Tuesday 14 April 2015

Operation Normandy - Tue 14th April - Day 3

 

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We woke up to another glorious day, already bright sunshine and warm.  I popped out early to the boulangerie, that was just round the corner from the site.  For 2 croissants, 2 pain au chocolate, a french stick and 2 pain au raisin I paid 6euro! Wow. No- we didn’t have all that for breakfast.  They were for tomorrow as well.

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After breakfast we bid fond farewell to Arromanches and headed on to our next destination Longues-sur-Mer battery.  Situated on the cliffs between Arromanches and Port en Bessin overlooking the D-Day Normandy Landing beaches.

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2 views looking towards Arromanches – see the remnants of the mulberry harbour

 

We missed the turning to the road leading to the site as the sign seemed to point further on,  but a friendly postman pointed us in the right direction.  There are two parking areas, one for cars and one for coaches, which is where we parked Monty.  There is a tourist information office and a toilet at the site.  It was busy but parking was fine.

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The battery was constructed by the German army and completed in April 1944 near the French village of Longues-sur-Mer in Normandy.  It was part of Germany's Atlantic Wall coastal fortifications. It consisted of four 155-mm navy guns, a command post, shelters for personnel and ammunition, and several defensive machine-gun emplacements. The naval guns taken from a decommissioned destroyer, each protected by a large concrete casemate, with a range of eight miles  were in a position to threaten either the Americans landing on OMAHA Beach or the British Landing on GOLD Beach.  On the night before the D-Day landings of 6 June 1944, the battery was subjected to a barrage comprising approximately 1,500 tons of bombs, although much of this landed on a nearby village.  Despite numerous allied air raids on that night , the battery was still operational on the morning of D-Day.  It was disabled later that day by bombardments from allied battle ships at sea, and on the  7th of June, the battery surrendered to British soldiers from the Devonshire Regiment.14_04_201508_44_22-6550- Longues sur mer Battery

The battery is unique as it still retains the guns  just as they were when captured in Operation Overlord on 7th June. The guns are in good condition given their age and their exposure to the coastal elements. Being here and seeing the guns gives you a real sense of what the brave men who stormed the beaches on D Day were up against, and evidence of the air and naval bombardments can be seen everywhere. The casemates show many signs of the attack they sustained on D-Day.

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We then headed on to the American cemetery.  En-route the main road was closed with some diversion signs, but they ceased  after we turned off and on to some very narrow roads.  The satnav at this point also decided to have a hissy fit.  We drove on and after what seemed ages the satnav fired back up. While this was happening we had a small following of cars who all thought we must know where we where going! Poor fools – we had no idea. We came to a fork in the road with no diversion sign to indicate which way we should go. Unsure we pulled over. Of the following vehicles 3 took the left fork and 5 plus another motorhome headed on the other route -  all having paused hesitantly as both routes were single country roads.  We also took the right fork and finally arrived at the cemetery.  We pulled into the parking area  which has plenty of parking for cars, motorhomes and coaches.  The site is laid out very typically of an American park, with landscaping, impressive toilet block and the main reception area.  We were surprised to find on entering the reception area  to be greeted by American security staff. You have to go through a metal detector and bags are scanned like airport security.  Inside there is a theatre telling the story and several areas with information and more film footage.

The cemetery is located on a bluff overlooking Omaha Beach . It covers 172 acres  and contains the remains of 9,387 American military dead, most of whom were killed during the invasion of Normandy and ensuing military operations in World War II. If you have ever watched the 1998  “Saving Private Ryan” the opening scenes are from the cemetery.  The Private Ryan story is based upon the story of the Niland Brothers, two of whom are buried in the cemetery. Also buried here is Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., son of President Theodore Roosevelt and a Medal of Honour recipient.

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Again a very moving place, and very much like the Commonwealth grave cemeteries. Allow plenty of time to look around the exhibits in the reception and outside to take in the surroundings. It was such a bright, calm day and standing in the cemetery looking out to sea it was hard to comprehend the death and suffering that had happened here.

We noticed near the entrance to the Cemetery a new museum that had recently opened  called the Overlord Museum. The founder of the museum was 15years old when observed the D-day landings. As the battle moved passed his home he explored the wrecks of vehicles and tanks that littered the countryside in 1944. In 1947 he started a timber yard on the family farm. He  used various military equipment to run his mill.  This started and led to  his love of collecting and desire to create a museum.  Unfortunately he passed away in 2011 before the museum was opened.

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Plenty of parking at the side of the museum. Entry is 7.50euros per person. Excellent museum with lots of great exhibits and displays, but my only criticism was the info written on the glass displays was white which was very hard to read/see in the lighting.  Also some of the pictures could do with information on. Other than that I recommend this place as a must see. Allow at least 1.5hours to look around.

We then headed on to our next historic place of D-Day, Pointe du Hoc. The highest point between Utah Beach to the west and Omaha Beach to the east. The German army fortified the area with concrete casements and gun pits as part of the Atlantic wall defences. On D-Day  the United States Army Ranger Assault Group assaulted and captured Pointe du Hoc after scaling the 100ft cliffs. The assault force was carried in ten landing craft with another two carrying supplies and four DUKW amphibious trucks carrying the 100 ft  ladders. Within a mile of the shore, German mortars and machine guns fired on the craft. With approximately half the force it started out with, the Rangers fired grapnels and ropes up the cliffs from the landing craft . The Rangers scaled the cliffs as the Allied destroyers provided them with fire support and ensured that the German defenders above could not fire down on the assaulting troops. Unfortunately the cliffs proved to be higher than the ladders could reach. Upon reaching the fortifications, most of the Rangers learned for the first time that the main objective of the assault, the artillery battery, had been removed. The Rangers regrouped at the top of the cliffs, and a small patrol went off in search of the guns. Two different patrols found five of the six guns nearby (the sixth was being fixed elsewhere) and destroyed their firing mechanisms. Altogether, Pointe-du-Hoc got hit by more than ten kilotons of high explosives, the equivalent of the explosive power of the atomic bomb used at Hiroshima.

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Arriving at the site you have plenty of choice of parking although some areas have height barriers.  The information centre has a small cinema displaying the actions of that day in June.  Also a small information section and toilets.  Outside as you walk to the point, you pass some more information boards.  Walking around you can see the point and enormity of the attack and and the many bomb holes. It resembles moon craters.  Looking out from the point you can see the tactical advantage the site had with its splendid views of the bay of Normandy.

 

On our return to Monty,  we decided to try another municipal camp site this time located at Sainte mere Eglise.  There is an aire in Sainte Mere Eglise, which originally was located on the square by the church.  This has now moved as they have redeveloped the area. The aire is located now  just outside of town (grid ref 49.407471, -1.311952)  off the new road from slip road off the north bound N13.  The municipal site (Camping St Mere Eglise) is located some 5 minutes walk to the east of the town square, church and museum etc. Again we were warmly welcomed by the receptionist, who also spoke very good English. Price for  a 24hour stay, yes 24hours from arrival, not depart by 11am which is more common, was just 15euros.  We again had plenty of choice of pitches, all large and most had electric.  There is a toilet block with full amenities, which again was very clean. It is a unisex block but ladies did have the option of 2 wash cubicles in a room next to the toilets and showers.  There also seemed to be a large field for tents. Next to the entrance to the site there is a motorhome service point for those not wanting to use the camp site and its facilities. Not sure if the aire had a service point and we forgot to check.

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After we had parked and hooked up we went for a quick look in the town ready for tomorrows adventure  and to collect some supplies.   We headed back to relax in the late afternoon sun after an exhausting day of looking round the various museums and memorials.

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Sainte Mere-Eglise stands in a pivotal location between Cherbourg and Caen whose capture fell to the 82nd Airborne, route N13, which the Germans would have most likely used on any significant counterattack on the troops landing on Utah and Omaha Beaches. 

 

Tomorrow we will look around the museum and the town.

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