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The following image was taken from the sliding door of our stateroom.
Today, the Viking Sky docked in Le Havre, France. Our one and only activity was an all-day tour – “Normandy & the D-Day Landings – Honor the courage of Allied troops who changed the course of World War II on a moving visit to the D-Day Beaches. Travel with your guide to the Normandy Coast, passing the three beaches – Gold, Juno, and Sword-where British and Canadian troops came ashore. In Arromanches, see the remains of the ingenious Mulberry Harbor, a port that allowed the Allies to land vast quantities of troops and supplies. Stop to visit the small Arromanches D-Day Museum, then take some time to walk along the seafront. After lunch, follow the coast to the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer. Located high on a cliff over Omaha Beach, it is the final resting place of nearly 9,400 American servicemen and women. You can walk among its many white crosses and browse the visitor center. You will also stop at Omaha Beach, where you can take photos.” We did not spend time in Le Havre other than to board the bus.
Our goal is not to provide a history lesson on the D-Day Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944 (known as Operation Overlord), as information is readily available from many sources (books, the internet, movies); instead, we encourage you to reflect on the photos and narrative below. We both found this to be a moving, poignant, and somber day.
Our British/French guide was very knowledgeable, deeply immersed in the history of WWII, and provided a great deal of terrific information, abundant details, and many facts, I mean ample (i.e., he talked almost the entire trip). One key fact he stressed is that the Allies started planning for D-Day more than two years before the invasion. He talked extensively about the strategic preparations, military goals, and division of responsibility among the British, Canadians, and Americans.
The following are two maps, taken from the internet, showing the five major D-Day landing beaches by the Allied forces. We spent a lot of time at Omaha Beach and drove by Gold, Juno, and Sword beaches. For context, the distance from Omaha to Sword Beach is roughly 48 km (30 miles). We also drove by the Pegasus Bridge (near the far-right parachute symbol on the first map), which is around 10 km (6 miles) southeast of Sword Beach. The D-Day landings covered a lot of territory, as did our entire tour.
We first drove by the Pegasus Bridge and Museum in Ranville, Normandy, France. In this area, three gliders landed near the Caen Canal Bridge (later named Pegasus Bridge). The troops captured the bridge and liberated the Café Gondree (the first house liberated in France since German occupation). The first and second images show the bridge (it was moved to the museum site in later years), images 3-5 show a replica of one of the plywood gliders and other vehicles used during the operation, image 6 shows the canal and original bridge columns (the actual bridge was moved in recent years for safety reasons), image 7 shows two triangular stones marking where the gliders landed, and the final image is the liberated Café Gondree.
We then visited the Normandy American Cemetery, first viewing Omaha Beach from an outlook and getting a sense of the steepness of the hills that the American troops had to climb to reach the German-controlled areas.
The plaques from the park.
We walked to the gravestone and monument area. While the images might feel somewhat redundant, I believe it is important to see the headstones at multiple angles. Viewing them is very moving. The 9,388 men and women interred gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
There is a memorial structure on the grounds. The statue is “The Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves”, created by American sculptor Donald De Lue.
The memorial has numerous maps and diagrams documenting both the D-Day landings and the progress of the war after the landings. They are both very comprehensive and educational.
Various images from the grounds. The landscaping and upkeep are immaculate. The area feels respectful and solemn and is kept in pristine condition.
We visited the museum for a very quick walk-through. We were out of time (because the guide gave a lengthy talk at the viewpoint).
After the cemetery, we stopped at Omaha Beach near the water. Even after 82 years, this is a humbling and sober site. So many people sacrificed so much. We posed by the Les Braves Memorial. Again, the images might feel a bit redundant, but I believe the multiple angles better show the beauty of the monument.
The first image is a view of the beach and channel waters. Images 2-4 are the Memorial Omaha Beach.
Our next stop was the city of Arromanches-les-Bains, the location of one of the Mulberry Harbors. From Wikipedia: “The Mulberry harbours were two temporary portable harbours developed by the British Admiralty and War Office during the Second World War to facilitate the rapid offloading of cargo onto beaches during the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944.“
We made a quick stop for lunch at the restaurant in the Hôtel de Normandie in the city of Arromanches-les-Bains. Given that we were in France, the food was terrific. We had a salad followed by braised chicken hindquarters. Everything served was excellent. Kind of amazing that they can serve around 50 people so quickly and with such high quality. We also enjoyed chatting with two passengers we had not talked with on the trip to date. A great experience. Sadly, no photographs (we were too busy eating.) Sorry….
After lunch, we walked around this small village. In the water, you can see the remains of some of the concrete platform structures that supported the temporary Mulberry Harbours or “floating roadways”.
After our walk around, we went to the Musée du Débarquement, which was across the street from the restaurant. The museum focuses primarily on D-Day and the artificial harbor. The images that follow are both from outside of and within the museum.
Before D-Day, the Allied forces had unsuccessfully attempted to capture a nearby harbor and deemed the objective impossible. Therefore, “As we have no harbour at our disposal, we shall bring ours”, stated Lord Mountbatten, and the British spent two years designing a temporary, built-in-place harbour and docks to enable the Allied forces to quickly bring in tanks and supplies until a deep-water port could be captured. It is considered quite an engineering feat. The supporting concrete structures were called “beetles,” and the steel roadway segments were called “whales” (see photo 8 above by the red tractor). These segments connected to create a dock that extended into the Channel out to the ships.
The museum also focused on D-Day in general. There were specific exhibits for all five beaches that depicted the military strategy for securing each beach and how the Allies would coordinate forces inland. We thought this was an excellent museum and wished we had more time to explore.
After leaving the museum, we drove by Juno Beach, not leaving the bus. The first image shows a German concrete bunker in the area. The second image is the Cross of Lorraine (Croix de Lorraine), which symbolizes Free France or liberated France.
A few photos taken on our way back to Le Havre of quaint, historic churches. The first is the Église Saint-Pierre in Arromanches-les-Bains, a prominent landmark in this small community. The second is the Church of Saint Martin, located in Tracy-sur-Mer, a small village in the Calvados department of Normandy, France.
End of Post.