chosen either the cause or the fight. They too have found rest in our soil of France." As the years passed after the War ended, farmers and builders inadvertently came upon skeletal remains that were reburied here at Le Cambe. Some as recently as the 1990's. German tank hero, SS-Hauptsturmführer Michael Wittmann, is buried here along with some of the murderers at Abbaye d'Ardenne.

I Have a Wierd Fascination with Graveyards at Night

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The girls had stayed in the car because another rainstorm was pelting us. I didn't notice as I explored the immense Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge. Again I stupidly failed to attach my camera lens hood and got waterspots on my lens ruining the pictures. It kind of adds a bit to the eeriness however.

I Could Send This Picture to Those Nitwits on Travel Channel

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I think this is photographic proof of the spirits rising from their graves. Those white dots must be ghosts showing me around the site. Actually, this is better evidence than most of the silliness on Ghosts Adventures.

Why Does This Picture Seem Brighter Than It Actually Was?

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It was pitch black outside when I was ready to leave the graveyard. We were the only car in the lot. I was afraid we'd get locked inside the grounds because the visitor center staff seemed long gone. Yet somehow this photo makes it look like it was still daylight. Hmmmmmm. The big mound with a cross is a mass grave for 89 German soldiers. I was surprised to learn that of the 21,000 buried here, only 200 some are unknown.

Let's Go Eat

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Now it was time for my favorite part of vacation: eating. It was more than an hour drive back to Bayeux where we assumed we might find some sort of restaurant open for business. Naturally, my passengers slept the whole way back. Downtown Bayeux was well-lighted and seemed somewhat busy, but it took us a good 15 minutes of driving around in circles to find an area with some open restaurants. We still hadn't caught onto the fact that the French restaurants didn't open for dinner until after 7:30 at the earliest.

Why Do We Always Make This So Difficult?

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After parking in the happening part of town we were shocked to see not much was happening. We checked out the outdoor menu at Taverne des Ducs (Tavern of the Dukes, not ducks) but decided to look elsewhere because it seemed too expensive. After seeing similar prices posted at less interesting looking joints, we headed inside. The owner or manager greeted us and informed us they didn't open for another half hour but allowed us to get seated and use the facilities in back.

Hello. Wrong Outfits for France Ladies

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All along I had been raving how comfortable the temperature had been here in Normandy, but apparently I was alone in this opinion. The girls were dressed like they were in Alaska. Once they got their Chaud Vin they would be peeling off layers.

Our Own Personal Dining Room

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What do the old geezers do in France when restaurants don't open until 7:30? No Early Bird specials here, although we did thoroughly peruse the specials board in the background. By the time we finished our dinner, the place was filling up.

Nothing Like a Good German Beer in France

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They may have cheered when the Americans threw out the hated Bosch, but they didn't start importing Budweiser because of it. Gail and I ordered big glasses of Spaten and passed on the French red wines and Calvados.

The Instruments of Torture at Gail's Disposal

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Three of us decided to go with items on the menu that we were somewhat familiar with. Gail decided to be daring and ordered the escargot. She knew this would be different when they brought out the special tools for her gastronomic adventure.

Beats Me

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What did I get? I have no idea even after looking at the picture again. I think it was some kind of beef tips with a very tasty gravy. I remember it was delicious but I missed those German-size portions. I was still hungry even after dessert. Nifty knives though.

For Once Doug Did Not Ask for a Taste

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Gail deemed it fabulous and Cassie and Grandma took a taste, but I've cleaned-up too many slugs from our patio stones to even consider trying this concoction. Gail had garlic breath for the next week.

Fancy Schmanzy But I Need More

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Dessert was as beautiful as the main course, but there was even more open plate yawning up at me. How did these mini-meals ever catch on? I guess this is why the Frenchies all weigh 95 lbs sopping wet.

Riz Au Lait

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Give rice pudding a fancy French name and you can charge twice as much.

Coffee for Cassie

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More au Lait.

Gail Thanks the Slick Maitre d'

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After polishing off dessert but before the bill ruined the evening for us, Gail and her mother hit les cabinets. On the way back to our table they stopped to speak French with the Handsomest Man in France (besides me I suppose). Gail's attempts at speaking the local lingo didn't help shave anything off the bill. The Paris outdoor restaurant scene from "European Vacation" keeps running through my mind. __________________________ Trying to get back to our rooms in Arromanches a mere 7 miles away was an ordeal because of Bayeux's wacky streets. We passed the cathedral three times before getting on the right road. Back at the hotel we did our usual routine of getting on to the internet, posting pictures, checking emails, and making notes of the day's activities. In bed before 11 pm.