The first beach we saw was Gold Beach, which was the site of an artificial harbor built by British engineers. There are a few harbor remnants still visible in the ocean, but the film we watched on the construction of the harbor was amazing. Basically these massive pieces of a floating concrete harbor were built off of the British coast and then hauled across the English Channel for D-Day. It was because of this effort that the troops were supplied with ammunition and food. It was a remarkable engineering feat. What was even more amazing was the vast expanse of water and beach the troops had to cross to make it to the land. I was stunned that anyone could have survived.
As we drove from Gold to Omaha Beach, we stopped in one of the towns in between. We climbed up a hill that was littered with German bunkers and gun emplacements. The soldiers were vulnerable to fire from these guns as they tried to take the beach. The Germans had the upper hand in terms of land position. Seeing the bunkers on the hillside really helped me to better understand how harrowing the experience of taking the beaches must have been.
Omaha Beach was similar to Gold Beach, but was the site of American action during the war. What set Omaha apart were the memorials that are now in the surrounding areas. There is a huge obelisk on the top of a hill to "The Big Red One" Army Division. The names of all the soldiers who were killed taking the beach are listed on this memorial. There are three Medal of Honor winners among them, whose gold-embossed names stood out. Three Medal of Honor winners in one unit. When you look at this memorial, you see the obelisk directly in front of you and beyond that is the sloping hillside and the beach. It is amazing to think that soldiers landed on the beach and made their way all the way up to the monument, all while taking fire from the German bunkers concealed in the hillside.
I got a chance to go into a few of the bunkers, and they were very interesting. There was a little hole from which the soldier inside could see, or shoot, out of. But imagine a hillside dotted by these concrete houses, all firing at you. It is too hard to picture.
We then visited the American Military Cemetery at Omaha Beach, which is the largest American cemetery on foreign soil. There are acres upon acres of white grave markers, in the shape of a cross or Star of David. There were flowers or American flags by some of the graves. It was moving in that it made me realize just how monumental the undertaking of war is. The graves seemed to form an endless line stretching towards the ocean. I have always wanted to see the Normandy beaches, and I definitely appreciate the chance to see them but to also see the cemetery. Too often when I'm studying conflict and war I think the human element gets lost in the details. This brought the human sacrifice into sharp focus, which I am thankful for.
I noticed all during our travels that every town seemed to have a war monument or memorial. I didn't have my camera on hand every time to take a picture, but I tried to capture them whenever I could. Maybe I'm not looking for the memorials at home, but I see so much more dedication to the past here. I have an album now called "War Memorials" - it is a collection of photos of all of the war memorials I have seen. All the pictures will also be in the albums of where I first saw them, but I wanted to make them more accessible. I'm fascinated by the way people choose to remember war and those lost in battle. I've also been impressed by the upkeep of all of the memorials, even the ones in small rural towns. The impact of war on the northern coast of France has not left the collective memory, and that is most definitely evident in the monuments and memorials that seem to be on every street corner and in every church.
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