One of my earliest childhood memories was reading about the battles of World War II. Memories of the war were still raw in the early 50’s, and there was a lot being written about those times. My dad had served in the Navy in the Pacific and many of my friends had family members who had served, so naturally, playing war was a favorite activity for many of us.
Growing up, I was an active reader - spurred on, no doubt, by my mother who was a Kindergarten teacher and by my father who devoured books about many topics, especially about the war in which he had participated. I, too, was very interested in reading about battles that seemed heroic, glorious, and exciting to a 10 year old boy. I was interested in every aspect of that period in history. The invasion of Europe by Allied forces on June 6, 1944, was of particular interest. How, I wondered, could all these men charge into a heavily fortified coastline and prevail against one of the best military organizations in the world?
As an adult, this fascination has not waned, and I have watched all the movies about this era - The Longest Day, Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers - and read all the books by Stephen Ambrose, Jeff Sharra and others. After reading the Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman, I developed an interest in the history of World War I. I supplemented Tuchman’s book with All Quiet on the Western Front, books about the Somme, and the movie - A Very Long Engagement - all about the period from 1914 to 1918.
I have always wanted to visit the specific areas where these conflicts occurred, but, during our last few trips to Europe, other plans prevailed. This year (2015), we made specific plans for a driving tour through some of the important battlefield sites in France and Belgium. Although the seasonal timing wasn’t perfect, we had carved out 2 weeks in mid March with the understanding that it would still be cold in Northern France.
After a week in London, we headed down to Portsmouth, the famous seaport that was home port for the Royal Navy and where many of the forces departed for the invasion of Normandy. We spent much of a day in the D-Day museum - immersing ourselves in history of the period, reading about the preparations and talking to a 94 year old veteran who had landed in Normandy on June 6th as a corporal with the British Army. We also talked with an 88 year old woman who had served as a nurse in Portsmouth, treating the wounded from D-Day - all great sources of information about the reality of the experience.
On a foggy Friday morning, we traveled from Portsmouth to Caen, Normandy - a 6 hour trip across the English Channel aboard a comfortable modern ferry. We couldn’t help but remark about the differences between our circumstances and those of the young men who fought in Normandy. After a few days in Caen and a visit to an impressive memorial museum, we picked up our rental car and headed West to see the beaches where the invasion occurred.
The landing beaches of Normandy are longer than we anticipated - 5 beaches altogether stretching from Ouistreham to Ste. Marie du Mont - a 35 mile stretch of coastline. We were interested primarily in the beaches where the American forces landed but they are on the far Western end of the coast and we approached from the East. As we traveled along the coastal road, we stopped in Sword Beach (British Forces), Juno Beach (Canadian Forces), and Gold Beach (Combined British Commonwealth Forces). The day was clear, sunny, and windy but we managed to visit all the memorials along the way. We imagined how much courage it took for the young men to get out of their landing craft and charge across exposed stretches of sand against the strong opposition of the German Army. On the first three beaches, Sword, Juno, and Gold, the opposition was stiff but relatively brief, and many of the forces made relatively rapid advancement toward their goals behind the beaches. Omaha Beach, where the Americans landed, was a different story and, since we arrived there late in the afternoon, we decided to find our Airbnb home and return the next day.
On Juno Beach: tiny Canadian flags and crosses placed by recent visitors from military organizations.
Omaha Beach is different from all the other beaches because it sits under a very high set of sandy bluffs and is dominated by a prominent rocky point that juts out into the ocean. This is the famous Pointe du Hoc, which was a heavily armed German artillery post that also served as an observation point and was protected by machine gun bunkers and anti-aircraft guns. After the war, the French nation gave ownership of this war site - and others - to the United States government. The US Battle Monuments Commission has protected any development of this site so that the shell holes, huge concrete German bunkers, and fortifications are still intact. This strongpoint dominates the high ground over Omaha Beach toward the East and Utah Beach to the West, so it was a very important piece of territory for the Germans to hold and for the Allied forces to capture.
We also visited the American cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, located just behind Omaha Beach. It is a very impressive place with thousands of identical white crosses all precisely placed on a sloping field overlooking the ocean. It’s a very peaceful site, immaculately landscaped and marked by memorials and interpretive signs. I walked down the long steep path from the cemetery to the beach and was surprised by the distance from the top of the hill to the waterline - and that was at high tide. The beach was narrow and strewn with many small stones polished by the surf. The invasion, however, had been scheduled for low tide when the beach was very wide. The soldiers had to avoid the large steel obstacles which the Germans had placed strategically in order to destroy their landing craft.
WW II American cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer in Normandy
It is hard to imagine how anyone survived the long slog from the water’s edge to the base of the high bluffs overlooking the beach. Atop these cliffs, German gunners, using machine guns and artillery, could cover the entire invasion beach and catch the soldiers in a fatal crossfire. The first twenty minutes of the movie, Saving Private Ryan, gives a fairly accurate depiction of what the soldiers on Omaha Beach experienced. It was a sobering thought as I wondered how anyone could do what these young men had done.
I got some sense of this in my discussion with John Jakes, who had landed at Sword Beach on D-Day. He was the 94 year old British veteran whom I had met at the museum in Portsmouth. He said that he was scared to death, seasick, and cold but couldn’t show any weakness to his comrades. He said they didn’t have any sense of what was going on because of the confusion, noise, and danger all around them. John commented that he was doing his best to keep alive and to help his mates survive rather than for any grand or glorious purpose. I suspect that his view is common for combat veterans.
Utah Beach. It's hard to imagine this peaceful place, where jockeys practice racing their horses now, being the scene of such intense fighting, heroism, and loss of life 71 years ago.
The next day, we visited Utah Beach on the other side of the river and very near to the town where we were staying - Sainte Marie du Mont. The village is close to the beach, and there are numerous signs and memorials around town documenting the arrival of the Americans on D-day. We discovered that Easy Company, the parachute regiment depicted in the HBO series, Band of Brothers, landed here on D-Day. The beach itself is very flat and there were a number of German bunkers that were quickly overcome by the Allies. We also visited the small village of Sainte Mere Eglise - which is famous because of the soldier who witnessed the battle while hanging in his parachute which snagged on the church tower. His name was John Steele, and he survived the war and was honored by the French government and the town. We ate in a restaurant named for him.
The town of Ste. Mere Eglise honors American airman, John Steele, whose parachute got stuck on the church steeple while a battle raged below him. He was captured but managed to escape, rejoin the Allies, and survive the war.
After 4 days, we had visited the key sites and decided to move to the East to visit sites related to World War 1. It was great to visit the beaches in Normandy and to get a much better sense of the events that took place there. We were impressed by the courage of the men who fought there - on both sides. We had not anticipated seeing a greater understanding of the German perspective on the war but saw several references to the fact that many of the Germans did not want to fight but were forced into the army. This was presented in a way that was not in any way sympathetic to the German military but simply offered a contrasting view of the realities of that time. War is complicated.
Melancholy German cementery in La Cambe, near D-Day beaches. We read that the French imposed certain restrictions. Quite a contrast to the gleaming white crosses in the American cemetery.
As we headed East, our first overnight stop was in Dieppe, a town on the North Coast - on the English Channel. It was a lovely harbor town and the site of an Allied raid in 1942 - led by the Canadian forces - many of whom died on the beach. We stayed there one night before moving on to Arras - which was in the very center of the Western Front of World War I. We decided to set up base camp in Arras and visit the actual battlefield sites from there. This is a beautiful old city that is vibrant and prosperous today. We were amazed to learn that fierce fighting had taken place during each war and that the city had been recreated anew after each conflict. Unlike Caen - which seems very sterile and modern, Arras was charming. It was hard to believe that the buildings were not very old. However, the reconstruction followed the old plans and were largely based on the original old town - using modern construction methods. Newer buildings could be identified by their “art nouveau” style, popular during the reconstruction that took place in the 1920’s.
We explored the city on the first day and read lots of history about both wars. We were especially interested in the role that the resistance played in the second war. Two hundred fifteen resistance fighters had been executed in the town. Bullet holes in the cathedral are a reminder of the conflict.
On our second day, rain was forecast so we decided to visit the area of the Somme battlefield where some of the most dramatic battles took place. We had learned about a wonderful museum in Peronne and headed there for the day. As we drove the 20 miles to Peronne, we noticed the open rolling hills - largely devoted to agricultural purposes - and could see that this landscape might be conducive to moving large groups of men across the countryside. Unlike Normandy, which was flat and marshy, this countryside was intersected by shallow valleys and much open fields. Another striking feature was the number of cemeteries and memorials in every little village. The French - and all of Europe - have suffered tremendous loss through the combined wars.
Fortunately, the weather turned sunny, if cold, so we had a great ride through the countryside in Northern France. We were struck by the prevalence of cemeteries, some large and some small, at every turn, scattered across the fields and alongside the roads. These stand as silent witness to the terrible slaughter that took place here. We couldn’t visit all the cemeteries and memorials - there are just too many - but we stopped at several British, French, and German cemeteries to marvel at the vast number of crosses planted there. There are a few American memorials to commemorate our troops who fought and died here. However, our country came in at the end of the war when the other armies had been largely exterminated so there were fewer battles involving the U.S.
This impressive American WW I monument, commemorating the Battle of Belleau Wood, stands on a hill overlooking the city of Chateau-Thierry.
I was especially eager to see the Belleau Wood site - the first notable battle of WWI where American troops were engaged. A large American cemetery and memorial commemorates the events. Of greater interest was the actual battlefield which has been preserved intact since 1918. Visitors have access to the woods and can follow paths through the forests and witness trenches, bunkers, fox holes and, most impressive, the many shell holes still visible. Time has eroded the landscape but the pockmarked earth gives you a sense of the conditions faced by the men who fought there. Of special interest, were the large oak trees that remain standing but cannot be cut down and used for firewood or lumber because they are so riddled with bullets and shrapnel that they can’t be cut. There are also warnings not to stray too far from the trails because of the threat of unexploded ordnance. We learned that 100,000 pieces of unexploded ordnance are discovered every year and that the danger is very real.
Foxholes and bombing craters can still be seen in the woods near the Canadian battlefield of Vimy Ridge.
These trenches at Vimy Ridge have been preserved (if tidied up) for all to learn about this WW I battle at the Canadian War Museum there. Bright young, bilingual Canadians are given an opportunity to be guides for a semester.
I was especially eager to see the Belleau Wood site - the first notable battle of WWI where American troops were engaged. A large American cemetery and memorial commemorates the events. Of greater interest was the actual battlefield which has been preserved intact since 1918. Visitors have access to the woods and can follow paths through the forests and witness trenches, bunkers, fox holes and, most impressive, the many shell holes still visible. Time has eroded the landscape but the pockmarked earth gives you a sense of the conditions faced by the men who fought there. Of special interest, were the large oak trees that remain standing but cannot be cut down and used for firewood or lumber because they are so riddled with bullets and shrapnel that they can’t be cut. There are also warnings not to stray too far from the trails because of the threat of unexploded ordnance. We learned that 100,000 pieces of unexploded ordnance are discovered every year and that the danger is very real.
Our final battlefield visit was at the St. Mihiel salient site just south of Verdun, a famous fortress town on the Meuse River. This was an important battle that was fought in September, 1918, mostly by American and French forces. The Germans had made a last ditch effort to push westward near the end of the war and had made a major intrusion through the French line of defense. The Americans were the only forces which still had significant strength and size to resist this advance, so they were brought into the fight with other allied troops. The American divisions linked up to close the bulge in the salient and, in the process captured 15,000 German troops - which, in large part stopped the fighting. After this battle, the war primarily involved constant fighting as German troops retreated. On November 11, the Armistice was declared.
During our 2 weeks in Northern France, we covered a lot of territory but only covered certain historical areas where battles were fought. The highlights for me were:
The beaches in Normandy - to see the places where these events took place was awesome and to marvel at the courage of the young men who walked into the guns to eventually prevail over a large, well-organized enemy.
The flat marshy countryside of Normandy - imagining the destruction that took place there. Seeing the villages and the constant signs proclaiming “Thank you to our liberators” brings home the role that our country played in this enormous undertaking.
We were again impressed with the presence of war monuments in even the smallest of French towns with the names of those men killed. In one very small town - Fismes, we counted 212 names of men killed in World War I, and 12 names of those who died in World War II. It seems that the number of men killed in WW I were so staggering that several generations were lost. At the outbreak of World War II, there were very few French soldiers left to fight, so the country was quickly overrun - such a tragedy.
Another stunning observation was the massive number of military cemeteries scattered all over this area. We visited the beautiful American Cemetery at Omaha Beach where over 9,000 men are buried - and this is just one site - there are many others. It’s sobering to see the number of graves of American, British, French, Canadian, German and troops from other countries. It was also hard to grasp how many of these graves are marked by the words “Known only to God” as many men were simply obliterated by gunfire and artillery and could not be identified.
It is notable that many of the battlefields cannot be easily identified as such - given that many of the fields are now used for agriculture, destroyed towns have been totally rebuilt, and new roads, buildings, and structures have been built over these sites. Still, there are a number of places that have been preserved to show the terrain as it was during the fighting. One of the most dramatic examples of this is seen at Pointe du Hoc overlooking Omaha beach where German bunkers, artillery holes, observation points and machine gun nests are still intact. At Vimy Ridge, a crucial battle fought by Canadians, you can explore the deep tunnels used to move men and materials safely behind the lines. You can see the trenches, artillery shell holes, and the very deep mine holes that were exploded under enemy positions.
The Battle of Belleau Woods was the first encounter where American forces were engaged and was important because it bolstered the morale of the exhausted and depleted Allied forces. There is a large cemetery site here. The actual battlefield site is open and you can wander around the woods without any restrictions.
One surprise was a better understanding of the German perspective in these conflicts. There was no sympathy shown for the Germans in France, but we did learn that many of the young soldiers were forced into the military against their will - it was either join or be shot. We also can understand the appeal that the Nazi party had to some of the young men who found a purpose and a sense of belonging through the party. The Nazis also attracted a number of right wing fanatics with a conservative ideology who yearned for a strong leader with a desire for conquest. Other citizens were apolitical and just went along with the prevailing tide - to oppose the party was to risk imprisonment or death.
It was an interesting and sobering experience. We learned a lot of history, saw some interesting sights, and gained a new perspective about important events.
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