Liberation Tour 2024: Day 6 - a two-cathedral day

 We were on the move today, leaving Caen and heading east to Verdun.

We stopped for lunch in Amiens and got to go to the cathedral there. That place is impressive and stunning. It’s so big, two of Notre Dame in Paris would fit inside. I could spend hours looking at all the paintings and carvings and stained glass. Alas, we didn’t have that long. One of the draws of Amiens, besides its artwork and size, is its relic. It houses the skull of John the Baptist.

Back on the bus, we headed down the road to Riems, which isn’t pronounced at all like it’s spelled. It has additional letters and sounds more like you’re clearing your throat than like you’re saying a word. Anyway, Riems is home to the Museum of the Surrender, the place where the Germans agreed to surrender to the Allies to end World War II in Europe. The actual room, table and chairs are there. The walls are still covered with the same maps and notes that have stayed intact since 1945. Although this museum could be considered old school, it’s pretty impressive that it hasn’t been torn apart in the last 80 years.

It’s a quiet place but an important one. Being able to see the actual place where such a momentous event occurred makes you stop and think about everything that led to that moment - all the command decisions, orders given, battles fought, buildings destroyed, soldiers killed.

We went across town to the cathedral, another impressive edifice that towers over the surrounding buildings. This cathedral suffered quite a bit during both World Wars I and II. In World War II, someone thought it would be funny to shoot one of the angels that adorn its outside. They shot through both of her wings. This wasn’t the first time this angel had been wounded, according to cathedral-reims.fr. During World War I, she was decapitated during a fire at the cathedral. Her head broke into more than 20 pieces, the ncregister.com said. She was repaired and reinstalled in 1926.

This is a picture I took of Riems Cathedral in 2022.

Tonight we’re in the city of Verdun. This was the site of the Battle of Verdun during World War I. The Germans tried to capture the town several times but failed.More than 305,000 were killed during the 10 months of fighting over the city, according to memorial-verdun.fr.

“Almost three-quarters of the French army fought at Verdun in 1916. It was a Franco-German battle but it also involved colonial forces. The sheer scope and violence of the fighting here made it one of the major battles of the First World War. In fact, in people’s minds, it came to symbolise the Great War, a culmination of battlefield brutality. It summed up every aspect of the Great War and turned Verdun into the most iconic of all places of remembrance,” the website said.

One of the memorials in Verdun lighted up after dark.

After supper, some of us walked around a little bit. Our hotel is on the river Meuse. Across the river, the town is hosting a party tonight. I can hear music. My room has a balcony that overlooks the river. I’ve never had a balcony room, let alone one with a view like this!

The view from my window.

Tomorrow we’ll stop at the Meuse Argonne Cemetery and a few other places as we make our way to Nancy.

I think he needs a haircut. This gargoyle was on the back side of the Cathedral at Riems.

Liberation Tour 2024: Day 5 - celebrating St. Lo

Today we celebrated the 80th anniversary of the liberation of St. Lo in St. Lo. Why focus on this particular liberation as opposed to, say, the liberation of Paris? It’s because Nebraska played an important role here.

The 134th Regiment was part of the 35th Division and started out made up of Nebraskans. A regiment includes approximately 1,000 soldiers (something I didn’t know until today). The 134th was refilled three times during the war, so by the end, it was an all-American unit. That means about 3,000 men were assigned to the 134th, the later soldiers replacing those who had been killed or sent home because of injuries.

When the 134th landed at Omaha Beach on D-Day, its objective was St. Lo, a small town just over three miles away. It took 42 days to accomplish that short distance, a distance that takes about 15 minutes for a really good distance runner to cover. And thousands of soldiers, not just members of the 134th, lost their lives in that short distance. It’s sobering to think about.

The 35th Division joined the fight for Hill 122 above St. Lo on July 11, teaming with other National Guard divisions and discovering the joys of hedgerows. These hedgerows are rows of trees, earth and rock that were used by the French farmers to divide their fields. These fields are not big - in fact, today’s farm equipment probably wouldn’t fit in most of them. That meant there were hundreds of these hedgerows to hack their way through. Some included laneways underneath the tangled branches, and those were good places for ambush.

The 134th received orders on July 14 to secure Hill 122. It started its attack early July 15 and secured the hill by the end of the day. The Germans launched a counterattack after Nebraska reached the top of the hill, but the Nebraskans repulsed the charge and attacked back. According to coulthart.com (from which I pulled a lot of these details): “The 134th Infantry had lived up to its Spanish-American War battle cry, ‘All hell can’t stop us.’”

Despite its sacrifices and determination, the 134th was told to hold back and let the 29th enter St. Lo first. The 29th Division was allowed to go first, which Jerry said has caused controversy, arguments and even fights ever since.

We started with a wreath-laying ceremony at the base of the city wall. Sen. Pete Ricketts and Major Gen. Craig Strong and family joined us today, and both assisted with the ceremony. The next remembrance was at a roundabout to honor Major Thomas Howie who was killed before entering the city. Howie was the commander of the 116th’s 3rd Battalion. His last words to his officers, according to warfarehistorynetwork.com, were “See you in St. Lo.” His men wanted him to be first into the town, even though he was dead. His body had been put in an ambulance for transport, but the vehicle was needed for the wounded. So he was placed on the hood of a Jeep and carried into town. His flag-draped body was placed on the rubble of the Eglise Sainte-Croix de Saint-Lo. A photo taken of the moment went viral, as we say today, and Howie became known as “The Major of St. Lo.”

The third ceremony was a the church in front of the marker commemorating Howie. Members of his family were among the program’s speakers, as were representatives of the Nebraska National Guard.

Philippe (right) was only 5 when the war came to St. Lo. He remembered a few details, including the planes flying over and bombing the town. His family joined dozens of others hiding in the country for the next weeks. He remembered the Americans arriving, too, bringing candy and other goodies.

After the ceremonies concluded, we met the St. Lo Rotary Club for lunch. St. Lo and Seward are sister cities through Rotary, so members exchanged banners both large and small.

Then it was off to see actual hedgerows. On the way, we stopped at a memorial to Lt. Col. Alfred Thomsen. He was a member of the 134th, commander of the 3rd Battalion. He was wounded July 30, 1944, near St. Lo and died August. 16.

Hedgerows are unique features of the French countryside. Even today these natural barriers are hard to get through. Jeoffrey, our local guide, said the trees are harvested every decade or so, and firewood is collected as often as needed. Most of the hedgerows have been destroyed to make larger fields, but there are a few left. We walked through one. When you think about its uses in 1944 and 1945, with the numbers of soldiers fighting through it, using it for transportation and protection as much as possible, it’s almost eerie. Jeoffrey’s wife (whose name escapes me) pointed out a couple trees that survived the war. I can’t imagine the scenes they witnessed.

Jeoffrey left us with a verse from a poem called "The Ode," written by Robert Laurence Binyon. It's actually part of a longer poem called "For the Fallen," which Binyon wrote in 1914. The stanza says:

    They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: 
    Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn 
    At the going down of the sun and in the morning 
    We will remember them.

We finished our day with a stop at Caramels d’Isigny. Birgitta swears by these sweets, and I think all of us bought something.

Tomorrow is mostly a travel day, but we get to stop at Amiens and Reims en route to Verdun.

Liberation Tour 2024: Day 4 - a little lighter

After yesterday’s here-there-and-everywhere schedule, we took things a little easier today.

Our first stop was La Petite Chappelle in Mortain, also known as Hill 314. From the top of the hill behind the chapel you can see the entire Mortain valley stretched out in front of you. While it’s a lovely wooded walk up to the chapel today, it was “a moonscape” in 1944, said Jerry Meyer, our tour host. No trees, no shelter, just incoming artillery and aerial attacks. According to the National Guard website, the Anti-tank Company, 3rd Battalion, 120th Infantry Regiment, 30th Infantry Division (N.C., S.C., Tenn.) had set up a roadblock and kept the Germans from advancing. After the hill and roadblock were surrounded by the German Army, the men held out for six days before two tanks and two trucks broke through the German positions and brought supplies to the men on Hill 314. According to Jerry, the truck drivers were men from Nebraska.

If you're interested, you can read more about Hill 314 at https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/30th-infantry-division-battle-mortain.

We had lunch (which was delicious, by the way) in the town of Mortain in a restaurant across the street from the church. After lunch we had a few minutes to look around the town. I headed across to the church. Pictures displayed around the town showed the devasation and destruction suffered during the war. The church was partially destroyed and, eerily enough, one of my pictures was taken from almost exactly the same angle as the 1944 photo.

This illustrated manuscript is on display at the church in Mortain. The page that's fallen down behind the book is a copy of the original page (I think) that's been redone and is in the book.

I’m going to skip over Brittany American Cemetery for a moment. I hope you understand why when I do get there.

When we got back to Caen, we had the evening to ourselves. Usually we split into groups interested in the same restaurants or activities and head out. I went with Vicki, Mike and Becky to visit the cathedral, climb the castle walls and then find dinner. Eglise Sainte-Pierre, as with every cathedral, includes stained glass windows, a high arched ceiling and carvings galore. I love walking through the cathedrals, looking at the artwork and marveling at the craftsmanship. Everything was done by hand with what we would consider primitive tools. Those craftsmen could probably teach some of us a lesson in perseverance and pride in one’s work. Even the drainspouts on the top dome that no one has seen up close since the cathedral was built were created with the same care and pride that those nearest the street were.

The four of us then headed to the Chateau de Caen. According to the Normandy Tourism website, it was built around 1060 by William the Conqueror. While we didn't exactly storm the castle and we couldn’t get all the way up to the top because of construction, we could go part of the way and still see the city of Caen. You get a spectacular view of the cathedral from the ramparts.

Earlier in the afternoon, we stopped at Brittany American Cemetery to visit the seven Nebraska National Guard soldiers buried there. We were able to do the wreath laying in the chapel, which was under construction or renovation when we were here last. After visiting our men, sanding the graves and taking the pictures, the group asked to sand a grave of an unknown. That was the most poignant moment of the day.

To the family of this unknown soldier, lying thousands of miles from home surrounded by thousands of other young men who also gave their lives in the same conflict, we don’t know who you are, where you live, what became of you. But know that we haven’t forgotten. We thank you. We thank your soldier. And we remember.

Liberation Tour 2024: Day 3 - being sobered

 Today was jam-packed, so it’s taking a little while to sift through where we were and what we did. We started the day with visits to Juno Beach and Normandy American Cemetery and finished at the Calvados distillery. A wide variety, ’tis true.

How was the day? Well, it rained. Then it didn’t. Then it did. Then it didn’t. And of course, my umbrella was hanging, safe and dry, on the door handle in my hotel room.

Now, let’s just work our way down the itinerary.

We actually started with a promotion. Jerry Meyer, our tour host, promoted Birgitta, our tour guide, to a four-star general. That was fun and a surprise for her.

A giant Lorraine cross overlooks one section of Juno Beach.

As I said, our first stop was Juno Beach, one of the five beaches used in the D-Day invastion. Juno was the Canadians’ stronghold, and they paid just as dearly as American and England. A Lorraine cross stands guard over the beach, flanked by national flags. The German pillboxes there are tilted and damaged, testaments both to the heavy fighting that went on June 6, 1944, and the ravages of time.

The next stop was Arromanches, part of Gold Beach (British), where you can see the mulberries. Why is seeing fruit such a big deal? Well, first off, they’re not fruit. They are parts of a temporary protective wall the British built to form a small bay where they could offload men and equipment in relative safety. When it’s low tide, you have a really good view of them out in the harbor. It’s really an ingenious idea and, for a temporary structure, hasn’t exactly been temporary.

One of the neatest things at Arromanches in an art installation from the 75th anniversary of D-Day. I might have written about it before because it struck me so forcefully. The piece begins with a statue of 97-year-old Bill Pendell, a veteran of World War II, gazing off into the distance at images of his 22-year-old self, according to the installation plaque. Each of the four scenes is something Pendell experienced and now lives on in his memory. I don’t know why tihs particular installation grips me so hard. Maybe it’s the idea that, with time, this soldier’s memories are fading. The men he served with who died and still live in his memory are fading, too. I don’t know. Sometimes things just resonate with you for some reason.

Just up the road is the site of a German battery, still in pretty good shape. The first pillbox is pretty beat up, but the others are not. You can go in and walk around the guns that are still there. Brigitta said they’re like new because they were only used for about 24 hours. Once the assault passed them, they were not needed.

Next came Normandy American Cemetery. With over 9,000 men buried there, it’s impressive, humbling and sad, all at the same time. Impressive because every row, column and diagonal is perfectly aligned. I can’t imagine the time that took to do. No matter which direction you look, there is no deviation. Humbling because most of those young men chose to serve. They left home at age 19, 20, 21, to go to a country they may have just read about to fight another country they may have just read about. They weren’t even defending their own country.

I got to walk along the path above Omaha Beach, which I didn’t get to do on my last visit. Looking out over that American landing zone, again imagining the noise, smells, tastes and sights of D-Day. I really can’t. I have no point of comparison. The closest I could come is the M80s that are fired off on the Fourth of July, and those probably aren’t even close to the mortars and cannons firing.

I walked through the Memorial to the Missing and found Ralph Croston again. Because Croston is not a common name, he’s likely related somehow. I always look for my name at places like that, just in case. I never really expect to see it, so when I came across this name, I’m sure I did a double or even a triple take.

We were joined today by Major Gen. Craig Strong of the Nebraska National Guard (left). He and his family spent the day with our group - we hope you had an enjoyable day!

After laying a wreath in honor of our dead, our group split up to visit the graves of all the Nebraska National Guard members buried there. Each grave is sanded, which means sand is rubbed into the lettering to make it stand out more. The sand comes from Omaha Beach, which is fitting, especially for the thousands who didn't make it any farther.

Another quick stop at the Operation Overlord Museum just down the road let us take pictures of tanks. If we wanted to.

After lunch, we went to Omaha Beach where Les Braves (The Brave) is. This sculpture was done for the 60th anniversary of D-Day in 2004. The art includes three pieces – Wings of Hope, Rise Freedom! and The Wings of Fraternity. A little further down the beach is the National Guard Memorial, a must-see on this tour.

"Ever Forward," the National Guard Memorial at Omaha Beach, depicts a soldier dragging a wounded comrade, presumably out of harm's way.

Then it was on to Pointe du Hoc, the landing point for the Army Rangers. These men had to climb up a sheer cliff, at the top of which were Germans waiting to kill them. That didn’t stop them. They came up anyway. In a video at the visitors center, some described the day and the frustration of not finding the gun emplacements that were supposed to be there. The Germans had made fake guns that looked real on the aerial surveillance. The quote on the wall in the video room is from a Ruggiero, which is my brother-in-law’s name. Again, finding a name that’s connected to me led to a second look.

I'm wondering if this might be one of the fake gun emplacements the Rangers found when they reached the top of Pointe du Hoc.

The park is not as extensive today as it was two years ago when we came. Then we could go all the way out to the Ranger Memorial and climb in a couple of the gun emplacements. Because of the danger of landslides, according to the signs, those have been closed. It’s too bad. Seeing the sheer cliff these young men had to climb brings home their experience.

We finished with a stop of the Billy Farm for a wine and cheese tasting featuring Calvados, the alcohol distilled in the area. We got to see one of the cellars where they store the barrels as the drink ages and visited the family chapel. I can’t imagine having a family chapel. That would be extremely cool and pretentious. But cool. Not being a drinker, however, I didn't try the local concoction.

Then it was back to the hotel to unwind, relax and recover.

Tomorrow’s agenda includes Mortain and Brittany American Cemetery.

Liberation Tour 2024 - Day 2: All hell can’t stop us (but the rain might slow us down a little)

Today was the first real day of the Liberation Tour 2024, with three stops on our itinerary. We started with a drive to Utah Beach, one of the five beaches used in the D-Day invasion. The others are Omaha (which we’ll see tomorrow), June, Gold and Sword.

Where my last visit to Utah Beach was on a beautiful morning with the sun shining on gentle waves, today was a lot wetter. The rain started as we approached the beach, and it didn’t stop. Oh well. The motto of the 134th is “all hell can’t stop us,” so we didn’t let a little rain keep us down. We stopped at the Higgins Memorial (yes, that Andrew J. Higgins who built the Higgins boats and who happens to be from Nebraska) and then headed to the beach itself.

Even in the rain, thinking about what those young men who arrived on June 6, 1944, and charged across the sand (which is not easy even when the sand is dry) went through that morning is sobering. How many thousands never even set foot on the beach, instead drowning when they fell in the water loaded down with all their equipment. How many thousands more didn’t take more than a dozen steps on the sand before being felled by sniper fire or mortar rounds.

We see the beach when it’s quiet and peaceful. Horses and their cart drivers use the beach for practice (we saw a couple this morning). The waves roll in and out at their appointed times, and time almost stops in such a calm setting. That morning, though, must have been hell. With the booms of mortars and cannons, the roars of transport engines (including Higgins boats), the screams of injured and dying soldiers, the shouts of officers trying to get their men organized while trying not to get shot - it was the opposite of quiet and peaceful.

Also at Utah Beach is the first marker on Voie de la Liberte (Victory Way). The way goes through St. Lo, which is one of our highlight stops a little later on the tour.

After a quick picture at the Dick Winters Memorial, we headed on to Sainte Mere Eglise. One thing to remember about this little town is that it was one of the places into which the Allied paratroopers jumped on D-Day. One of them, John Steele, got caught on the spire of the town cathedral and hung there all night, playing dead so the German soldiers wouldn’t shoot him. The church bells tolled the hours, and Steele ended up deaf because of that.

The cathedral in SME includes one of the more interesting stained glass windows you’ll see in a church. This one honors the paratroopers and includes parachutes throughout the design. I didn’t stop to count them all, but I did take a picture so you can see what I’m talking about.

The town is also home to the Airborne Museum, which has upgraded since I was here two years ago. They’ve improved their exhibits, especially the glider, and it’s pretty impressive. The complex is now five buildings filled with more information than a person can read in one visit. One building includes a variety of parachutes and information about some of the paratroopers.

Another quick stop found us at the memorial for the battle of La Fiere. This site includes a statue honoring “Iron Mike,” the man in every group who urges his comrades forward. It overlooks a little river that was strategically important. The Germans, who had flooded the lowlands in the area, held the bridge, which was the only way to cross the river.

We also stopped at La Cambe, a German cemetery. It’s a quiet place where the young German soldiers lie, many of them barely out of boyhood. As Brigitta said, it’s not a place to honor the Nazi system and way of thinking. It’s a place to honor those young men who did the same thing the Americans and British and French and every other nationality did – left home to serve their country and paid the ultimate price.

Our third stop was the town of Bayeux. We had two choices - the cathedral or the tapestry. Last time I booked it through both. This time I took my time in the cathedral, pretending I could read all the French signs and once again being awed by the craftsmanship that went into these grand buildings. It just blows my mind when I think that all the stonework was done by hand, even the spires and carvings that are so high up no one can see them. The pride each stonecarver must have taken in his work! The cathedrals in France were usually targets for the bombers because they’re not small. They loom over the landscape all over the country. Many were hit and some destroyed during World War I and II. Townspeople have come together to restore some of them, however, which tells you how important a church is in a town. One of the cool things (if things can be cool in a church) at Bayeux is that its crypt is open and you can go down to see it. Of course it’s dark and cool because it’s a crypt, but how often do you get to see things like that?

We had a free evening this evening in Caen, so most of us ended up at a cafe called Boeuf and Cow (Cow and Cow for those who don’t speak French). While the name is a little, well, redundant, the food was good.

Tomorrow we begin our visits to the soldiers of the 134th who still rest in France. We’ll be at Normandy Cemetery, then stop at Point du Hoc and the Billy Farm where those who want to can try the calvados.