Between 6:30 and 7:30 am on the morning of June 6, 1944
135,000 men,
Americans, British and Canadian troops
and around 20,000 vehicles went ashore five designated beaches -
Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword
It was 'D' Day!
We followed the battle path
along the beaches of Normandy with our passionate guide,
Ashley and his wife, Lorraine from Gemmaway Travels.
At times it was operation "knowledge overload"
but so much more interesting than
World History 101!
........ And then this scene
to remind us that life goes on,
and the war-torn beaches have recovered!
We visited many of the D Day museums
starting with the Musee Airborne in
Sainte Mere Eglise,
the very heart of the fighting by the US paratroopers.
Look closely for the paratrooper -
the story is that
he hung from the cathedral only to watch the slaughter
of the rest of his battalion as they landed with German troops firing.
We often stopped along the roadside
to study a memorial site or inspect a new statue.
The most impressive and by far the most emotional
was the American Cemetery and Memorial.
White marble crosses and Stars of David
as far as the eye could see.
When the bells began to play our National Anthem
there was not a dry eye in the crowd!
It was a day we will never forget...
and probably the only time I pose in front of a tank!!!
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