After a good nights sleep and a breakfast of coffee and croissants we were ready for our next day of exploring. The sun was up and the temperatures again were around 25c. We had been lucky so far with the weather as Normandy and Brittany have a reputation for rain. Yet in so many years of coming over here we have hardly had any rain. I’m just hoping I haven’t tempted fate by saying this! We set off on foot into Sainte mere Eglise, a 5minute walk from the lovely Sainte Mere Eglise municipal campsite.
Sainte Mere-Eglise stood in a pivotal location on route N13, between Cherbourg and Caen. This route was crucial as the Germans would have most likely used it for any significant counterattack on the troops landing on Utah and Omaha Beaches. Its capture fell to the 82nd Airborne. Unfortunately, sections of two planeloads of parachutists (2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 505th Parachute Infantry) were dropped directly over the village. To make the descent even worse, a farmhouse had caught fire either from tracers or the preceding aerial bombardment and illuminated the entire surrounding sky - making perfect targets out of the descending paratroopers. The paratroopers were easy targets, one of them, John Steele was hit in the foot by a burst of flak. He could not control his parachute which at about 1am caught in one of the pinnacles of the church tower, causing the cables on his parachute to stretch to their full length, he tried in vain to loosen his parachute leaving him hanging on the side of the church to witness the carnage. The wounded paratrooper hung there limply for two hours, pretending to be dead, before the Germans took him prisoner. Steele later escaped from the Germans and rejoined his division. He was one of only a few non-casualties. His action in Sainte-Mere-Eglise was told in the movie “The Longest Day”.
Many were killed on their way down, at least two were drawn into the fire itself, and many more were killed by the Germans after becoming entangled in trees and roofs. The few who did make it alive to the ground were almost immediately taken prisoner. After the initial excitement, curiously, the Germans went back to bed after the immediate threat subsided.
You can read about John’s story and the history of the invasion at the excellent airbourne museum in the town centre, just opposite the church where John had been entangled.
Entry to the museum costs 8euros per adult. We arrived just after it opened at 9am and we found this to be the best times as it was quiet and you could easily look around with out the hustle and bustle of coach groups.
There are 4 buildings on site including the shop. Each one is full of memorabilia and plenty of information. Outside there are various pieces of equipment as well. The C47 building houses an actual C47 from the airdrop and tells the story of that day. Also features film footage telling the story of life under the occupation of the Nazi’s. The WACO building tells the story of the gliders used in the landings and has one on display along with various displays and photos. The final building or the Neptune display lets you experience a night jump through sounds and footage etc. All well worth seeing and experiencing. Again allow plenty of time to look around and see the film footages and displays.
Lunchtime we headed to one of the street side cafes that are on the square. We sat and enjoyed the view of the square and then headed off to look round the square at the gift shops.
Utah beach lies in a more sparsely populated area of Normandy than the other beaches, and although the actual landing area is relatively small, the beach continues north for many miles.
Utah Beach is a short drive from St Mere Eglise, and the road between them is dotted with many places of interest to WW2 enthusiasts.
Although gradually fading themselves into memory, a belt of beach obstacles can be seen at low tide. Along the dunes you can also see the remains of many bunkers, large and small.
The best visitor attraction on Utah Beach is the Utah Beach Museum at La Madeleine. This museum is built on a bunker, and has many interesting exhibits. There is a car park and good disabled access. We opted to park on the side of the road where quite a few other vehicles were parked. Just down from the museum is a campsite and over the road a tourist shop and restaurant.To the side of the museum is a memorial to those who fell on the day. The museum stands on the very beach where the Americans landed and recounts the story of that day, from preparation to the successful landings on D-day. On display is one of only 6 B26 bombers. Different exhibits in chronological order tell the events from the German defences and occupation of the area to the planning and strategy of the allies and the events of liberation. These are shown in many displays and memorabilia, photos and footage of events.
We now decided to head to our next destination, approx 1hr 45mins away, one which we visited only briefly last year when we stayed in Brittany and had passed on our way from the Eurotunnel. Mont saint Michel. This time we decided not to pay the exorbitant price for the car park of 25euros which has no facilities for camping other than a parking space. We decided that we would either opt for the aire in the town of Beauvoir or possibly the campsite of Aux Pommiers which is just up the road. Cost wise the aire charged 12.50euro (4.50 euro for service point) or with our asci card discount we could stay at Camping Aux Pommiers for 16euros. We opted for the campsite. Again a friendly greeting and very good English spoken. The site was quite busy, where as the aire seemed fairly quiet. Camping aux Pommiers was well kept with a clean, modern toilet block. Spacious pitches with hedges to separate the plots. There was also a covered swimming pool. Orders for bread and croissants could be placed to collect in the morning. Very fresh and cheap!
www.montythemotorhome.com
So jealous! It's a lovely area - we'll be going back when we get our van.
ReplyDelete