France Day 3 - this was a full day

 Day 3

We started today at Arromanches with a look at mulberries. Not the fruit, the bridges. Mulberries were portable bridges the British built to help offload equipment from the ships to the shore. They created a temporary harbor, Mulberry Harbor, at Gold Beach (the center landing point for D-Day) and were able to bring thousands of troops and their related equipment into France. It was low tide this morning when we stopped at Gold Beach, so we could see quite a few of the temporary harbor walls.

Mulberry Harbor at Gold Beach - to the right are parts of the harbor wall 

It's a mulberry - but certainly not one you'd like to eat. These are the temporary bridges used to offload equipment and troops.

D-Day 75 - definitely makes you stop and think

The D-Day Memorial at this site was poignant. A statue of an old man, a veteran, sits looking at ghostly images of his younger self crossing the beach and fighting. Statements from combat veterans are carved into concrete blocks, things like: “We were ready to do our bit,” “We were under heavy fire all the time” and “To have survived is the real triumph.” It was one of those works where you just have to catch your breath.

A little further on, we stopped at German bunkers. These were relatively intact and included mounted guns so you could see what the Allied troops faced when they hit the beaches.

The Normandy American Cemetery was our next stop. As we entered the cemetery, we walked through the Garden of the Missing. Names of 1,557 soldiers never found or identified are carved on the wall, including a Ralph E. Croston, PFC, 115 Inf 29 Div from West Virginia. I always scan through names like that, looking for mine. To actually see it was surreal. That never happens.

We participated in a short wreath-laying ceremony that included the National Anthem, Pledge of Allegiance and Taps (which always gets me). I’m not the only one apparantly. Others complained they “had dust in their eyes” following the final note.

From left, Sue Spahr, Dick Breuer and Jerry Spahr lay a wreath during a short ceremony at Normandy American Cemetery.

But to see all the crosses lined up neatly, row upon row, and remember that each one represents a family bereft of a son/father/husband and that there are other cemeteries, bigger cemeteries, dedicated to World War II is sobering.

The cemetery is just above Omaha Beach, but we couldn’t get to the beach from there. The remains of 9,387 Americans are interred there, including 27 from Nebraska. We divided into three groups, each with a list of graves to visit and a guide to take us, and off we went.

Our guide was Stephanie (she even spelled it correctly). As we walked through the cemetery, she shared her personal connection. Her grandfather was conscripted into the army, leaving her grandmother home alone with a six-month-old baby. Grandmother couldn’t leave the farm, so she was forced to work for the German army. She refused their first job (I can’t remember what it was), so they had her deliver food daily to five bunkers on the cliffs above the beach. She did that in the morning, Stephanie said, and was able to tend the farm in the afternoon. The German who escorted her on the deliveries was very respectful, Stephanie said.

When her grandfather returned from service and France was looking for land for a cemetery, they asked him to donate part of the farm. He did. Grandmother was able to meet her German soldier escort years later, and Stephanie has a picture of them together. How cool is that!

The cemetery is located between two towns – Bayeux and St. Laurent-sur-Mer in Colleville-sur-Mer. From the west end of the cemetery, you can see the church steeple in St. Laurent. The two statues flanking that gap in the trees represent France and the United States. The French, Marian, holds a rooster which is the national symbol of France. The American, Columbia, holds an eagle which is the national symbol of America.

Stephanie sands a grave marker.

Trudy Hines sands a grave marker.

Sue Spahr sands a grave marker.

Jerry Spahr sands a grave marker.

We found all six graves we were assigned and sanded them for photos. Now that’s not a Black and Decker sander with 200 grain sandpaper. They use sand from Omaha Beach to rub into the carved letters on each headstone. The sand makes the letters stand out and they’re easier to see and photograph. 

Stephanie also took us to the grave of Jimmie Monteith, one of the three Medal of Honor recipients buried in Normandy American. She also took us to a new grave. Second Lt. William J. McGowan of Minnesota was recovered in 2018 in France and he was interred in Normandy July 9, 2022. She asked us not to take pictures because the grave isn’t ready yet. He crashed near St. Lo June 6, 1944.

Les Braves

Omaha Beach

We went to Omaha Beach next, and I was disappointed, I’m sorry to say. I’d hoped to find a more serious place to reflect and remember. Instead, I found a beach full of families swimming, a carnival and a less serious atmosphere. There is a sculpture in the waves called “Les Braves” that is a tribute to the Allied soldiers who died. But it was not the solemn memorial I’d expected.

National Guard Memorial

We moved a little further down the beach to the National Guard Memorial and I went down to the water to wade for a little bit. It wasn’t bad – the initial hit was a little chilly, but it was OK. I didn’t take anything to dry off my feet, so I had to use my socks. :) I had sand between my toes for the rest of the day.

This German bunker shows damage from the Allied bombardment. The top of the bunker today serves as an overlook.

Connie Meyer and I went into the bunker. Here's the view from the slit.

The Ranger Memorial at Pointe-du-Hoc

Jerry Meyer makes a point as Jeff and Trudy Hines and Nick Tuma listen at Pointe du Hoc.

The cliffs at Pointe-du-Hoc

Our next stop was Pointe-du-Hoc where the Army Rangers had to scale the cliff from the beach and were met by Germans firing from their gun emplacements. The Germans had their guns trained on the beachers, making them kill zones for the solders coming ashore. Craters from Allied bombs still pockmark the point, showing the destructive power of the shells they pounded the Germans with.

Noise and confusion must have been the order of the day. The constant sounds of artillery, rifles, yells, screams – it had to have been overwhelming.

I can’t imagine what was going through those kids’ minds June 6, 1944. When they landed on the rock-covered beach and realized the cliffs they had to scale, all while being shelled and shot at mercilessly by the Germans, how many of them just wanted to turn around and go home? They pushed forward and upward, however. They eventually took and held the point and drove the Germans back.

Taking a break after walking around Pointe-du-Hoc are, from left, Courtney Meyer, Lori Milton, Jeanne Gee, Tom Gee, Nick Tuma and Larry Smith.

Olivier Billy shared the story of Le Ferme Billy, which produces apple juice, apple cider and Calvados.

We had a wine and cheese tasting at Le Ferme Billy.

We finished the day at the Ferme de Billy, a farm that grows apples for apple juice, apple cider and Calvados. The farm has been in the Billy family for five generations. Olivier took us to the orchard (covering 40 acres and including thousands of trees) and showed us the distillery where the drinks are brewed. We went back to the restaurant and had a cider and cheese tasting. Since I don’t drink, I just had the apple juice, which was very good.

We also got to see the family chapel on the grounds. It was built in 1297, according to Olivier. It didn’t appear to get regular use, but it was neat to see anyway.

More to come as the adventure continues.