Normandy
I spent four days in the Normandy area of France starting on 11 June. I was humbled to visit places like Omaha Beach, the American cemetery, Pointe du Hoc, Gold Beach, Arromanches, and Bayeux.
This is a picture of Omaha beach taken from the American cemetery just above it. "Omaha" was the code name for the second beach from the right of the five landing areas of the Normandy Invasion. It was the largest of the assault areas, stretching over 6 miles between Port-en-Bessin on the east and the mouth of the Vire River on the west. The whole beach was overlooked by cliffs 100 feet high. It was surreal to stand on the beach and look up and were the German gun casements would have been located.
Normandy on 6 June, 1944
The American Cemetery is located just above Omaha Beach. It contains the graves of 9,386 American military, most of whom gave their lives during the landings and ensuing operations of World War II.
Pointe du Hoc was my favorite stop of the trip. Pointe du Hoc is prominently situated between two landing beaches that were taken by American forces in the Normandy Invasion. Pointe du Hoc was an ominous piece of land jutting into the English Channel 4 miles west of Omaha Beach and 7 miles east of Utah Beach. It provided an elevated vantage point from which huge German guns with a range of 15 miles could deliver fire upon both of the American beaches. Because of this, it was a key objective of the invasion. Army rangers scaled its cliffs to silencing the artillery pieces placed on its heights. This picture is of the forward most gun casement, the first the Rangers would have encountered. The pointy monument on top is tribute to the Rangers who took Pointe du Hoc.