European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 27, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse Over 9,000 gis rest in cemetery at Omaha Beach. German bunkers abound along Utah Omaha beaches. Site seeing by Bill Walker staff writers the. Mere eglise in the Normandy Region of France is noted for the town s role in the june 6, 1944, d Day is a Good place to begin an exploration of Battle Sites in the . Mere was the first town in France liberated by Allied forces on june 6 when 13,000 men of the american tend and 101st airborne divisions dropped to the area in the predawn hours. Ste. Merc was the Western Boundary of the invasion area. The paratroopers we reassigned to keep German reinforcements from breaking into the Beach area. Sixty Miles to the East at Pegasus Bridge near Ouist Cham British troops of the 6lh air borne division were Given the same assign Are Short sketches of the Sites moving generally East along the coast ram Ste. Mere to Pegasus Bridge Ste. Mere eglise Park in the open area near the Church where pvt. John Steele Hung from the Steeple by his Para Chute rigging and watched the righting below on the morning of june 6. A Monu. Meat in the town Square honors the libera tors a museum is open rom 9 . Until noon and from 2 until 7 . During the tourist season. Unless otherwise indicated hours or other museums Are the same. From Ste. Mere eglise take n13 Road i Kilometres to d269, heading right to at just outside the town Are our forts. The Axeville Orts now hulks of con Crete and steel contained our 105mm guns. The forts were taken after heavy from Axeville along a country wad to St. Marouf approximately three Kilometres near the towns of St. Mar Couf and Cri Becq is the Cri Becq fortifications. Cri Becq was a naval Battery with comm guns. As at Axeville the remains of massive Concrete bloc houses Wilh under ground trenches Are Laid out in new peace tul farm country take Highway d269 to the coast at Les gouging. You now begin to travel the inva Sion coast. Bunkers Dot the sea Wall and heavier fortifications Are in pastures to the the dunes where troops of the 2nd French armoured division came in the gravel area near the Monu ment and walk through the dunes to the Beach. There is a Bunker just Down Bhe Beach on the left. The Ocean at Low tide re Veals the hulks of Landing Craft and Tempo Rary Harbor the French Monument you Are driving the coast Road of Utah Beach. On the left is an american Engineer Monu ment built on the site of a German Block House. On the other Side of the opening in the dunes is the Utah Beach museum witha display of military equipment used in the the coast on ni3d and drive four Kilometres to Ste. Marie do Mont. The Church at Ste. Marie was a navigation Point for Many of the boats coming into the Broad Sands of Utah along the n13d through vier �.6�t Kilometres from Les gouging is Les dunes de Barreville. Us dunes de Varr Evlue Monument a simple Stone column Marks the break in a 1977 backup booking among Ibe books travellers will find most helpful to explore ing the military Sites of Norman d Are the longest Day Bryan Paul Carrell s invasion there re coming and cams Channda attack the us. Army s official account. For those who want to Trace Battlefield action and locate smaller fortified Sites the Book Lithe most helpful the longest Day and inva Sion they re coming Are available at most installation libraries. The army Book can be found in official reference libraries and Many larger installation of the Best maps is Miche in local map s4.an additional Aidis Michel in s English Green guide on Normandy. The handbook and map can be found at Fernc bookstores or in bigger towns or ordered from it Neun Tyre co. Ltd 81 Fulham Rood London sw3 sri. By Ville to the regular ni3. Turn left toward a War museum is visited by along n13 through Signy sur Mer. Two Kil meters but of Signy take d514 on the left to Grandchamp noisy. Approximately eight Kilometres past Grandchamp Maisy look for signs on your left indicating do hoc this is one of the most Awe inspiring Sites along the Normandy coast. Park in the Small lot and walk the Trail out of the Cliffs. The Bushes open into an area that resembles a moonscape with weeds. Hundreds of Shell craters sur round the remains of six fortifications protected Long Range naval guns that commanded the coast. Several of the bunkers took direct Nils from Allied the base of the 100-foot Cliffs is a Small Beach where american rangers stared up into German machine gun fire and dodged grenades on the morning of rangers battled to the top but found the big runs had been removed. A ground party later found the guns a few Miles Inland and destroyed them. The casualties were heavy. Only 90 of z55 men who began the attack could continue action by night to. Ds14 and pass through Lefevre to the i Orville sur mar Tum off to the left. You Are now travelling ds17 and within minutes Are passing through the Clerville draw where american troops stormed through from Omaha Beach after establishing a beachhead. On both sides of the draw if you look clo sely you can see the remains of German bunkers a Steep incline takes you the final few Hundred feet to the Beach on the left As you enter the Beach area is a Monument to the Amer ican National guard of the first and second world in the heart of Omaha Beach there is a mile Long Highway that traverses some of the brutally contested Monument to the Landing is located at the Point where the Road turns Inland. Twas near this spot at the sea Wall that the first american servicemen to hit the beaches crouched or cover. On the Inland Side of the Road just a few Yards Back from the Landing Monument Isa Small memorial where the first assault of the Cliffs Section of the Beach known As dog Green was the most costly for the . 1st division. Men of the 116th regiment landed there and in less than an hour 70 per cent of the officers and noncommissioned officers were wounded or dead. Head Inland from Les Moulins to St. Lau rent. Turn left three Kilometres after at the Well marked in trance to the Normandy american Ceme Normandy cemetery the cemetery where ,395 americans Are buried is on the Cliffs of Omaha Beach. A Well marked Trail takes you to a viewing Point where an orientation table details the attack plan or Back to d514 and turn left toward Coleville sur Mer the scene of bitter fighting. The americans finally entered the town on june 7 after a fierce next town port in Bessin. Is the Northern Boundary of the american sector of the Normandy invasion benches. The British sector of Gold Beach is nearby Fol Lowed by Juno and sword the american Landing beaches of Omaha and Utah Are the Best known of the a Day Sites there Are additional places of interest along the British and Ca Nadian Battery this is one of the Best examples of fortifications along the Chan Nel coast. Four 152mm guns still remain in their casimates although one suffered a direct hit during the fighting. Another was damaged. The Battery at the Edge of 200-foot cuts commands a View of the nor Mandy coast and was a prime target of the invaders. More than 1,500 bombs were dropped on the Battery in the pro Daw hours of june 6. But the Battery was the Only one of the big coastal installations to return ire that morning before it was silenced by the British warships Ajax and the Edge of the Cliff in front of the guns is an aiming Post from which the fire Leader could direct the guns. Return to the Highway and drive to arro manchus Les balls. Arro Manches a museum presents the Story of the artificial Harbor constructed allies towed More than 600,000 tons of Concrete 33 jetties and 10 Miles of float ing roadways across the Channel and assembled them off British film of the Landing narrated in French is shown in a Small movie theater at the arro Manches the Road climbs above the town and on the left is a Monu ment constructed on the site of a German Blockhouse. Here you have a Panorama of the remains of the great artificial Harbor. Continue to Cour Eulles sur Mer Centero the British and Canadian Juno Beach As Sault. Despite heavy resistance the 3d Ca Nadian division pushed ashore and drove Inland for several Miles making the larg est of the a Day gains. In the British and Canadian sector of the Landing area there Are some remains of the coastal fortifications but in Many towns modernization of the coastal roadways resulted in removal of bunkers casimates. Battery Sites and Eastern Boundary of the invasion beaches is Ouist Cham where the Tow Casino was the scene of a blistering Battle involving French Comman Andos. Take d514 out of Ouist Reham turning left after four Kilometres to Cross the Caen canal via Pegasus Bridge Pegasus is to the British what Ste. Mere eglise is to Ameri cans. Gliders carrying troops o the 6th air oboe division landed on the shores of the canal. After a Short firefight the Bridge was taken. The wounded were taken to Small cafe just across the canal. That cafe then owned by m. Gondree. Today displays a War office notice saying the occupants were probably the first persons in France liberated on few Kilometres further on d514 on the coast is tree Servule Battery another of the German coastal forts that were sup posed to blast any invasion Armada out of the water. Servule four 150mm guns were mounted in emplacements 12 feet High the Concrete is six feet thick and dirt was added for camouflage. Members of the 6thdivision s 9th in and Canadian paratroop ers dropped on the area and landed in gliders in the pre Dawn hours. The troops took the Battery one half hour before a scheduled backup barrage by naval guns at Dawn. The stars and stripes Page 17
