After visiting the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, it was time to set foot where our US ground troops landed on D-Day.
It’s now 3:30 pm. We’ve got 1hr and 30 min. left to tour for the day before heading back to the ship.
We’ve just left the American Cemetery (Colleville-sur-Mer) and are en route to the Memorial d’Omaha Beach (Saint Laurent-sur-Mer) at Les Moulins Draw (D-3).
Let me stop right here and give the 2 second cliff notes. (something I regret not having when we were there)
"The five exists from the beach were given identifying codes:
Exit D-1 was between Charlie and Dog Green, and led to Vierville-sur-Mer.
Exit D-3 was next, between Dog Red and Easy Green, and led to Mont les Moulins.
Exit E-1 was in the centre of Easy Red, and led to St. Laurent.
E-3, in the centre of Fox Green and F-1 at its eastern end, led to Colleville-sur-Mer."
I. US troops assigned to the western half of the beach
(Charlie /
Dog / and
Easy Green Sectors)
29th US Infantry Division, Blue and Gray (newer National Guard unit. Many had never seen combat)
Their insignia: patch with the yin-yang symbol: left side blue / right side gray
2nd Ranger and 5th Ranger Battalions (non-divisional units comprised of volunteers from all branches of the US army) redirected from Pointe du Hoc to assist the 29th.
Their insignia: blue rhombus (diamond shape) trimmed in gold with "
RANGERS" in the center.
(Rangers of the 2nd and 5th Battalions painted an orange diamond on the backs of their helmets. Within this diamond was a black numeral indicating their battalion)
II. US troops assigned to the eastern half of the beach
(Easy Red and
Fox Sectors)
1st US Infantry Division (1 IF) –
Big Red One (most experienced best trained army we had)
Their motto:
“No Mission Too Difficult, No Sacrifice Too Great – Duty First”
Their insignia: army green pentagon with a "
1" in big red color in the center - (soldiers were known to paint this on their helmets)
That's about it for the basic introduction. Really hope it proves helpful to anyone planning a visit.
Now back to stop #4 – Omaha Beach ………….
What happens on a single day excursion like this, is that you only have time to see the major sites and wind up doing a drive-by of the many remnants of WWII as you move in and around these areas.
So we never get the chance to see:
1. Any Omaha Beach American Monuments and Memorials - dedicated to the many divisions of the US armed forces who landed here.
(stock photo 3) -
We visit nothing listed on this map Red Circle = our bus drop off point
Here we barely catch a glimpse of #6 - the National Guard Monument as we exit the beach via Vierville Draw D-1.
(sits atop a WN72 casemate which houses an 88 mm cannon)
and of #8 “Ever Forward” - memorial dedicated to the 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division.
(just incredible - to capture war and peace together here given their badge is the yin-yang design)
"In commemoration of the determined efforts by the soldiers of the
29th Division's 116th Infantry Regimental Combat Team who landed the
morning of June 6, 1944 on this section of Omaha Beach, known as Exit D-1,
to open the Vierville Draw behind you to begin the liberation of Europe."
2. Nor do we stop at any of what remains of the many German Defenses (bunkers/pillboxes gun turrets /etc.) our soldiers battled as they landed on Omaha Beach.
(we do tour the defenses at Pointe du Hoc)
(stock photo 4) (fyi - we don't walk this section of beach)
3. Nor do we visit any Museums in close proximity to Omaha Beach (there are 4)
We pass right by the 3 most popular:
#1). Musée D-Day Omaha (Vierville sur Mer) website:
http://www.dday-omaha.fr/en/contact/
"At OMAHA Beach,since 1999, the collection of Mr. Michel BRISSARD has been housed in the town building originally built by American engineers.
Upon your arrival outside the museum, you’ll be able to admire the LCVP “Higgins Boat” barges (unique at OMAHA Beach sector), an armored turret and a collection of rare objects dating from the Second World War such as the Goliath tank, the paratrooper-motorbike or the Enigma encoder.
A slide-show on Vierville-sur-Mer (DOG GREEN sector) and several display windows present a selection of items used by German and Allied forces whose technology can still be found in our current daily life."
(we drove by upon exiting Omaha Beach - Vierville Draw D-1 on our way to Pointe du Hoc)
They have an impressive outdoor museum as well.
- A LCVP landing barge
- Mulberry A floating bridges (300 ton)
- A German armed coastal defense turret (60 ton)
- Several artillery objects
- And many more pieces
with a tetrahedron being used to direct parking. (not sure how I feel about this)
(if you zoom in you'll notice the Rangers, 29th and 1st Division troop insignias draped on the side of that building)
what’s a tetrahedron?
one of the many obstacles the soldiers had to fight their way through to get off the beaches.
(stock photo 5)
Continued…………….