A Walk On Omaha Beach

"SteveLehto" (stevelehto) 05/25/2015 at 10:25 • Filed to: None

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A few years ago, I visited France and got to walk on Omaha Beach. I saw Saving Private Ryan but I am here to tell you: There is nothing more dramatic or moving than seeing the beach and the cemetery with your very own eyes.

They offer tours of the Normandy Beaches but I decided it would be better to simply rent a car and look at the various sites where the Allies landed on D-Day and beyond. Not speaking French (and not being able to read the rental car contract I signed), I was left to drive around and just bump into things. The first place I found was the beach at Arromanches. There is a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! there and remnants of the invasion infrastructure still in the water.

It isn’t hard to find reminders of the war. In fact, there were WWII vehicles parked pretty much every where one looked.

This tank has a good view now but probably wouldn’t have wanted to be this conspicuous in June 1944.

I eventually found my way to Omaha Beach. There are two things of great importance here - the beach itself and the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. I walked around the cemetery first.

Words fail to properly describe this so I won’t bother trying. You walk by this memorial and then you see fields of headstones.

You’ve seen these images before but again, the experience of seeing them is greater than you can imagine. There are 9,387 markers here.

And if you saw the movie Saving Private Ryan , you should recognize this walk. It opens and closes the film.

Over to the side you can look down on Omaha Beach. You can also hike down to the beach which I highly recommend you do if you visit. I was there on a day in the off season and the beach was virtually empty.

And I was surprised to find structures left over from the war that were slowly being swallowed by the Earth.

Here is a view from inside that bunker. Notice that the window is not facing directly out to the sea.

And still, someone managed to fire a shell into it. After exploring, I headed down to the beach.

When I visited, it was low tide so I had a pretty good view of the distance the soldiers had to cover when they got ashore. It may have looked far in the movies; it was even farther in real life.

In this photo, my heels are at the water’s edge. two-thirds of the way up you can see the “shingle,” the first natural place a person could find cover from fire coming down from the bluffs. Imagine running that distance with a full pack on your back with someone shooting at you.

More of the terrain, looking a little more to the west.

I visited some other places while I was in France: A big palace, a pointy tower, a museum where no one spoke English. But this place - Omaha Beach - was the most moving. If you ever plan a trip to Europe, put this at the top of the list.

And I had originally planned on posting this on D-Day but now that I look at the pics and think about the time I spent there, Memorial Day is a more fitting day to remember this visit.

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jkm7680 > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 10:31

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That’s pretty awesome.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 10:34

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If you ever go to Europe again, I highly recommend a day trip around Flanders to the battlefields, especially around Ieper. I know a very good company that I can recommend. He never does the same tour twice, so even if you go once, you’ll want to go again.

The St. Julien Memorial. I need to go through my catalog to get my pictures of that trip, but this captures the essence from GIS.

Neverenoughtime > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 10:34

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Thank you for sharing this today.

coqui70 > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 10:38

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People forget ... this battle determined the fate of not only Europe but the World. Remember the sacrifice and honor it.

Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 10:39

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Awesome, still think that final scene in Saving Private Ryan is one of the most moving scenes I have ever watched.

Really want to head here one day. Hopefully you didn’t get a rental Panda!

ttyymmnn > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 10:45

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My wife and I traveled to Europe in 2000, and Normandy was high on our list of places to visit. I have always been a history enthusiast, particularly military history, and had recently finished reading Stephen Ambrose’s excellent D-Day and Citizen Soldiers . I found the American Cemetery to be one of the most emotionally powerful places I have ever been. I stood at the cliff of Pointe du Hoc and tried to imagine what it was like for the Rangers who scaled that cliff under fire, and I wondered if I would be able to do such a thing. Thanks for posting this.

SteveLehto > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 05/25/2015 at 10:48

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I’ll put it on my list. Thanks.

SteveLehto > coqui70 05/25/2015 at 10:48

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Amen.

SteveLehto > Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif 05/25/2015 at 10:49

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Can’t remember what it was; I was having too much trouble navigating their traffic.

I love that movie and agree with you whole heartedly.

Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 10:53

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Had some trouble with le left and la right haha!

My hovercraft is full of eels > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 11:07

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I’m planning on visiting next summer or fall. Well, it’s a bit closer to me, at least there’s no ocean between.

And to share one of my recent trips to a well-known WWII battlefield - the bridge at Arnhem.

Krieger (@FSKrieger22) > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 11:09

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If we are to be absolutely accurate here, this is an M3 half-track , not a tank.

Great write-up and photos, thanks for sharing! I’d love to pay this place a visit someday.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 11:11

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The company name is Quasimodo Tours . Does the whole thing in English, and will drop you off for the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate in Ieper.

SteveLehto > Krieger (@FSKrieger22) 05/25/2015 at 11:15

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Yes, and look at the next pic. It’s like Where’s Waldo.

Where’s the Sherman?

John Norris (AngryDrifter) > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 11:16

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Beautiful post by the patriot but “... Not speaking French (and not being able to read the rental car contract I signed) ...” the lawyer just had to step in there and be heard.

My wife and I went to France for our Honeymoon 21 years ago. We need to go back and see this.

CB > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 05/25/2015 at 11:17

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I thought the town was named Ypres? Are you Dutch, by chance?

SteveLehto > John Norris (AngryDrifter) 05/25/2015 at 11:19

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I remember signing the rental contract and telling myself, “If nothing else, this will be a great story to tell a law school class one day.” Yes, I signed a contract that I literally COULD NOT READ.

It LOOKED like contracts I had signed in the US though. How bad could it be?!

CB > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 11:19

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I would love to visit Juno beach, Vimy Ridge, just all of those memorials some day. Once again, thanks for these photos. Would you mind if I shared these on the Photography subblog?

SteveLehto > CB 05/25/2015 at 11:20

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Go right ahead (so long as I get some sort of plug). They are not spectacular. I didn’t own my good Nikon yet and these were shot with a point and shoot digital.

CB > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 11:23

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It’s just a straight up link to the original post, so no worries, everyone knows it’s you. Once again, great stuff.

EL_ULY > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 11:27

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dude awesome!!!

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > CB 05/25/2015 at 11:29

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I’m not a Dutch citizen, but I have Dutch ancestry, and speak some Dutch and German [poorly] (which is odd considering my two main languages are English and French [and I’m not Canadian])

And the town’s official spelling nowadays is the Dutch spelling.

CB > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 05/25/2015 at 11:31

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Ah, I didn’t know that about the town’s name change.

gla2yyz > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 11:32

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I was there in June of last year. Went to the Juno Beach Centre, and the cemeteries for the Canadian, British, and American forces. All very moving. But Omaha was the real eye-opener. I was in one of the pill boxes shown above and as I looked out over my unobstructed view from the beach, a man starting nearby with a heavy Southern US accent said: “Jeez, this must’ve been a turkey shoot for these fellas!” Took the words right out of my mouth.

TractorPillow > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 11:43

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Thanks Steve. Appreciate this.

Canadmos > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 11:45

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This is great, that you for the pictures and words.

I visited this area late in my teenage years, while I was a member of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets. Now, there are a lot things that I don’t remember from those years, but that trip will never be forgotten. I still remember walking along the edge of the beach and being able to see the buildings that are still standing, still littered with bullet holes.

Walking down the sketchy paths to some of the beaches was a whole other thing. I can’t imagine what it would have been like, arriving on a boat and having to somehow make your way up the cliffs.

One other place I recommend visiting is Vimy Ridge. The ground has been left as-is from the war. The amount of bomb craters is unreal. Picture the ground looking like the surface of a golf ball.

stuttgartobsessed > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 11:54

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Great article. Visiting Normandy was one of the most incredible experiences, especially seeing the Point du Hoc, which was left “as is” after the war ended, bomb craters, destroyed bunkers and everything. The museum in Caen is one of the best Museums, period. And the remnants of the Mulberry Harbor in Arromanches are stunning.

TNcoupe > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 12:03

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Imagine covering that distance getting shot at by an MG42. 1200rnds a min of 8mm. Jesus H.....men these days are pussies.

DoctorNine > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 12:06

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The first time I was in Normandy, was as a long haired teenager in the 1970’s, a scant 30 years after the war. I bought a grey sweater knit from wool that came from from sheep that grazed in the area. I felt like I needed something as a physical reminder of the place. Even then, the grey skies over the Channel and the cold wind carried a depth of meaning to me that filled me with awe. Now, as a veteran, I know what it was that I felt then.

Here’s to those who died:

hessen > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 12:14

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I’m just about to do this next week before Lemans. Thanks for the great guide. Cant speak french but there’s google translate. Hopefully that’ll compensate.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 12:18

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Also, here’s a view of the Lorraine American Cemetary that I took from a few years back. I’m going to

This is not even with a wide lens on the camera (27mm equivalent).

flyingstitch > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 12:18

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If you can’t get to Normandy, you might be able to get to the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Va. Bedford County had the largest per capita loss of any community that day. The local regiment was among the first ashore at Omaha Beach. Anyway, worth the visit if you’re in the Roanoke-Lynchburg area.

King_squid > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 12:24

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Have not been to Normandy yet but Bastonge (Battle of the bulge and Overloon (Market Garden) are also worth seeing if you are in the area.

Whitehouse > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 13:36

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I’ve been there in 1999, the same year the total eclipse occurred, and which I witnessed. Another big chapter in the invasion was the climbing of Pointe du Hoc by the US army rangers. It’s a peaceful place now but there are massive bomb craters there to give you an idea what a hell hole it was that day.

Also, don’t forget to visit the German war Graves. The biggest one is now the resting place of more than 20000 soldiers.

Indeed hiring a car or travelling there by yourself is better than doing an organized trip.

DipodomysDeserti > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 13:53

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My grandfather received a Purple Heart fighting as a glider paratrooper in WWII. He never talked about it, and I never knew much about his experiences. I was recently give this picture of him in uniform, and was able to find a bunch of information based on his patches. Turns out there was a MOH recipient from his regiment, and that the 194 GIR were basically a bunch of wild men (I guess you’d have to be to fly gliders into a warzone).

http://www.ww2-airborne.us/units/194/194.…

Frank Grimes > My hovercraft is full of eels 05/25/2015 at 14:03

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so cool I want to go there someday. this sounds wrong for some reason.

Chaparral2F > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 14:09

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Steve, thank you so much for sharing this on Memorial Day. When I think of the brave Allied soldiers trying to get a foothold into France, it brings tears to my eyes. All those brave Americans, Brits and Canadians. This is one place I must visit before I die. [As an aside, I understand that the French in Normandy are still very appreciative to what was done back on June 6, 1944 unlike the more snooty Parisians.]

Travis M. Cotton > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 14:28

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Bad news. France called. Your kidney is overdue....

Groagun > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 14:43

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Very cool, thank you for posting this.

SteveLehto > TNcoupe 05/25/2015 at 14:53

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I concur.

SteveLehto > Chaparral2F 05/25/2015 at 14:57

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It was a very moving experience. I am not normally an outwardly emotional person but I had trouble maintaining my composure walking into that cemetery.

hessen > Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif 05/25/2015 at 15:07

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Wait a minute, how can you hate the Panda?!! It is one of the best small car Fiat ever made. I love it to death.

Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif > hessen 05/25/2015 at 15:09

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I don’t hate the Panda! I like the Panda! Just wouldn’t be the best thing to tour Europe in.

duurtlang > My hovercraft is full of eels 05/25/2015 at 15:34

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I really need to go there sometimes. My work has an office in a nearby (20 minutes?) city which I occasionally visit, but I’ve never visited this historic location. I might’ve driven over it though.

Tentacle, Dutchman, drives French > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 15:58

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It’s funny, because with France being as chauvinistic as it is (me being the Dutch tourist knowing enough of the French language to get by on a holiday) they really don’t speak any other language. Or at least they don’t let that on. In Normandy however you’ll find the younger generation of French being able to speak and understand quite a bit of English.

Much to my surprise, because you won’t find that in other parts of the country. At least not where I’ve been.

Borrani > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 17:14

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Thanks for posting....on the list of trips I need to take.

Chaparral2F > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 17:50

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Steve, you are a mensch. Besides being a superb writer [I have you autographed book about Bobby Isaac] as well as giving great legal advice, you also are a patriotic man who appreciates what has been done to secure our freedom and liberty.

SteveLehto > Chaparral2F 05/25/2015 at 18:09

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I appreciate both - the kind words and the fact that people took time from their day to read this piece.

Thanks for the note.

staghounds > DoctorNine 05/25/2015 at 18:20

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You’ll notice that whisky comes from Kelso, Tennessee. Kelso is a wide place in the road next to the small town of Fayetteville. Years ago, I whipped in to a pack of hounds there and our Master was Mr. Bill Carter. He’d come from a poor family and worked his way through education into being rather a local magnate.

He was often seen wearing an old ball cap that had the name of a Navy ship on it- he was of that World War II age, and we knew he was active helping veterans who had fallen on hard times. Not just those from his war, more than one Vietnam survivor got a job and a place to stay for a while from him. It wasn’t until quite late in his life (and not from him) that I learned his story.

He was a navigating officer on one of the two destroyers that provided close in gun support to the Rangers at Pointe du Hoc. Once the ship was in action, there wasn’t anything for him to do. Seeing the danger to the soldiers, he suggested to the captain that they load a boat with medical goods and help out that way. The captain refused, saying that the risk was too great to order men to do it.

So Mr. Carter snuck off and hunted up some volunteers, got a boat loaded, and swung it out to launch. Back to the Captain-“Well Sir, I have a boat ready to go, may I take unemployed volunteers?” And ashore they went. He and those sailors saved the limbs and lives of quite a few of those rangers that day.

There was a rather sad denouement, which I did learn of from him. After fighting in the Atlantic, Normandy, and Mediterranean battles, Harding was sent to Okinawa, where the ship helped support the invasion there. Mr. Carter had been made the air defence officer. The ship was attacked by several kamikaze airplanes at once, and all of them were shot down or driven away. But one crashed close enough that its wreck struck the ship- 22 sailors died and more were wounded.

Once at a check, he and I were alone while hounds drew and we got to chatting as one will, and he was in an unusual for him mournful mood. I asked him what was on his mind, hunt servants and friends can do that sometimes. He told me the bare bones of the Okinawa event, and said that of all the things he did in his life, it seemed to him that the most important was what he called his “failure” at Okinawa. He didn’t know that I knew about Normandy, but I did (although not about his personal actions), and I asked him about all the other kamikazes that were shot down, and the Rangers at Normandy.

He told me that oh, his shipmates did those things. Although he trained, inspired, and commanded them, they got the credit for their successes.

Here was a man who came from nothing, educated himself in a dirt poor state in the depths of the depression, quit his first (good, permanent, safe, draft-exempt) job, joined up, sought out danger, came home, raised a family, and built a significant business with hundreds of employees.

I never heard him rude, boastful, or to exhibit anything but gentlemanly civility to everyone he met. Even me.

And he felt personally responsible all his life that those sailors did not come home.

I don’t know about “greatest generation”, but Mr. Bill was a great man and I am proud to have known him.

And you can, on a clear winter day, just about see his old house from Kelso.

That’s your whisky’s Omaha Beach connection.

staghounds > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 18:39

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Thank you for posting this. I make a practice of going to these places when I travel, if only to think of all the people whose lives were wrecked or ended so we could have our trivial pleasures-

http://staghounds.blogspot.com/search/label/M…

LaughNow > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 18:55

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Thank you so much for taking the time and sharing.

dolsh > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 19:23

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This is a great thing to share...it’s definitely one of the most powerful places I’ve visited. It’s heartbreaking to walk the beach and see small memorials to fallen soldiers around the beach. (As a Canadian, I also checked out Juno...it's just as emotional)

WMUCarGuy > SteveLehto 05/25/2015 at 22:39

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Last summer I checked off two of the biggest things on my bucket list - I attended the 24 Hours of Le Mans and I visited Normandy Beach.

Le Mans was incredible, but the experience of walking alobg Normandy Beach, just as you did was incredible and totally surreal.

I was lucky enough to be stayi h with a friend whose family owns most of the property in Normandy. If you ever drive along the main road alongside the beach, most of those homes on the south side are owned by their family

So we could literally look out our window onto the beach.

I’d also highly recommend visiting Pointe du Hoc - a German fortified compound that was among the first places hit on D-Day. There are countless bunkers that as the OP mentioned, are slowly being swallowed by the earth, but you can go into almoat all of them.

As an American, I’d highly recommend visitng Normandy, walk the beach and pay your respects to the thousands who lost their lives there.

Shanghai61 > My hovercraft is full of eels 05/26/2015 at 02:05

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Both the guns shown are British QF 25lb field guns. (Approx 76mm/3in).

British engineering at its finest and most lethal. My grandfather helped design the recoil mechanism/compensator.

Svend > My hovercraft is full of eels 05/26/2015 at 02:44

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I stayed there briefly before moving to Veghel near Eindhoven and the war is still present in many minds. When I told one guy in a bar I was from Carlisle, straight away he brought up WW2 and bought me a beer and we talked about Operation Market Garden of which the Border Regiment played a part and have a barracks named after it in Carlisle Castle.

The Dutch are a very good people and very welcoming, pop into any bar or cafe and you’ll be treated as a friend. Really worth visiting.

My hovercraft is full of eels > Svend 05/26/2015 at 03:02

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I agree - I love the Netherlands. I’ve been there a couple of times, and the Dutch are such nice people.

Plus they are really keen on safeguarding their common WWII-related heritage with the Brits and the Americans.
E.g. here you have the Dam Buster, Gibson, Warwick, Lancaster and Mosquito streets (near the crash site, where Guy Gibson’s plane (leader of the dam buster raid) crashed in 1944.

https://www.google.hu/maps/place/Rei…

I like pooping. > SteveLehto 05/26/2015 at 04:23

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when I was in France, I had not been specifically looking to find military memorials, but had somehow managed to stumble across a WWI cemetery. several thousand headstones - all died on the same day (July xx, 1915 - I wish remembered now the specific date.)

all of them German.

war is Hell.

Svend > My hovercraft is full of eels 05/26/2015 at 05:45

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That’s awesome. I grew up with the Dam Busters film playing every year (its still played every christmas along with The Great Escape, Colditz, etc...). Its nice to see heritage in safe hands.

Leon711 > SteveLehto 05/26/2015 at 06:50

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One of the Landing Craft from Saving Private Ryan currently resides on a roundabout less then half a mile from my home.

my home town Shoreham-by-sea, was a Garrison for Canadian Forces and AFAIK both British and Canadian Forces embarked from our Harbour on D-Day. My home is built on the same land as a RAF camp just south of the Canadian Billets.

Leon711 > Leon711 05/26/2015 at 07:15

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Should have been this picture.

pierce is a b > SteveLehto 05/26/2015 at 10:00

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Great post, thanks. I’ve not been to Normandy but I did go to the American cemetery in Luxembourg, where Patton is buried. I remember experiencing very similar emotions.

A little closer to home, if you’ve not been to the First Division museum at Cantigny near Chicago, it’s worth a visit. Part of the experience is being on a landing craft like they had on D Day, and stepping out of it after a presentation.

Kahless > SteveLehto 05/26/2015 at 10:56

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I went there for new years and checked out the beach near the cemetery and pointe du hoc. they left the fields full of artillery and bomb craters. I took a guided tour out of paris and the guy was very helpful. was expensive but once split between the 9 of us it wasn’t bad. they left the fields full of artillery and bomb craters. its being a pain and not letting me upload pics right now but I have almost the exact picture of the statue at the cemetery as my work desktop right now. I took a video down at the beach and it gives you chills to imagine 18yo kids storming that thing.

Thunder > SteveLehto 05/26/2015 at 11:03

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Thank you for sharing, sir.

Ojitheunseen > My hovercraft is full of eels 05/26/2015 at 12:37

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I’d visit, but from my location that bridge is...too far! All jokes aside, I’d love to see it someday.

Ladymopar > SteveLehto 05/26/2015 at 13:15

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Thank you! Memorial day is so special! We had a huge car show for Memorial day-this year there were lots of veterans in uniform-dating back to WW2 and had a few others in uniform.

I let them sit in my car when they came over, best feeling in the world when they smile ear to ear!

Thanks for the article-member of the honor flight program, Honor and Remember and AVOW and Marine-Semper Fi!

Owmanthathurt > flyingstitch 05/26/2015 at 14:16

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I’m still mad at myself for not taking the time to go see it while I went to school in Lynchburg, VA. I plan on going whenever I make the trip back.

DoctorNine > staghounds 05/26/2015 at 18:59

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Amazing...

Cory Stansbury > TNcoupe 05/30/2016 at 11:22

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I’m not sure those soldiers who may be reading this using their only arm or who lost other limbs would appreciate your sentiment. Just because those guys did a great thing in 1944 doesn’t mean we should disparage the brave soldiers of today.

joby > SteveLehto 05/30/2016 at 11:29

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Was there a year ago and the time in Normandy is still the most moving, powerful experience from the entire trip (we went to that same pointy tower and big palace but passed on the museum where nobody spoke English and opted to go to a big church...)

Our tour guide has literally written books on the invasion and started us out at St. Mere-Eglise where the first paratroopers dropped. He then toured us throughout the region starting in Cherbourg, describing the battles while working to Omaha. Finished at the memorial and it was tough to keep it together.

Chasaboo > SteveLehto 05/30/2016 at 11:38

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While doing relief work in Haiti I met an American veteran who was a part of the beach invasion at Sicily. For his trouble there, they then sent him to land at Utah beach in Normandy. Just crazy what he had gone through, and something which no one should have to go through.

staghounds > SteveLehto 05/30/2016 at 11:41

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Thank you for the reminder.

You know I go to a mass grave or two every time I am in France. You are right, whether big or small they say something about us that no palace can. Andy Rooney said the best thing about Normandy-

“If you are young and not really clear what D-Day was, let me tell you, it was a day unlike any other. There have been only a handful of days since the beginning of time on which the direction the world was taking has been changed for the better in one 24-hour period by an act of man. June 6, 1944 was one of them.

What the Americans, the British, and the Canadians were trying to do was get back a whole continent that had been taken from its rightful owners by Adolf Hitler’s German army. It was one of the most monumentally unselfish things one group of people ever did for another.

We all have days of our lives that stand out from the blur of days that have gone by, and the day I came ashore on Utah Beach, four days after the initial invasion, is one of mine.

As we approached the French coast, there were small clouds of smoke and sudden eruptions as German artillery blindly lobbed shells over the hills behind the beach. They were hoping to hit U.S. troops or some of the massive amount of equipment piled up on the shore.

Row on row of dead American soldiers were laid out on the beach just above the high-tide mark where it turned into weedy clumps of grass. They were covered with olive-drab blankets, just their feet sticking out at the bottom, their GI boots sticking out. I remember their boots - all the same on boys all so different.

No one can tell the whole story of D-Day because no one knows it. Each of the 60,000 men who waded ashore that day knew a little part of the story too well.

To them, the landing looked like a catastrophe. Each knew a friend shot through the throat, shot through a knee. Each knew names of five hanging dead on the barbed wire in the water 20 off shore, three who lay unattended on the stony beach as the blood drained from holes in their bodies.

They saw whole tank crews drowned when the tanks rumbled off the ramps of their landing craft and dropped into 20 feet of water.

There were heroes here no one will ever know because they’re dead. The heroism of others is known only to themselves.

Across the Channel in Allied headquarters in England, the war directors, remote from the details of death, were exultant. They saw no blood, no dead, no dying. From the statisticians’ point of view, the invasion was a success. The statisticians were right. They always are - that’s the damned thing about it.

On each visit to the Beaches over the years, I’ve wept. It’s impossible to keep back the tears as you look across the rows of markers and think of the boys under them who died that day.

Even if you didn’t know anyone who died, your heart knows something your brain does not - and you weep.

If you think the world is selfish and rotten, go to the cemetery at Colleville-Sur-Mer overlooking Omaha Beach. See what one group of men did for another group on D-Day, June 6, 1944.”

Go. See. Feel.

Zoom > SteveLehto 05/30/2016 at 11:51

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Thanks for taking the time on a holiday to post, Steve.

I am a bit of a WWII buff, mainly the Pacific War, but if I have the means someday Normandy is on my bucket list.

Between aerial bombing missing the mark because of overcast, floating tanks sinking (derp), and very little cover.....I simply cannot imagine the ride and the exit from the floating troop carriers under fire.

Pure will Lots of it

E_V > SteveLehto 05/30/2016 at 11:51

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Imagine running that distance with a full pack on your back with someone shooting at you.

A full *soaking wet* pack too, probably doubling it’s weight, as a lot of the landing craft dropped their doors way back from land. And they weren’t just shooting at you, they were scything the entire beach with multiple machine guns, using interlocking fields of fire to maximise casualties. The place was a death trap, people ended up using their dead comrades as cover, as there was nothing else there. Walking up that beach to the bluffs seriously makes you wonder how *anyone* made it all the way there, and then actually had to start fighting.

PeteRR > Shanghai61 05/30/2016 at 11:54

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The bore diameter is almost exactly 88 mm. 87.6 to be exact.

nhoj1962 > SteveLehto 05/30/2016 at 12:02

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We visited the beaches when I lived in Belgium ‘67-’72. Unfortunately I am unable to paste a dropbox link here to a picture my mom took of Dad, Mary Beth and I having a picnic at one of the German artillery bunkers. Our Boy Scouts & Girl Scouts also did something at one of the D-Day memorial ceremonies one year. This being Jalopnik, it also included our awesome VW Bug. We were a 2 VW Bug family most of those five years until dad opted for a MB 220D with a 4 on the tree. Those Normandy sites were great to visit with my father. He was a paperboy in Detroit during the war and had a cool scrapbook of great pictures, covers, stories of the entire war. His uncles who served, all did so in the pacific theater.

LuisV > SteveLehto 05/30/2016 at 12:04

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Thank you for this.

Stigmacher1 > SteveLehto 05/30/2016 at 12:13

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Thanks for sharing. As a Vet, much later, It’s overwhelming and almost incomprehensible what these teams went through preparing and continuing on when so many were lost. Glory to God for making things in this life worthy enough to fight and die for. Glory to God for making these teams Brave enough to answer that call. Glory to God for valuing all Human life and making Men and Women brave enough to pay the ultimate sacrifice for the lives of others.

ExGavalonnj > coqui70 05/30/2016 at 12:24

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But it didn’t really, the Russians even without Normandy would have still reached Berlin in the same timeframe, all it really achieved was allowing allied troops to take back western Europe and prevent that too from being occupied by the Soviets

Just Cars for Joe Bryant > Cory Stansbury 05/30/2016 at 12:41

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I am sure he was referring to the type of men that need counselling after they have been “traumatized” because someone wrote Trump 2016 all over their college campus in chalk.

DipodomysDeserti > TNcoupe 05/30/2016 at 12:49

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I'm guessing you don't have any friends or family members who served in the last fifteen years. They aren't pussies.

DipodomysDeserti > Chaparral2F 05/30/2016 at 12:56

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Parisians for the most part are actually very chill and fun to be around. I've been to Paris several times and people are generally welcoming. I think they get a bad wrap from our stereotypical countrymen who like to walk around like they own the place.

Ilikefacts > coqui70 05/30/2016 at 13:03

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I remember the sacrifice of the soldiers and honour it, by not being historically illiterate enough to actually believe what you said to be true.

FusiliJerry > SteveLehto 05/30/2016 at 13:05

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When I was a kid, my dad was stationed in Bonn at the US Embassy, so we did some traveling but never made it over to Normandy. I do remember going to Battle of the Bulge areas back in the early to mid ‘70's. We went to American cemeteries and one of the German ones that was right down the road from Luxembourg American Cemetery where Patton is buried.

A good documentary on all of the foreign American cemeteries is PBS’s “Hallowed Ground” which you can watch online at http://www.pbs.org/video/23652522… .

DipodomysDeserti > SteveLehto 05/30/2016 at 13:19

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Great post, Steve. I always use Memorial Day as a time to remember my grandfathers and uncles who served. My grandfather was a paratrooper in WWII, and received several awards for his service. He would never talk about it though.

My great uncle lied about his age in order to serve in WWII, and to the day he died he would break down crying if anyone mentioned anything about it. He was a hard as nails old school Italian guy, but any mention of the war and he was done for.

My great grandfather left his family’s farm in Calabria when he was sixteen and came to America. He joined the Navy and sailed around the world during WWI. When he came back they gave him his citizenship. He wrote down everywhere he went during the war and gave an interview detailing his experiences before he died. When I would visit him (he lived until 102 years old) he would tell me stories about his adventures. He some how got ahold of a camera when he was in France, and took a bunch of photos of himself.

KFN > SteveLehto 05/30/2016 at 13:21

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Thank you for reinforcing the meaning of this day.

Cory Stansbury > Just Cars for Joe Bryant 05/30/2016 at 13:28

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That’s fair.

Paaron > SteveLehto 05/30/2016 at 13:39

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I visited in march 2001 and much the same experience. Walking the cemetery and the beach was quite moving. The highlight for me however was happening upon a show of old Renaults further up the coast road-it was like going to 2CV heaven!

Jorge Milian > ExGavalonnj 05/30/2016 at 14:02

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That’s plenty.. Should have listened to Patton.

Alex87f > Chaparral2F 05/30/2016 at 14:24

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As a French person, I think I speak for everyone when saying that:

-All the French population is eternally grateful for the allies’ intervention..

-... however, being constantly called surrender monkeys, followed by the “we saved you 70 years ago” routine does get old. Which is may be misunderstood as ungratefulness.

Swivel-eyed Loon > SteveLehto 05/30/2016 at 15:05

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I have been there also. It is very moving; especially on a cold, windy, desolate day.

The harbours in the water are called Mulberrys.

Phil11 > SteveLehto 05/30/2016 at 16:11

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Thanks for sharing. I visited while stationed in Germany (1988-1992), and would like to return.

glemon > SteveLehto 05/30/2016 at 19:01

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Thanks Steve, great stuff, I have been to Europe twice and saw the pointy tower, missed the big museum (closed on Tuesdays, the only full day we were in Paris, who would have thunk it?) We were in London underground, and there were pictures and plaques about Londoners sleeping in the tunnels for the worst of the bombings during the war.

Greatest generation indeed, at that 19 I was going to college, drinking beer and chasing skirt, we had a generation that literally left their homes and risked their lives to save the world. Thanks for the moving reminder.

Flavien Vidal > Alex87f 05/30/2016 at 20:17

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Especially since those saying this never even fought for anything and pretty much take credit and brag for what their grand parents did, sacrifying their lives... To those people I like to remind them that without France, they’d be pledging allegeance to the queen of england :)

Oh and she’s french...

Flavien Vidal > Chaparral2F 05/30/2016 at 20:34

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Every single french citizen is appreciative and eternally thankful for all the american, russian, canadian or british soldiers that died to save France from nazism... But some americans who have nver fought for anything and who like to take credit for what their ancestors died for and sacrificed while being behind a computer screen, calling France “ungrateful” because the country and its citizen do not agree with every single policy the US makes today (War in Iraq part 2. Remember how France was treated by a certain part of the Us for refusing to go fight there under a false pretext?) well, those americans can fuck off :)

Being grateful and thankful does not mean suddenly blindly agreeing with everything. Some american bringing back the sacrifice of those soldiers at every single desagreement France has with the US is disgusting and despicable. Those people should be ashamed of themselves and have no rights of calling themselves “american patriots”, exploiting the memory of those who actually died to help save our world, all that for the sake of policies and political decisions that they support.

coqui70 > ExGavalonnj 05/30/2016 at 21:56

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Ask the Eastern Europeans how much they liked Soviet control.

ExGavalonnj > coqui70 05/30/2016 at 23:01

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But was hundreds of thousands dying worth not having a 50 period of Soviet Occupation?

dm0nies > ExGavalonnj 05/30/2016 at 23:41

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It wouldve been a damn sight more than 50 years if Stalin took the rest of Europe. The massive contrast in living standards on border areas of the Iron Curtain was some of the best propaganda the West had against the Soviets. Western radio, television, even the bright lights of West Berlin were powerful reminders to citizens across the borders that life can be better and the large numbers of refugees and defections from the east were testament to that.

Had the Iron Curtain been the Atlantic Ocean it wouldve been impossible for the US to have anywhere near the level of influence it had during the Cold War and wouldve made controlling Europe far easier for the Soviets to this day and well beyond.

Theres a reason why the entire Warsaw Pact defected to NATO once the wall came down, the Russians are not very good at the whole ‘soft power’ thing when it comes to having your subjects actually like you. Its also a reason why some of the biggest increases in military spending in the past year have been Eastern European nations, never again with Russia.

Whitehouse > SteveLehto 05/30/2016 at 23:43

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I’ve been there in 1999, the year of the full solar eclipse over there. I pretty much did the same as you did. It truly is overwhelming the sense of history you get. But you should also not miss the German mass grave which is equally impressive. Over 20000 soldiers have their final resting place over there.

Downside is that it is getting a lot tourist-y lately.

Jeff > SteveLehto 05/31/2016 at 09:41

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Great post Steve. I was there last summer and it has an amazing feeling there. Also the elevation change from the water up the coast is crazy steep just amazed anyone made it out alive. We also spent a lot of time in the rest of the country and ended in Paris. My opinion is that Paris is like other big cities impersonal and busy. The rest of France was much nicer aesthetically and personally.

fridgefreezer > SteveLehto 05/31/2016 at 10:28

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For any Americans visiting Europe, I’d like to point out that we’ve got history like this just laying about all over the place.

If you’re in Northern france you’re spoilt for amazing history, WW1 and WW2. Very strong contenders I’ve been to are Ypres and La Cuopole.

I work in Portsmouth, on my drive to work I pass within view of everything from a medieval castle, sea forts, HMS Victory, the Spitfire/Ford Transit factory (currently being demolished), WW2 pillboxes hidden in hedgerows, cold war bunkers, and the top half of one of our newest naval ships mounted on top of a hill for radar testing.