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re: D-Day (My trip to Normandy)
Posted on 5/26/20 at 8:58 am to SoFla Tideroller
Posted on 5/26/20 at 8:58 am to SoFla Tideroller
This is one of the most well done posts I’ve ever seen on TD. Thanks for sharing.
0
Posted on 5/26/20 at 8:59 am to SoFla Tideroller
That is a bucket list dream trip for me brother!
Thanks for posting. We would get along just fine.
When were you in Ole Virginny for OCS/TBS?
'Rah
Thanks for posting. We would get along just fine.
When were you in Ole Virginny for OCS/TBS?
'Rah
Posted on 5/26/20 at 9:03 am to LSU0358
What was great about the timing of our trip was all the sites (museums, restaurants, etc) were still dressed up for the 75th anniversary but without the massive crowds. When we first started talking about going we thought about June. But knowing the crowds would be insane (especially once we found out POTUS would be there), we opted for September.
We were actually staying in Nijmegen on the 75th anniversary of Market-Garden during our Holland portion of the trip.
We were actually staying in Nijmegen on the 75th anniversary of Market-Garden during our Holland portion of the trip.
Posted on 5/26/20 at 9:04 am to Drank
Fantastic pictures. The enormity of that situation is mind boggling. Truly the greatest generation.
Posted on 5/26/20 at 9:05 am to Drank
I did OCS the summer of '85. Then, after graduation and getting my commission, I was at Quantico for The Basic School from June to November of '86.
Posted on 5/26/20 at 9:20 am to SoFla Tideroller
quote:
especially once we found out POTUS would be there
For the D-Day ceremony at Omaha we had to leave our hotel at 3:30am as our tour bus was the 2nd in line for the French police security check. We then went through a Secret Service checkpoint, followed by members of the 82nd Airborne checking ID's and passports. And finally another Secret Service checkpoint with metal detectors, pat downs etc.
We where at our seats at 8:30 am with the ceremony not starting until noon. Thankfully the 82nd airborne choir and a French military band started up at 10AM as the kids where getting antsy.
It made for a long day, but it was well worth it. The Trumper and Macron gave great speeches and seeing all of the vets was really cool. There might be a handful still around for the 80th celebration, but there won't be over a 100 of them like at the 75th.
Posted on 5/26/20 at 9:25 am to LSU0358
One thing I found out was that just about every little village in Normandy had a WWII museum. We hit a few. Some were really well done. Getting to see and touch a piece of actual German armor or an American Sherman was really cool.
Posted on 5/26/20 at 9:25 am to SoFla Tideroller
quote:
Walking around some of the bunkers (WNs) at the Colleville end of the beach there was a placard saying at that end of the beach there were only something like 250-300 troops.
There had to be more than 300...right?
Posted on 5/26/20 at 9:26 am to SoFla Tideroller
Thank you for this post and pictures. Humbling is right. I was there a few years ago and I still have goosebumps. I cant imagine the courage it took to storm those beaches with all of the german guns up on the bluff....
Posted on 5/26/20 at 9:55 am to SoFla Tideroller
Thank you for sharing OP. When I was 15 I made it to France, but not quite all the way to Normandy. I did get to see one of the other WWII American cemeteries and man that was a humbling experience even as a carefree teenager. I'd highly recommend for anyone traveling abroad to go experience these sites. It really gave me a new perspective on life knowing that some of the men in those graves were only 3 years older than I was at the time.
Posted on 5/26/20 at 10:06 am to SoFla Tideroller
quote:
We were actually staying in Nijmegen on the 75th anniversary of Market-Garden during our Holland portion of the trip.
That's cool.
Posted on 5/26/20 at 10:08 am to SoFla Tideroller
quote:
In Sept of last year (9/16-9/26), I took a bucket-list trip to France and the Netherlands to visit the WWII battlesites for Normandy and Operation Market-Garden.
We did a staff ride to all the towns/bridges for Market Garden when I was stationed in Germany. Great experience. What made it really interesting was the staff ride was conducted with the officers from our German partner unit.
Posted on 5/26/20 at 10:10 am to Centinel
Great trip to take
So many great sites inland as well and you can spend a day following the Band of Brother's sites. A great time!
So many great sites inland as well and you can spend a day following the Band of Brother's sites. A great time!
Posted on 5/26/20 at 10:28 am to SoFla Tideroller
Great post for Memorial Day. I took that trip last April about 6 weeks before the 75th anniversary of D-Day. We were in Paris the day Notre Dame was on fire and witnessed that tragedy right from the beginning. I posted about it that night on the travel board. …...On Good Friday 2019, we took an extensive tour of the D-Day beaches and saw many or these sights. From our base in Bayeux we started at the German bunkers on Gold Beach and went west to Omaha and Utah Beaches. We went to all three villages on Omaha Beach. When we were there in the morning the tide was way up to the seawall, so we stood on the bluff and looked down at the landing area. In the afternoon at Utah Beach the tide was out so we got to walk out on to the sand. We went to the American Cemetery in Colleville, Pointe du Hoc, and had a lunch break in St. Mere Eglise among many other things. I am glad we had the opportunity to do this.
Posted on 5/26/20 at 10:28 am to SoFla Tideroller
quote:
Some were really well done.
Agreed.
The week of the celebration there where a lot of vintage jeeps, motorcycles, troop carriers, etc being driven around by the locals in full uniform. It's a big subculture in Normandy.
Posted on 5/26/20 at 10:42 am to LSU0358
I did the same trip with my dad in 2014 (In addition to some Premier League games in England). I highly recommend it to everyone.
Posted on 5/26/20 at 10:44 am to geauxpurple
quote:
had a lunch break in St. Mere Eglise among many other things.
We ate in a little diner in Ste. Mere Eglise just off the main square. It was run by a family - husband, wife and daughter about 20 something. The wife was beautiful and the daughter was a carbon copy of Mom. I looked at my buddy and said, "How would you like to be a platoon commander in 1944 once your troops discovered those two?" Every red-blooded paratrooper would have volunteered to "guard" the diner.
(Food was great, btw)
Posted on 5/26/20 at 10:47 am to LSU0358
One aspect of D Day that I have never run across are similar stories like these from the Germans' perspective. I presume they exist but primarily in German venues? Are there German cemeteries in & around the Normandy area?
Posted on 5/26/20 at 10:59 am to Keltic Tiger
Very moving post,thank you for taking time to do this.
Posted on 5/26/20 at 11:07 am to Keltic Tiger
Actually, one of my biggest surprises was the amount of German cemeteries for their WWI dead in France. I would have thought that the immediate post-WWII period in France would have had too much anti-German sentiment for those to remain. But their are several cemeteries around the Verdun and Belleau Wood areas for the German soldaten.
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