Report from Normandy

Several weeks ago, the Normandy area of France was awash in World War II veterans, tourists and politicians to honor the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion which led to the defeat of Germany and the end of the war in Europe. At this writing, the small towns and beaches are still full of tourists, and flags of the troops who made up the invasion force are flying throughout the area. US, UK, Canadian, French and Belgian flags fly from many buildings, and shops are filled with memorabilia.

The ferry ride from Dover to Calais takes about two hours, and the drive from the ferry to the Arromanches area requires about four hours more. Do not try this without GPS! Maps help, but GPS backed up by maps is much better. From Calais to Arromanches, the harbor at La Havre is a stunning sight with sweeping high bridges over the shipping channels. La Havre is the second busiest port in France.

The small villages in Normandy are as charming as they appear to be in photos. Cream-colored stone and stucco, walled gardens, wrought iron fences, white doors and flower pots and window boxes are picturesque. This area is farm country, with fences built of field stones stacked on borders, through which trees and shrubbery grew. Given a few centuries, these became very permanent fences! Called bocage in French, they give a distinctive look to the fields.

The hay, which was recently swathed, is a great crop this cutting. Corn is less than a foot high, the sugar beets are covering the rows, and the potatoes are blooming. A lot of Charolais cattle graze here, as well as some Guernsey and Jersey dairy cattle. Orange poppies are blooming in the wheat, and the barley has turned golden.

We saw a number of large houses and some chateau or castles. The larger the home, the more impressive the roofline and architectural details. Comfortable family-size homes have slate roofs, wrought iron gates, and some statuary in the front garden. The most impressive buildings have what appear to be wrought iron fences near the tops of the roofs.

Normandy is quite friendly to American and English tourists for several reasons. William the Conqueror was Duke of Normandy when he invaded England to take over the throne when Edward the Confessor died. William was first cousin of King Edward, but Harold Godwin had much support. In the battle of Hastings, near the town of Hastings on the English south coast for “Foyle’s War” fans, William was the victor, ruling both Normandy and England.

Later, the tables were turned, and English kings consolidated their hold on Normandy, which is why the English king or queen’s title includes Monarch of France. During the Hundred Years’ War between England and France, the fighting concluded with Calais being the last stronghold for the English. Now the English throng to Calais in droves to buy cheese and wine.

Because of the English connections to Calais, the Germans were expecting any invasion landing to happen there. It is the closest point between England and the continent. Other places they fortified very heavily were the port cities La Havre and Cherbourg.

Some of the Allied leaders argued for an invasion site in southern France, and the Allies had already pushed the Axis powers out of North Africa and invaded Sicily, working their way north through Italy. So the location of the second front was critical. Southern France was ruled out because of the difficulty of supplying a massive invasion force from England. Finally, the Allies settled on the coastline directly south of England.

The largest invasion in history began on June 6, 1944, when thousands of Allied troops began the rush ashore at six o’clock in the morning. Just after midnight, the Allies began flying paratroopers to Normandy. Parachuting behind enemy lines, suffering high casualties and securing some objectives that were badly needed.

The British troops came ashore at Gold and Sword beaches, with the Canadians between them at Juno Beach. The American troops came ashore just west of Gold Beach on Omaha Beach, and further west, Utah Beach, which is closest to Ste.-Mere-Eglise, the furthest west. Omaha Beach is near Vierville-sur-Mer. Next to the east, the town of Arromanches still has remnants of Port Winston, the artificial harbor assembled and towed over from England. Gold Beach is just east of Arromanches, Juno Beach is next east, and Sword Beach is east of the town of Ouistreham. The invasion area covers seventy-five miles of coastline.

The Germans had several years to build what Adolf Hitler called the Atlantic Wall, creating Fortress Europe. Those years allowed Germany to build pillboxes and install big guns, mine the harbors, install all sorts of beach barricades, and station huge numbers of troops there. The heavy bombing inflicted on the coastline in April and May of 1944 by both naval guns and bombers inflicted little damage to these fortifications.

Before and during the invasion, the city of Caen was literally turned into rubble, and most villages took enormous damage. Although the local people suffered greatly, the people of Normandy continued to give aid and comfort to the Allies, at great cost to themselves. The Germans continued to execute local people who were found sheltering Allied troops.

Bayeaux was the only city in the area that survived World War II relatively unscathed. Early in the war, a chaplain in Bayeaux, France, communicated with Allied leaders, telling them that there were no German headquarters in his city and that it was of no strategic importance.

In Bayeaux was the famous Bayeaux tapestry, a nearly seventy-meter long fabric artwork, made of wool embroidery on linen, which depicts the history of William the Conqueror and Harold of England. First displayed in 1077 in Bayeaux, it was coveted by Nazis whose assignment was “requisitioning” priceless works of art, which were then stored for later use. Reading or watching “Monuments Men” explains how artwork was rescued and returned. The Bayeaux tapestry was taken to the Louvre in Paris, and was still in that famous museum when Paris was liberated.

A visit to the American Cemetery at Omaha Beach is a moving and solemn experience. About nine thousand Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice at Omaha Beach and nearby are buried here, as well as those who were killed while serving here after D-Day who were buried here. Although many were sent home for burial, some veterans of the battle who died in old age have asked to be buried here with their buddies.

Ten days after the 70th anniversary of D-Day, there were still flowers on a few of the graves, which are marked with simple white stone crosses or stars of David. Each one lists the service member’s name, rank, and division or squadron, with the date of death. Researching days of birth was an impossible task at the time. There are quite a few graves marked with “Unknown but to God,” which could not be determined in the pre-DNA days. Several people were taking photos of an individual gravestone, and many were taking photos of the grounds and the perfect rows of white markers.

The museum has a theater that shows many short clips about Operation Overlord. There are profiles of many men buried here, and short clips featuring survivors. Maps abound, and several significant quotes by major figures are displayed. The surprising part is that there is no gift shop there. Of course, there are plenty of gift shops in neighboring towns and villages.

“The eyes of the world are upon you. I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty, and skill in battle,” said Supreme Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower, in a message to troops just before the invasion.

“If ever proof were needed that we fought for a cause and not for conquest, it could be found in these cemeteries. Here was our only conquest: All we asked was for enough soil to bury our gallant dead,” stated General Mark W. Clark, Chairman, American Battle Monuments Commission, 1969-1984.