D-Day Visit - May 22, 2025

Fran's visit to the D-day Beaches...

Normandy: D-day Beaches: Beautiful, emotional, impressive, and sad.    

I knew that this would be a somber and moving day visiting the D-Day beaches and memorials in Normandy. Although I had first heard about D-Day many years ago, and subsequently during anniversary memorials that were shown on television, I didn’t anticipate having the realization of how very willing and brave the soldiers were because they wanted to defend democracy, their country, our allies and defeat the Axis powers. 

The American Cemetery at Omaha Beach is both beautiful and profoundly sad - the rows and rows of white crosses and Stars of David stretching toward the sea create a powerful memorial to the sacrifices made there. At one end of the cemetery there is a memorial pavilion and there is a chapel in the midst of the rows of graves. The atmosphere was quiet and respectful.

Omaha Beach and Memorial: Omaha Beach and the other beaches of Normandy stretch for miles and encompass a very large area which allowed for the huge number of soldiers who participated in this massive and most significant battle. 

 

At Omaha Beach, the path was lined with pictures and stories of individual soldiers who were part of the allied attack. One told of a 23 year old soldier, a steel worker from Pittsburgh, whose third wedding anniversary was that day and which had been celebrated in song by those in his landing craft on the way to Omaha Beach. He was cut down within minutes of landing. His widow was buried next to him more than 50 years later. The memorial area is beautifully designed and maintained and was a gift to the American people by the grateful people of France who had suffered the occupation of the Nazis for years. There are three large steel sculptures which are part of the Les Braves Memorial Monument, located on the center of Omaha Beach – ‘The Wings of Hope’, ‘Rise!, Freedom’ and ‘The Wings of Fraternity’. 

The Wings of Hope: Represents the hope and courage of the soldiers who risked their lives to liberate France.  

Rise, Freedom!: The central structure conveys the message of standing up for freedom and the struggle against oppression. 

The Wings of Fraternity: Symbolizes the spirit of brotherhood and the shared sacrifice of those who fought for freedom.

Aromanches 360º Cinema and Memorial:

The Arromanches 360° cinema is very effective at showing the scale and intensity of the landings through immersive war footage. It only lasted 15 minutes but one could feel the intensity of the action and get an idea of the enormous scope of the attack.

I had not previously realized that the Normandy Invasion by the allies had taken place over more than three months before the Nazis were defeated. It began on June 6, 1944 and ended in Mid-September. One high school friend and classmate, Carol, was born in the middle of the campaign. Later, there were two specific battles mentioned which seemed especially significant for me – The battle for Rouen was completed in late August, 1944, a day or two after I was born. 

Later, the fierce battle for Le Havre was concluded in mid-September, 1944, when my high school classmate and friend, Mary Ann, was a newborn. To think of all this was happening as we were beginning our lives made me think of what our lives might have been like had these amazingly brave soldiers not been willing to fight for the freedoms we have had all of our lives so far - and must now fight to protect and keep. To be at the place that happened felt important and emotional.

The Battle for Le Havre: Operation Astonia was the code name for an Allied attack on the German-held Channel port of Le Havre in France, fought from 10-12 September, 1944. The city had been declared a Festung (fortress) by Hitler, to be held to the last man. The Allied objective was to secure the harbour facilities intact, to deliver supplies to the Allied armies in Continental Europe. Operation Astonia - Wikipedia

Machine Gun Bunkers

The memorials and museums we visited, particularly the American Cemetery at Omaha Beach and the Arromanches 360° theater and memorials, are part of an extensive network of commemorative sites that help preserve the memory of these crucial battles that helped liberate Europe from Nazi occupation.