Normandy Beaches WWII

Breathtaking, the Normandy beaches are just breathtaking in so many ways. Although early October the weather was superb, the blue sky and blue seas amazing. 

I knew about D-Day before our holiday but being honest I did not really appreciate just what a task it was. I haven't watched many war films so just thought it was a major war operation in size ... it was much much more than that and I haven't stopped thinking about all those involved.

From the direction of inland France, so looking out to sea to England, this plaque shows how huge the operation was. To the west the US army attacked Utah and Omaha beaches including Pointe du Hoc. 

The British army attacked Gold Beach and Sword Beach whilst in between the Canadian army hit Juno Beach. 

Although named beaches the terrain is not smooth sloping in all places, and even where it is there are high cliffs as Normandy land sits high above the English Channel.

It is incredible how all the troops attacked these beaches and cliffs, standing on the top of some the sea was a long way down, steep too.

Gold Beach is a wide bay beach that does have inviting sands, especially on a sunny day. The small town of Aromanche lies at its centre, now full of restaurants, souvenir shops and WWII museums its beach is marked with huge reminders of the events of June 1944. 

A huge Mulbury Harbour was constructed to aid the landings, the huge construction can be seen out at sea and closer inland. As the tide went out more and more structures were revealed, showing their enormous size. 

Sitting high above the town, with spectacular views across the artificial harbour, sits a M4A2 Sherman tank. It is positioned half way up a steep cliff and is on top of one of the many large German bunkers that are dotted all over this French coast.

Can you see them? Sitting in line in what now looks like an ordinary farming field at Longues-sur-Mer is a German artillery battery. Set slightly back from the 60m cliff these gun emplacements formed a part of Germany's Atlantic Wall coastal fortifications.

The four gun emplacements bring mixed feelings: they are huge structures, amazing how they got the materials and guns there: they were built to cause harm to our country but were manned by humans from another country. War brings strange feelings, whichever side the people fighting are someone's relative and often there unwillingly under pressure from those in charge. 

It is quite eerie seeing the guns still in place and walking round the inside of the bunkers seeing the various rooms. They really are huge structures. 

One gun had exploded, listening to a guide who was showing a group around it was caused by the Germans lighting a fire inside to cook on and it caused a shell to explode. Parts of the gun are still visable embedded in the ground. 

The concrete structures are huge, and built to be lived in by the German soliders. I didn't go inside, for me it was a little bit too unsettling. 

Pointe du Hoc is a small peninsula between Omaha and Utah beaches. It's 30m vertical 

white cliffs were scaled by the US Army, an unbelievable feat when you see how far down the sea is.

The monument, erected by the French, depicts the height of their climb and is a tribute to the American Second Ranger Battalion who seized the German artillery and thus protected the US troops landing on the beaches. 

It should not be forgotten that firing was from both sides, the craters from the Allied Forces are still visble in the surrounding area.

6th June 1944 is a day etched in history; a day which holds both sadness and gratitude.

We will remember them!