WW2 - Normandy, France

We made our way down from England to France via the English Channel.With a slight 'obsession' with WW2 history we felt taking the ferry across the Channel would give us a sense of what it would have been like for the allied troops to make their way across to France (under German occupation at the time) for the Battle of Normandy. I had heard so much about this Battle of Normandy and D-Day that I was curious. What was Normandy and why was it such a significant part of WW2? What was D-Day and why is it constantly referred to when talking about WW2?

Of course I could have just Googled it (it would have been quicker and cheaper) - but where's the fun in that?!

Leaving the shores of England en route to Normandy, France

Aboard the Normandie crossing the English Channel

Cat and Bee enjoying the novelty of our cabin and their bunks

Our entry point into France was the port of Caen, a town that had been completely wiped out during the Battle. We decided to stay overnight in the neighbouring town of Bayeaux for a brief WW2 history lesson on the Battle of Normandy before making our way down to Paris - a 2-hour train ride away. Bayeux was the first French town liberated by allied troops and suffered no damage - unlike its neighbouring town Caen.

We booked a 1/2 day private tour with Overlord Tours which is highly recommended. We don't normally book tours and prefer to find things ourselves but given the time restriction and the scattered nature of the different landing sites, we felt a private tour was the way to go.

Our tour wasn't scheduled until the next morning so we had a whole day to explore Bayeux on our own. After finding our way from Caen to our motel in Bayeux to drop our bags we 'hit the town'.

First stop was the Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy. It was a good introduction to the Battle ahead of our private tour.

Not far from the Museum was the Bayeaux War Cemetery where fallen allied British, American, and Australian soldiers lay. Just seeing those rows of tomb stones and names... each one being someone's son, brother, or father and I couldn't help but reflect on the senseless loss of life - many of them being kids in their late teens and early twenties. While the Battle of Normandy was the beginning of the end for Hitler and his crew, there really was no winner in that war...any war.

We woke up bright and early ready for our tour to the landing sites. Admittedly our motel bed was much better than the cabin on board the ferry but we really had no right to complain considering circumstances crossing the Channel in 1944 would have been very different.

We only had half a day so we chose to focus on Omaha Beach as it was one of the toughest battles fought with the heaviest casualties. You could easily spend a few days around Normandy to see all the landing sites and museums, listening to stories. Our tour guide's grandmother had allied paratroopers show up at her front doorstep in the dead of night as they had missed the mark to their drop zone and were lost behind enemy lines. She gave them directions, some eggs (I hope they were hard boiled!) and hurriedly sent them on their way afraid the German troops would find out she helped them.

View from inside one of the concrete bunkers. Protective plate on the right shows bullet holes from allied fire. Felt a bit surreal actually standing there behind that gun.

What the concrete bunker looks like on the outside. There were 5 of these (I think) along the Omaha coastline.

Walking the fields to the concrete bunker.

The fields behind the concrete bunkers. It was hard not to imagine this place in its bloodied chaotic state during D-Day.

One of the many access points to the underground tunnels used to channel more ammunition where it was needed.
Concrete bunkers in the background.

Underground tunnels leading to these concrete 'holes' where more guns were stationed. Presumably 2nd line defence if allied troops got through the big guns in the front line.

View from inside one of the concrete 'watch stations'. Concrete walls were so thick I actually felt creepy safe in it. Actually, I think I just felt creepy knowing the Germans were standing in that very same spot.

Concrete 'watch station' from the outside.

Same concrete 'watch station' from another angle.

Row of concrete bunkers and guns overlooking the coastline.

One of the beaches (Omaha) where allied troops landed. Mig playing with the pebbles that caused so much grief making it difficult for tanks to get further inland. Something the allied troops hadn't anticipated. Back then the whole beach was covered in them with hardly any visible sand. They eventually used a lot of the pebbles to build the roads as they made their way inland.

I went out towards the sea and took this photo to get a sense of what allied troops would have seen when they landed.
Germans heavily entrenched in the hills overlooking the beach, allied troops making their way inland from the sea under heavy fire from those hills not knowing where the enemy was...chaos. 

This is the only cover allied troops would have had from German fire... if they made it this far up the shore. There are those pebbles again...

The scars of the war felt like they ran deep in this little French region. Who could blame them? Almost everyone here had some story to tell about the day their home became a battlefield. Not just any battlefield... but the battlefield that was going to turn the tables on this long raging war.