Normandy – Utah Beach and assorted other stops <3

Hello and happy Monday! It feels like autumn has finally decided to behave and we are experiencing a glorious week here on the Prairie. 

As I read through my notes from our first full day of the tour in Normandy, my mind is spinning. I am reminded of the story of a man who lived in a mountain village. He journeyed to the ocean and collected some water in a jar to take back to show his people. But on his return, he realized there was no way they could fully experience the expanse of what he had seen with his little jar of water.

I will do my best, but words fall short. Let’s get started.

While the focus of the Beaches of Normandy tour is the actual D Day landing, it was driven home to us that the war in France lasted much longer. For quick reference, Germany invaded Poland in 1939. They added the Netherlands and Belgium in April – May of 1940 and by June of 1940, Paris had been taken over by the Nazis. 

The U.S. did not enter the war until 1941, when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. The D Day invasion took three years of planning and was developed and worked out between the U.S, Great Britain and Canada. The men who fought were an average age of 24. Many were 15 and lied about age to be able to enlist. The French Resistance was huge in aiding the allies. 

In all that time, France was an occupied country. When D Day happened and the battles drove the allies all the way to Germany, the French people were the first ones liberated. Their gratitude has not dimmed in 80 years. They have raised their children to know and understand the gift of freedom. It is humbling.

There is so much more, but there are better sources than me to help you learn about this important time in history. So for today, I want to share some photos of our first day’s outing and  a few of the stories we gleaned from our guide. 

Meet Sean, our local guide. Sean is an Englishman who now resides in Normandy. He mixes a flowing account of the military history with personal stories of soldiers and civilians and some stinging reminders that these were not perfect people. His humor was as strong as his knowledge and we thoroughly enjoyed our two days with him.

Our first stop of the day was the village of Toccoa. If you have read the Band of Brothers, you know that the Utah Beach landing was by paratroopers and was a logistical disaster. Weather and timing were off and the parachuters were dropped helter skelter.

The Germans had blocked the natural drainage of fields and pastures, leaving large areas of flooded land. They wanted to only have roads as passable means of travel, so many of the paratroopers drowned with their heavy gear and inability to swim.

Some landed in this area. Two medics landed near here and set up a hospital in this church. Bob Wright and Ken Moore were 19 and 20 years old. They put the Red Cross sign on the church and for three days they treated anyone who was wounded. German soldiers, Americans, French resistance, citizens – the only rule was all weapons had to be left outside the church.

Bob was performing surgery on a man on one of the pews when a mortar came through the ceiling and landed next to him. It was a dud. Bob said he knew that God protected them as they tried to save as many lives as they could.

There are several memorials around the church and this is one of them. Also, the stained glass window was added as a reminder of the paratroopers who came to clear the path as best they could for the Omaha Beach invasion.

Many civilians lost their lives as well during this time. We met Genevieve who was a little girl when the D Day invasion occurred.

She serves as a caretaker and host for visitors to the church. We were shown a grave in the cemetery where her childhood friend was buried The villagers liked to use the parachutes that were caught in trees and brush around the area as cloth for household goods. She and her friend were happy to discover one on a search, but unfortunately the Germans had booby trapped the line and when the little girl pulled on it, there was a bomb attached and she was killed.

Our next stop was Utah Beach. We were able to view many memorials and learn even more about the story of this day and the days that followed. The paratroopers who were able to gather together, worked to take out guns along the shore line and to find groups where they could join in the fighting.

I found it very helpful to have read the book Band of Brothers, as we recognized a lot of the names and much of the strategy and logistics of how things happened were anchored in our minds. It was moving to see the names of these men we felt we knew from the book on plaques and memorials.

Our next stop was Sainte-Mère-Église where we had lunch and spent the remainder of our afternoon.

This is a place where many of the paratroopers also landed. One of them, unfortunately having his parachute caught on part of the church. The area was not well protected by Germans, but it so happened a house had a fire that night and the whole village was in the square trying to extinguish the flames.

The paratroopers were visible coming in and some were shot or taken captive. They keep a model of the man who got caught on the side of the building, as you can see.

We visited a very good museum in this city. We also enjoyed walking around the town. It was not damaged in the war and the buildings are remarkable.

We enjoyed eating our lunch from this little place. The inside was so pretty…

and the pastries were amazing..

It was a long day, and the clouds won out. As we headed to the village near our hotel for dinner, the rain started. However; that could not dampen our spirits.

We were delighted with the charming harbor and delicious food we found in Port en Bessin Huppain.

It was a wonderful day of learning about Normandy, the first phase of D Day, the lives and stories of some of our fellow travelers over dinner and enjoying the culture and history of the area.