Normandy, France Photo Gallery
Brian was most excited for this port than any of the others, because he has wanted to go to Normandy for a long time.
During the Normandy invasion, 30 paratroopers landed in the town of Sainte-Mère-Eglise , including 20 on this church square.
Paratrooper John Steele's parachute caught on the church's steeple where he hung for two hours before finally being cut free and taken prisoner by the Germans. This incident was later made famous by its depiction in the film The Longest Day
The church has special stained glass windows. This window depicts the Virgin Mary and two paratroopers, one which is John Steele.
This shows Saint Michael the patron saint of paratroopers. This celebrated the return of veterans 25 years after the battle and is called "They Have Come Back."
Our guide showed us things you wouldn't notice on your own, like this fence across the square from the church which still had evidence of the battle here.
See where a bullet hit this rod on the fence.
Statue of Dwight D Eisenhower-"The Eyes of the World are upon You." This was a written in a letter to the troops before their D-Day invasion in France to drive out the Nazis.
C-47 Crashsite Monument-In memory of the 439th Troop Carrier, 91st Squadron and the paratroopers of the 101st Airborne 506th parachute Infantry Regiment, E Company who lost their lives when the C-47 they were traveling in was hit by German Flak.
This is a monument to honor Dick Winters and all the American junior officers who led the way on D-Day. Brian has watched his story many times in "Band of Brothers."
Temporary Headquarters of Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division "Screaming Eagles", also known as the Band of Brothers. From this temporary command post, the famous assault on the battery at Brecourt Manor was launched.
This is the field of The Brécourt Manor Assault (June 6, 1944) during the U.S. parachute assault of the Normandy Invasion. It is often cited as a classic example of small-unit tactics and leadership in overcoming a larger enemy force.
Easy Company - 101st Airborne memorial-Near Brecourt Manor where Dick Winters and a team of 12 men destroyed a German Artillery Battery which had been firing on forces exiting Utah Beach.
Utah Beach-The landing plan went wrong from the beginning and the force landed 2,000 yards east of the designated landing area. Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., quickly realized the error and made his famous remark “We’ll start the war from here!”
This opening was one of the reasons there was success at Utah Beach.
Higgins Boat Monument-1,089 of these landing craft vehicles took part in D-Day. If you look closely Brian is in the boat in a light blue shirt.
Here's Doug, Brian and Patrick Hilyer, our excellent guide, in the Higgins Boat.
The Lone Sailor Statue serves as a tribute to those "Frogmen" the forefathers of today's US Navy SEALS, and all the Allied soldiers who made the battle of Normandy immortal.
The Navy Monument-A bronze statue with a granite base with names of the ships involved in the invasion of Normandy.
A German bunker built into a fish shop that's now Le Roosevelt Cafe at Utah Beach.
Here's a photo of the same spot back in 1944.
Our guide was allowed to take us into the German bunker turned US communications bunker located here. It was still as it was back in 1944.
We enjoyed playing with the very heavy phone.
Inside Le Roosevelt Café where we had lunch.
It is loaded with all kinds of WWII memorabilia and signatures of veterans who have come back.
More memorabilia.
An example of a tank here near Utah Beach.
Anti-tank hedgehogs-An American soldier repurposed these to help the tanks cut through all the huge hedges in this area.
The church of Notre-Dame de l'Assomption-The Germans used the church tower as an observation post and on a clear day, they could see all the way to the sea.
We toured this church and you can see where bullets have hit various places like this confessional. They want to leave the evidence there to show the world what happened.
War Memorial Sainte-Marie-du-Mont-This war memorial has been erected in memory of the fallen from the First and Second World War and the war in Indochina (1946-1954).
E Company, 2nd Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division in front of the War Memorial Sainte-Marie-du-Mont.
Doug, Margaret, Brian and I standing in the same spot as E Company in the previous photo.
Pointe du Hoc is a high point between Utah and Omaha Beaches. It is renowned for the daring assault conducted on June 6, 1944 by the 2nd U.S. Ranger Battalion in an effort to neutralize the German artillery battery there.
The fields here at Pointe du Hoc look like it was a battlefield, unlike the beautiful beaches.
The Germans had installed an artillery battery at Pointe du Hoc. Composed of six 155mm guns positioned in open concrete gun pits (later under casemates), this battery could cover Utah and Omaha Beaches.
Aware of the threat, the Allies bombed the battery here many times before the landing.
However, in order to ensure its complete destruction, they entrusted the task of scaling the cliff, seizing the fortifications and disabling the guns to the 2nd US Ranger battalion commanded by Lieutenant Colonel James Earl Rudder.
On the morning of D-Day after a perilous ascent with rope ladders and grappling hooks, the U.S. commandos clashed with German gunners in a bloody battle. Once victorious, the Rangers were astonished to find the gun bunkers empty and the guns missing.
Looking down at the contrasts: beautiful ocean, hard rocks, lovely flowers and dangerous barbed wire.
Brian contemplating this battle from inside th bunker.
American and French flags, along with one for the Army National Guard.
The "Ever Forward" Monument-In commemoration of the determined effort by the soldiers of the 29th Division's 116th Infantry Regimental Combat Team.
Looking down Omaha Beach where the tide is just starting to go out. On-D-day the tide was out, (Germans did not think they'd attack then) so they had to run 700 yards to get to this wall.
Brian, Doug and Margaret walking in front of me at Omaha Beach.
The weather cleared up while we were here making it hard to imagine that a horrific battle ever happened.
At the museum this was an example of a paratrooper with all of his gear on. With the parachute, men weighed in at 90 to 120 pounds over their body weight.
Looking down at Omaha Beach from the Normandy American Cemetery. This is where the Germans were stationed when American troops landed.
Omaha Beach is beautiful and enjoyed by many today! May it never be a battleground again!
The Normandy American Cemetery.
These burials are marked by white Lasa marble headstones, 9,238 of which are Latin crosses (for Protestants and Catholics) and 151 of which are stars of David (for Jews).
The Memorial from the other side of the reflecting pool. Engraved over the arches-"THIS EMBATTLED SHORE, PORTAL OF FREEDOM, IS FOREVER HALLOWED BY THE IDEALS, THE VALOR AND THE SACRIFICES OF OUR FELLOW COUNTRYMEN".
At the center of the Memorial is a 22-foot bronze statue entitled The Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves by Donald De Lue.
Maps and narratives of the military operations at the Memorial.
The semi-circular gardens bear the 1,557 engraved names of service members declared missing in action in Normandy.
Brian and Patrick are looking at the Wall of the Missing.
Nineteen of these names bear a bronze rosette next to their name, meaning that their body was recovered and identified after the cemetery's dedication. (Notice by Ohio near the bottom right)