Normandy and the D-Day Beaches Part 1

by Paul Holmes

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Remembrance Day 2005 

 

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.

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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.

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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.

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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

Photos and text © by Paul Holmes