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The American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer
and Omaha Beach
Continue west on D-514 until near Colleville-sur-Mer. Look for the signs indicating the American Military
Cemetery.
A visit to the American Military Cemetery at Colleville-Sur-Mer (featured at
the start of the movie “Saving Private Ryan”) will
evoke sadness in most who visit. The 172 acre setting is beautiful, even
majestic. It is a precisely manicured site, located on a scenic plateau
overlooking the eastern end of Omaha Beach and the Channel. The meticulously
arranged upright, white marble tombstones mark the graves of 9,387 American soldiers.
Seeing them helps
one understand the enormity of the sacrifices made by the American soldiers determined to
free Europe from Nazi Germany’s grasp. There is also a Memorial in
the Gardens of the Missing engraved with the names of 1,557 soldiers who
died in the invasion, but whose bodies were not recovered.
An overlook just north of the Memorial provides a comprehensive view of
Omaha Beach, which lies below the cemetery. In addition, there is an
orientation table at the overlook showing the location of the landing
beaches. A trail follows the cliff down to a second orientation table and
finally to Omaha Beach.
The length of Omaha Beach is marked by high,
chalk cliffs fronted by wide, sloping, sand beaches.
Omaha Beach was the most heavily defended and fortified of the invasion
beaches. The Germans had erected barriers designed to repel invaders and
their landing craft both in the water and on the beach. The Germans had
heavily fortified the cliffs and the wide beach was targeted by bunkers
positioned to be able to produce deadly crossfire.
The invasion forces at Omaha faced many challenges. A number of the landing
craft opened for landing too early and sank. Many soldiers drowned before they
had a chance to defend themselves. Other landing craft were disabled by
enemy fire too far from shore and the heavily burdened soldiers had to try
to swim ashore during a firefight. The invading American forces who reached
the beach were easy targets from the cliffs, and it is no wonder that
casualties were higher here than on any of the other invasion beaches. By
the end of the day, the beachhead had been secured by a group of brave and
determined soldiers.
You may want to spend some time walking along the beach and contemplating
the enormity of the invasion effort. If you do, you will be struck by how
peaceful it is now and how hellish it must have been on D-Day.
The American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer is open daily from 09:00 to
17:00, except December 25th and January 1st. The site is located near route
D-514 in Colleville-sur-Mer, just east of St. Laurent-sur-Mer and northwest
of Bayeux. Follow the signs from D-514 in Colleville-sur-Mer to reach the
cemetery.
For more information about the cemetery, visit the American Battle Monuments
Commission at
http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/no.php . They
provide a downloadable, illustrated booklet with detailed information.
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The beauty of the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer is undeniable, as is the sadness that pervades it.
Omaha Beach is down the cliff from the cemetery and to the right.
The Memorial and Reflecting Pool at the
American Cemetery
The "Spirit of American Youth Rising from the
Waves" is a 22-foot bronze statue at the center of the Memorial, encircled by the inscription "Mine
eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord".
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Pointe du Hoc
Further west on D-514 between Utah and Omaha
Beach is Pointe du Hoc. Pointe Du Hoc was a warren of gun emplacements
connected by tunnels and underground rooms. In preparation for the invasion,
Pont du Hoc was bombarded by the Allies with large naval guns and this
pummeling resulted in significant damage, but not enough to reduce the
threat this site held for Omaha Beach.
A team of 260 rangers led by Colonel Rudder,
scaled the cliff to capture the German guns and nullify the threat posed by
the German control of Pointe du Hoc. The rangers finally achieved
their goal on June 6th, but lost two-thirds of their team in the assault.
The story of the attack by the American
rangers is heartbreaking, as everything that could have gone wrong, went
wrong. Numerous operational difficulties slowed the progress of the
attack and placed the rangers in the line of fire well before they landed.
Finally, unknown to the Allied Forces, the German forces had moved the six
155mm cannons from Pointe du Hoc before the invasion. The same rangers,
however, found the guns hidden not far away and managed to destroy them
before they could be used against the allies.
A Memorial to Rudder's Ranger who attacked Point du Hoc.
Pointe du Hoc is extremely interesting. There are a number of trenches to follow and pill-boxes to
explore. Take a flashlight since the interiors of many of the chambers are
dark (as well as wet) but it is a fascinating place. Numerous explosion
craters and hunks of concrete blasted from the casemates are scattered
throughout the site. When you look from the top to the bottom of Point
du Hoc, it is hard to
image anyone climbing the cliffs at Point du Hoc, especially soldiers
carrying weapons and packs while under attack by enemy forces.
For a detailed account of the action at Point-du-Hoc, visit this site
http://www.worldwar2history.info/D-Day/Pointe-Du-Hoc.html .
Pointe du Hoc is located off of D-514 east of Grandcamp-Maisy and west of
Colleville-sur-Mer
From Pointe du Hoc you can see Utah Beach to the west. It is a slowly
sloping, beach with a wide shelf that made for a less difficult landing than
experienced at Omaha Beach. These forces were charged with capturing the
Cotentin peninsula and were also involved in the crucial battle for Cherbourg.
Cherbourg would provide the allies a large, working port to supply the invasion.
Continue to the next page for
Bayeux,
or select
Rouen or
Mont St. Michel.
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Best Places to
Visit in Normandy
Best Places to Visit in France
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