France 2012 - Bayeux (Part 1 - Normandy Beaches)

le 4 novembre

Bidding adieu to Le Mont Saint-Michel was bittersweet.  While we were eager to escape the year-round hoards of tourists and continue on to our next stop, knowing that such a monumental creation as "Le Mont" would simply fade into a diminishing memory was a difficult reality to accept.  However, our next stop would be no less monumental, though somewhat less touristy...

We cruised into the town of Bayeux (in the Calvados département of Basse-Normandie) on Sunday afternoon and checked in to our typical European hotel.  Before unpacking however, we thought we'd take advantage of the break in the rain and head to see the famous Normandy beaches.

As we drove along the coastline of La Manche ("the sleeve," a.k.a. the English Channel), we imagined the American troops nearly 70 years ago, landing on those shores.

Omaha Beach

Not only did they arrive travel-weary and -in some cases- sick after being aboard ships for weeks on end, but they immediately had to rally in order to carry out their mission to take the beaches.  Scaling unfriendly terrain covered in sand, brush and thorny bushes, all while attempting to evade enemy fire, is nothing short of remarkable.

Sand and brush on Omaha Beach

Soldiers made steep climbs such as this through various types
of vegetation, all while under enemy fire.

A close-up view of the thorny bushes

As we made our way to Le Cimetière Américain (the American cemetery), our images of these brave individuals grew somber.

Hundreds of snow white crosses and stars of David form but a plot in this well maintained and respected memorial.  A hallowed space, American flags fly in the cold ocean breezes and -if you're lucky- you'll hear the central bell tower play the Star Spangled Banner as a touching tribute to all those buried there.

A view of the cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach

The cemetery and memorial shrine (background)

A Star of David for a Jewish soldier

An American flag flies over the graves

The memorial shrine and reflecting pool

An inscription on the memorial wall honors the fallen.

You could spend hours walking between the graves, touching each headstone, and still have no real grasp of the sense of loss.  Particularly mournful are the stones of the unnamed soldiers marked "known but to God."

After taking all of this in, we ventured on to Pointe du Hoc, the site of an incredible mission executed by a group of U.S. Rangers.  This group of highly trained forces was particularly badass.  Let me tell you why...

On D-Day, a group of 225 U.S. Rangers was scheduled to scale a vertical cliff at Pointe du Hoc and take the Germans by surprise.  These particular German troops were perched atop this cliff, rendering them unassailable.  In a nearly impossible plan, the Rangers were to eliminate the ideally located (for the Axis) German forces so as to clear the way for the U.S. troops to take the Normandy beaches on June 6, 1944...

...but the Rangers were late.  Due to a miscommunication, they were dropped off at the wrong location and lost the element of surprise.  Like the rest of the U.S. troops, they too were forced to advance under fire.  However, despite the delay, the German fire, and the rocky, vertical cliff (still covered in those thorny brambles), the Rangers continued.  Even when the Germans cut the cords of the rope ladders, the Rangers continued.  Even when their fellow Rangers and friends fell over them from above (where the Germans had cut the ropes) to their peril below, the Rangers continued.   They climbed and climbed and climbed until they finally reached the summit.

A tourist, admiring the monument constructed at the summit of Pointe du Hoc

The cliff at Pointe du Hoc

Pointe du Hoc

The local terrain, other cliffs adjacent to Pointe du Hoc

More of the surrounding cliffs

Remember that thorny vegetation?  It grows here too.

Even when they found the German bunkers abandoned, they continued, cutting the Germans off from launching a counter attack.

A German bunker at the top of the cliff

German bunker

Interior room of one of the German bunkers

At one point, a large cannon (like the one below) would have been mounted here.

A cannon -perhaps similar to this one- would have
been placed at the German post above.

The top of the cliff is covered in these deep craters, all resulting from Allied attacks. 

A crater resulting from an Allied attack

They began with 225.

They ended with 90.

Millions of lives were lost in that war on all sides; not a single one was more or less valuable than another.  It's hard to imagine a different outcome to this war, but moments like this certainly were crucial in directing the verdict, one way or another.

It seems frivolous for me to mention the most incredible pain au chocolat that I had later that afternoon, or the scrumptious dinner ending with a delightful bit of Normandy's famous calvados (apple brandy).  That being the case, I will say no more.  Tomorrow will simply be a separate entry.