D-Day (J-Jour) Tour

This post was written on Sunday, June 8, but due to lack of wifi couldn't be posted until now.

Today was a day of driving and remembrances of the beginning of the freedom of France from Hitler's control. Although the actual attacks and battles happened on June 6 (1944), we figured that we'd just avoid the crowds and wait until two days later to visit all the beaches and museums. Wrong. Ends up that a lot of the major D-Day, or J-Jour as some of the French call it, celebrations took place today. Throughout the day there were periodic parachute drops around Normandy (where the original parachuters were dropped) and old army Jeeps driving around, complete with authentically dressed drivers. Apparently, the same thing happens every year, but this year the celebrations are especially big because it's the 70th anniversary.

If you don't know, what D-Day is, here's the simplest explanation: it's the day that the Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy to get a foothold in France, eventually leading up to the liberation of the French people. Vive la France! To this day, the French people make a point of celebrating their freedom and remembering the sacrifices the Allied forces made to free them. As we drove through, we saw many houses and cars sporting flags from France, America, the UK, and Canada. In a way, it's kinda similar to the 4th of July, both in the actual event (liberation) and the celebration (events, shows, parades, flags). 

As a result of the occasion, there were cars everywhere. Traffic was horrible, and though we planned on visiting each of the five beaches stormed, we only made it to one of them. One of the two American attack sites, Omaha beach, or "Bloody Omaha" as it's known, had the most dead, wounded, and missing soldiers out of all the beaches. The Germans had placed these giant metal structures in the water to try and rip the boats apart, and on the beach they made huge wooden prongs to tip the vessels over. As the Americans struggled up the beach and through the obstacles, the Germans gunned them down from the ridge above. 

In order to knock out the enemy fire, the soldiers had to climb the steep ridge in plain view of the Germans and use hand grenades and explosives of the like to try and make room for the incoming waves of soldiers and docking boats. Although the Germans shot down at the men and dislocated their grappling hooks, eventually the Americans managed to overpower them and take the beach. 

We learned all of this at "Musée de Omaha," the Omaha museum. We all found the exhibits interesting and educational. Carolyn especially liked the short documentary displayed in the museum, but I personally found it a bit depressing. Interesting, yes, but depressing. Museums like these are reminders of the prices paid in the name of progressing the war. At Omaha alone, over 3300 men died. But thanks to their sacrifices, France was eventually freed, and I don't think that the French have ever forgotton that fact.

As of the moment, I'm writing this while we wait in traffic on the car ride home, and I think we've found an "aire," or rest stop in French. More updates tomorrow!

Us in front of Omaha beach. Behind us is a sculpture created in memory of the men who died.