D-Day Beaches
On the fourth day of our tour, we embarked on a journey that took us back in time to locations related to the infamous D-Day invasion. Our day began with a historical lesson. We traveled to Utah Beach, one of the first beach areas of the invasion. This beach was given the code name 'Utah,' one of five beach landing locations with code names such as Omaha, Sword, Gold, and Juno. We learned that Americans landed at Utah and Omaha, the British at Gold and Sword, and the Canadians at Juno.
After exploring the beach area and the museum established here, we proceeded to Pointe Du Hoc. This location played an important part in the overall war as it was a fortified stronghold protecting a battery of heavy guns that German forces occupied. The US Army Rangers scaled the 90-foot cliffs to capture this defended position and then held it against repeated counterattacks. Their heroic actions helped establish an Allied foothold in France and began the liberation of Europe. We were able to walk through some of the bunkers that are still standing to this day. This experience gave us a glimpse of what soldiers faced that day and was a deeply moving and surreal experience.
As it was nearing afternoon, we made a pit stop along the way to stop for lunch at Port de Grandcamp-Maisy. We visited Chez Charl’Au and indulged in some fresh seafood, including fish & chips and an order of prawns. The seafood was so fresh as expected since we were located right in the port town, across the street from the water. We were well-fed and ready for our next stop, Omaha Beach. This beach was the most well-known beach in the D-day invasion, and also the most restricted and heavily defended. Two U.S. infantry divisions, the 1st and the 29th, landed at Omaha Beach, the second to the west of the five landing beaches of D-Day. The fighting was the bloodiest of the morning, and by the end of the battle, there were 2,500 US lives lost. However, by nightfall, around 34,000 American troops had landed. This particular beach resonated emotionally with members of our tour group as some of them had family members that had lost their lives on this beach that day.
Once we departed the beach, we headed to the Normandy American Cemetery. This cemetery is where 9,388 US lives are buried, each headstone engraved with the serviceman’s name, the date of his death, the unit in which he served, and the country where he was conscripted (or volunteered). It is a serene and tragic place. It was overwhelming to see so many people visiting the graves of their loved ones who lost their lives in this battle. We also witnessed the daily flag ceremony where they played “Taps” and lowered the American flag, folded it, and took it away. This experience was an honor, and we were grateful to be able to witness this event.
Finally, we visited Arromanches-les-Bains, the site of the artificial harbor that the British built to funnel machinery and fuel to troops. If you travel to the beach area, you can still see some of the remains of Mulberry Harbour, which was used to facilitate the rapid offloading of cargo onto beaches. We grabbed some quick snacks and souvenirs before heading back out to our hotel to call it a night. The next day promised to be another exciting adventure, visiting Le Mont-Saint-Michel and checking into our next hotel in Saint-Malo. Stay tuned for more!
