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Published: January 1st 2006
Gold Beach
The first assault lands at Gold Beach.We started out today with the intention of going to Arromanches and Gold Beach and then Bayeaux. However, the weather turned out to be so fantastic that we decided to continue along the coast toward Omaha Beach and Pointe-Du-Hoc. But I get ahead of myself.
At Arromanches, we visited the Landings and Artificial Harbor Museum. There were two nice short films and some interesting displays. Arromanches borders Gold Beach and the first picture shown is Mike, Will and Diana preparing to advance up Gold Beach while Steven defended from the guns above. We walked from the museum to the Circular Cinema which was a 360 degree film about Normandy during D-Day and now. In between there was a Sherman tank which we took a picture of Will with.
Next we stopped at the Longues-sur-mer battery, the best preserved German battery along the Normandy coast. There were three batteries with their large guns still in place which we enjoyed climbing around. Closer to the beach was a command bunker that was almost complete. You can see the picture of Steven and Diana in the bunker with Will climbing up.
We stopped in the small town of Port-en-Bessin and had
Will and a Sherman
Will poses at a tank on a bluff at Arromanches. a quick lunch. There’s a picture of Mike’s lunch which is a unique sandwich they called an “Americain.” It’s a hamburger served on a baguette with French Fries loaded on top. Needless to say, Mike was pleased!
Next, we proceeded to the American Cemetery. That was incredible experience seeing all the graves. Over 9,000 Americans are buried in that cemetery from the entire Normandy campaign. We looked down upon Omaha Beach and decided to drive down closer.
Working our way down from the parking area to the beach, you saw the level of defenses that the Americans coming up from the beach had to work through. There were enough ruined bunkers and blockhouses to get a good idea of what they faced. There were monuments to the 1st Division (The Big Red One) and the Army Engineers. The number of casualties on D-Day from the Engineering group was staggering (trying to clear a way up the beach). The next picture shows the kids at the sea wall ready to make their run up the hill. It was pretty hard for them, I could only imagine with a bunch of gear on your back while carrying a rifle.
Longues-sur-mer Battery
Steven and Diana take their positions. Our final stop of the day was Pointe-du-Hoc in the fading daylight. The height of the cliff was impressive to think of the Rangers scaling the cliff under fire. The number and size of the craters was amazing. Our last picture of today shows the craters and the destroyed German bunkers and trench system. The kids, though worn out from the long day, spent a lot of time running in and out of the craters and bunkers that were still at least partially intact. As the sun went down, we drove back to the cottage for a well-deserved rest!
Will’s field report: This would probably be the best day of my life. I had 2 of my dreams come true. I got to go on Omaha beach and go on Pointe-Du-Hoc. We went to 2 museums and they both had a short movie. The best thing today was Omaha beach. The second best thing was Pointe-Du-Hoc. We went into some big bunkers made of cement We reenacted Saving Private Ryan by charging Omaha beach. And we went on some big artillery pieces at a German battery. We imagined how tough it would have been charging Omaha beach.
Mike's Sandwich
Mike samples some fine French cuisine.
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NANA AND GRANDPA
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