Normandy, France :
Historic Seaside Town
The Greatest Generation Paved the Way in Normandy
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while honoring the courage and sacrifice of the Allied forces.
Pointe du Hoc and Sainte-Mère-Eglise
It’s back in the van again to the seaside cliffs of Pointe du Hoc. You may recall President Ronald Reagan’s stirring speech there on the 40th anniversary of D-Day. Stephane again narrates how, hours prior to the invasion, American naval guns pounded away at the thick concrete German gun emplacements that looked out to sea, barely scratching them. To this day, the structures remain surrounded by deep bomb craters. We have an opportunity to go inside and see what the enemy saw as 5,000 ships bore down on the Normandy coast.
Further along the coast we stop at the strategic village of Sainte-Mère-Eglise, another site of brutal fighting. Stephane details the battle here, even to the point of showing us bullet holes in stone walls and metal fencing. Here is the famous church where an American paratrooper was caught up on the church steeple, in the town center, by his parachute.
The Airborne Museum
Sainte-Mère-Eglise Airborne Museum does an excellent job of not only telling the account of the 23,000 airborne troops who landed in Normandy on D-Day minus 1, but through film, artifacts, personal mementos, and exhibits, tells the entire D-Day story. I was particularly impressed by the artifacts on display, including weapons, vehicles, uniforms, a Waco glider and an actual C-47 transport plane used in the invasion.
A trip to the Normandy Invasion Beaches and the American Cemetery is not one to be remembered for the cuisine or luxurious accommodations, but it is to remember the great sacrifices and to pay tribute to those who gave us the opportunity to experience the freedoms that we enjoy today.
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