I was especially disappointed because, as some of you know, my Dad has been in the 82nd on a couple of different occasions and Fort Bragg is as much of a hometown as I currently have. (As a side-note, the residential neighborhoods on Ft. Bragg are named after places where the 82nd saw action and I can vividly remember many of them: St. Mere Eglise, Cherborg, Nijmegen, etc.). So that was a disappointment. But, as the French say, c'est la vie.
That being said, I had a great tour with a very knowledgeable tour guide, Sandrine, so I can't complain too much. The Caen Memorial Museum is well done and actually starts in 1918. The goal is to put WWII into a larger context. One thing I was surprised at was how harsh the museum was at the French leaders in the inter-war period. One especially telling item was an excerpt from a French magazine declaring that the completely impracticable and out-dated French Army uniforms made the French Army the best dressed army in the world. As Sandrine put it, as if that mattered any!
The highlight of the museum was an exhibition on the lives of soldiers before and after D-Day, as told in their own words. The museum had acquired a large number of letters from soldiers on the front from both sides of the battle. Also impressive was the 20 minute video on the D-Day landing that included 80% original footage. (The rest was supplement from the Longest Day.)
After a good lunch, it was off to see the D-Day sights.
Our first stop was Arromanches, sight of an artificial harbor. Allied war planners had discovered from earlier operations that it would be difficult to try a frontal assault on a port city. So they decided to make their own. Built starting right after D-Day, the artificial port provided the Allied forces with supplies and remained in operation several months until the Allies took Antwerp. Here's what's left.
Our next stop was the Longues-sur-Mer gun battery. Hitler, fearing an attack, fortified the Atlantic seaboard from Norway to Spain with coastal defenses to make the so-called "Atlantic Wall". Gun batteries, like this one, were a big part of the wall. This particular gun battery was undamaged by the bombing before D-Day and fired onto Gold and Omaha beaches.
Our third stop was the American Military Cemetery. Overlooking Omaha Beach, the cemetery is immaculately groomed and poignantly laid out in the shape of a cross. In the years after the war, families of the fallen soldiers were given the option to leave their loved one in the military cemetery or to bring them home. 60% opted to bring them home and of the 40% that were left on the continent where they fell about 9,500 soldiers have their final resting place in this cemetery.
Our fourth stop was Omaha beach itself. Omaha was the most open of the five D-Day beaches, but had a series of hills that overlooked it. The Germans were nestled down in these hills and is a big reason why Omaha was the bloodiest of the five beaches. It was hard to imagine the clear, sunny beach full of obstacles, charging soldiers, and gun fights. It all seemed very peaceful.
The final stop was at Point du Hoc. Point du Hoc was a strategic target due to the German gun battery that was capable of reaching both Omaha and Utah beaches. The problem is that there was no easy access point to it. It is on a cliff and the Germans had heavily mined the area behind it, leaving an attack up the cliffs the only way to go. Approximately 225 Rangers scaled the cliffs, took the position, and then held off the Germans for two days until reinforcements came from Omaha Beach. The site today is left as it was on that day and is quite moving. Unfortunately, it is hard to get a good look at the cliffs since they are deteriorating due to erosion, but fear not. A team of soil scientists from Texas A&M are on the job figuring out to reinforce the cliff.
It was quite sobering to look over the wind swept countryside and imagine the task those Rangers had. Looking at the sight, a song sprung into my head. When I was younger, Dad had bought a CD produced by the 82nd Airborne Chorus and played it for us regularly. One particular song was the Ballad of the Green Beret. Even though not exactly on point, as the green beret signifies special forces, not Rangers, I think it still fits.
Here are the lyrics in their entirety.
Fighting soldiers from the sky
Fearless men who jump and die
Men who mean just what they say
The brave men of the Green Beret
Silver wings upon their chest
These are men, America's best
One hundred men we'll test today
But only three win the Green Beret
Trained to live, off nature's land
Trained in combat, hand to hand
Men who fight by night and day
Courage deep, from the Green Beret
Silver wings upon their chest
These are men, America's best
One hundred men we'll test today
But only three win the Green Beret
Back at home a young wife waits
Her Green Beret has met his fate
He has died for those oppressed
Leaving her this last request
Put silver wings on my son's chest
Make him one of America's best
He'll be a man they'll test one day
Have him win the Green Beret
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