I
recently had the honour of traveling to Normandy. I had been planning this
kind of trip for quite some time, so when my band was invited to a music
festival in Hannover, Germany, it was the perfect opportunity for me to go on to
France on my own.
Now,
I am not a military historian by any means, but I have read a fair bit on D-Day
(and related topics) in preparation for this trip. So, I will approach
this article from a layman's perspective.
Day
1: Connelles.... Where my Hotel was. Not much done this day, as I
spent most of it catching up on sleep. I missed my original train from
Hannover, caught another one, ended up staying awake for near 25 hours (I just
can't sleep on moving vehicles!!!)
Day
2: Rouen and Dieppe.... As much of a war buff as I am, I was determined
to get some non-warish culture under my skin....
The
Rouen Cathedral. Started in the 12th Century, with additions and
restorations up to the beginning of the 16th Century, was nearly destroyed
in the spring of 1944. It took nearly twelve years to restore it for
public worship. Restoration work continues to this day. |
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After
touring this magnificent cathedral, I went on a 90 minute walking tour of
Rouen. Highlights included Le Gros Horloge (a very large clock... kind of
cool), and the very spot where Joan of Arc was martyred.... a cross marks the
spot, and there is a Church erected in her honour.
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Dieppe.
On 19 August, 1942, an Allied amphibious force, comprised mainly of
Canadian soldiers, attempted a landing on this fortified port.
Of the 4,963 Canadians in the landing forces, only 2,210 returned (1,000
of which never set foot on the beach. Of the men who did land, 1,874
were taken prisoner, and 907 were killed. Though deemed a failure,
it is often said that lessons learned here (potentially) saved thousands
of lives on D-day itself. |
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Dieppe
is a lovely seaside town. The Beach itself is not sand, but mainly large
rocks averaging about the size of my fist. Just walking from the sea wall
to the shoreline took a fair bit of effort. I can't imagine what it must
have been like for the Gentlemen that fought there. There are few
reminders of the battle itself. Some remnants of beach obstacles appear to
be the only visible sign. As an added bonus, while I was on the beach, an
F-16 did a slow flyby from west to east. By the time I got the camera out,
it was gone, so I put the camera away, only to have another fly by again.
I couldn't make out what nationality they were.
There
is a Museum right off the beach, but as I was there in "the off
season", so it was closed. I did find a small park dedicated to the
Canadians who fought there. It had a memorial pillar in the center, with
floral Canadian Flags on either sides. There are a couple of other
memorials in the park, also a couple of dedication plaques on the back wall of
the park.
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I
continued on to the Dieppe War Cemetery. It is a fairly small plot of
land, beautifully kept and very serene. I took the time to walk by every
headstone and pay my respects. I saw Canadian, British, New Zealander,
Polish, French, and many headstones marked with only "A Soldier of the
1939-1945 War.... Known Unto God". I felt a sense of sorrow, but also
a sense of pride towards the souls buried there..... my brave countrymen
and their comrades. I signed the Cemetery Guest book, paid my final
respects, and headed home... as the sun had gone down for the day.
Day
3:Caen...
It
was absolutely pouring rain this day, so I aimed for Le Memorial de Caen, my
first of many museums on my itinerary. (You'll have to forgive some slight
blurriness of the darker pics... I was still trying to master my digital camera
at this stage.)
Le
Memorial de Caen is not a museum per se, but an attempt at educating its'
patrons at the fault-lines that shaped the 20th century. It is built
over the command post of the German General Richter, inaugurated on 6 June
1988. |
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The
first thing you see as you walk through the door is an RAF Typhoon, as if it
were mid-way through a strafing run.... The tour itself starts by taking you
through a section called "The Failure of Peace". This section
chronicles the period of time from the end of the Great War, through the
Swinging Twenties, The Rise of Fascism, Anti-Communist propaganda, The Great
Depression, the Rise of Nazism, Hitler's "Brainwashing the Masses",
ending with "The War is Declared".
The
Museum continues, using pictures, video, models, and the written word, it
showcases many aspects of WW2, including the Battle of Britain, the
construction of The Atlantic Wall, The Siege of Stalingrad. After this,
the tour transitions into The World and the Cold War, complete with an actual
Mig-21 and an actual section of The Berlin Wall.
The
final section transitions to a section dedicated to the efforts of history's
attempts at peace, very nicely done, all the while by not letting the patron
forget the omnipresence of Humanity's tendency towards violence.
All
in all, a world class facility. I plan to revisit this place the next time
I go to Normandy.
In
parts 2 and 3 of my articles, I will tell you about my visits to Pegasus
Bridge and the Merville Battery all the way up to Utah Beach....
Paul
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