Normandy 2017

Kids request when we were in Paris: "could we do a side trip to Normandy?" It was as usual a great place to remember the fallen and make then realize how much of a tragedy ww2 was for all involved. Funny part: saw a group of German soldiers visiting the Pointe du Hoc memorial and trying to figure out how they would win in a do over....

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Colleville sur mer


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Western Tip of Omaha Beach.

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Pointe du Hoc.

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I'd love to go there. Thanks for sharing the pics for those of us who've never been.

Very cool. Thank you for sharing and awesome that your kids wanted to go see it.

Very cool. My wife an I did the exact same thing a few years ago during our Paris trip. If any one else does this trip also check out the Musée de l'Armée in Paris.

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Originally Posted by ACE2GOOD

Very cool. Thank you for sharing and awesome that your kids wanted to go see it.

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Yes it is. Knowing there are kids still interested in history is a plus.

Calvados

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Originally Posted by earplug

Calvados

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and french 5% alcohol apple cider....

for all of you that want to go some day, please hit me up on PM and I'll give you some pointer, place to stay, things to do.

If I ever make it to europe it will be one of the stops for sure.

Pointe du Hoc is a very moving spot to visit, when you add some imagination to envision both the troops that were on the receiving end of the prep bombardment ( you can still see the bomb craters, even in a Google Maps view) as well as imaging climbing the cliff under fire.

Longue sur Mer is a spot that moved me. There is a concrete observation bunker (you can see it in the film Longest Day as the spot that a German sentry sees the invasion fleet as the dawn breaks) and a set of four coastal guns in concrete emplacements. You can see shell damage from the ongoing gun duels between the battery and Allied cruisers all day June 6th.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longues-sur-Mer_battery

The Normandy area is fantastic. I'm glad you got to see it. When I went I a few years ago the Ranger memorial was closed to the public due to safety concerns due to the instability of the cliff. I spent 3 days doing nothing but D-Day stuff.

Was in Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland and Germany in Sept. My guide in Bastogne was a elderly local gentleman who was 8 in 1944 and later became a career military officer. His father was killed during the Battle of the Bulge right in front of him.

I also visited Krakow in Poland where I saw Auschwitz and sights related to Oskar Schindler. It's impossible to try to comphrend the systematic slaughter of millions of people. It truly made me appreciate the 2nd Ammendment more and its importance. Maybe the liberals could try to appreciate why being able to defend life and liberty is so damn important.

Now I have to figure out where to go in the Pacific.....

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Originally Posted by rxgremlin

Now I have to figure out where to go in the Pacific.....

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Unfortunately, a lot of the US battlesites are hot bloody mess or have restricted entry (Kwajalein, Midway, etc.). The Kiwis have a fantastic war memorial/museum (initially for WW I but extended to II and other conflicts) in Auckland. Also a superb memorial and museum in Melbourne, Australia that had a small section reserved for members of the Great Escape. Very good war museum in Seoul even if you can't read Hangul but of course most of their focus is on the much-forgotten Korean War. Singapore has some historic sites related to WW II but I don't recall any specific museum (what limited time I spent there was for work so I didn't have much chance to look around).