Normandy: Ghosts of War

WHEN I WAS in London ear­lier this year, I stumbled upon an excel­lent deal on Rail Europe’s website for the Eurostar from London’s St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord. I have often been to the French capital, so it wasn’t particularly Paris that attracted me to this deal but the fact that the region of Normandy is just a four-hour drive from Paris. And that 2024 is the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings.

The June 6, 1944 allied invasion of the beaches of Normandy in France is a landmark event in history and the subject of one of the greatest ‘What If’ scenarios. Had the invasion failed, there is a good chance that the geopoli­tics of the modern world would have been very different. The success of the invasion hinged on the timely arrival of troops on these beaches and a swift link-up with the paratroopers to estab­lish a foothold in Normandy.

The Eurostar swiftly got me from London to Paris, travelling at over 200kmph at times and completing the trip in just 2 hours and 34 minutes. Upon arrival in Paris, I promptly picked up a Jeep Wrangler, which would serve as my vehicle for exploring the D-Day sites. Less than four hours later, I found myself in the little town of Bayeux, Normandy.

Nearly a millen­nium ago, in 1066, Nor­mandy played host to another invasion, albeit in the opposite direction. It was from here that William the Conqueror set off for the Norman invasion of England to wrest its throne from Harold Godwinson whom he consid­ered an imposter to the crown. In the ensuing Battle of Hastings fought on English shores, Harold was killed with an arrow to the eye. After this, William marched on to London, ruthlessly put down opposition, and was crowned king on Christmas Day, 1066.

I was utterly captivated by the charm­ing town of Bayeux, with its cobblestone streets and cosy cafes adorned with shop windows painted by the renowned Belgian artist Pascal Falisse. These windows serve as a vibrant celebration of the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

Bayeux is also home to the world-re­nowned Bayeux tapestry—an exquisite work of embroidery that spans 68.3m in length. This magnificent creation, crafted from wool thread on linen cloth, is divided into 58 captivating scenes that vividly narrate the events leading up to and during William’s invasion of England in 1066. Commissioned in 1077 to commemorate the opening of the Bayeux Cathedral, this ancient masterpiece stands as a testament to the craftsmanship of its time. Today, it is meticulously preserved in a climate-controlled environment within the Musée de la Tapisserie de Bayeux. I loved this because, though the music and the storytelling and the actual embroidery are separated by a span of over a thousand years, they mesh with mesmerising synchronicity and the result is fabulous and entertaining.

Bayeux is also a good base to explore Normandy with the point of view of D-Day history, and so the following day I embarked on a comprehensive exploration of the D-Day sites.

My first stop was Arromanches-les- Bains, a town that fronts Gold Beach, where the British 50th Division made a landing on D-Day. However, they were met with unexpectedly high waters that obscured German underwater obsta­cles. Despite this setback, by 9AM, allied armoured divisions had successfully landed on the beach and began pushing inland. By afternoon, they had successfully linked up with the Canadians who had landed at Juno, and by 3PM, they were only 3km from Bayeux.

Arromanches, the site where the Allies constructed Mulberry B, their renowned artificial harbour, played a pivotal role in the D-Day invasion. Landing troops on the beaches was merely the initial phase; these troops required swift and ef­ficient supply of provisions, equipment, replacement troops, and ammunition to break out from the beachheads and avoid being repulsed back into the sea. And capturing a harbour intact from the Germans had a very high element of risk and a very low chance of success. As I stood on Gold Beach, I could still discern remnants of the Mulberry Harbour extending into the sea.

The Musée du Débarquement is con­veniently located right on the beach at Arromanches. It serves as an excellent introduction to the D-Day beaches and the events that unfolded there. The museum houses an entire section dedi­cated to scale models that meticulously illustrate the fabrication and assembly process of the Mulberry Harbours.

A seven-minute uphill walk from the museum led me to the Arromanches 360 Cinéma Circulaire. Here, archival foot­age projected onto nine giant screens, accompanied by high-fidelity sound, brings the Battle of Normandy to life. It was an awe-inspiring experience, mak­ing me feel as though I was right at the heart of the action.

Driving westward from Arro­manches along the regional road D514, I passed by plenty of signs indicating various D-Day locations, including museums and historical sites. My next stop was the four German guns located at Longues-sur-Mer. Part of the infamous Atlantic Wall, these guns, housed in mas­sive concrete casemates, were designed to hammer targets up to 20 miles away with 150mm shells. Today, it is a peaceful place but I could almost imagine the boom of the guns, the clashing of steels as old shells were expelled and new ones loaded and the distant boom of the guns on the Allied battleships.

Eighty years later, these colos­sal artillery pieces stand silent as a testament to history. Preserved in their massive concrete emplacements, this battery is the only one in Normandy to retain several of its original guns in situ. Scenes from the 1962 movie, The Longest Day, starring John Wayne and Richard Burton, were filmed here.

Carrying on east on the D514, I arrived at that 8km stretch of sand that fronts the towns of Vierville, St-Laurent, and Colleville—Omaha Beach.

The bloodiest landings of the day took place at Omaha Beach. Omaha Beach was heavily fortified by three battalions of highly trained and well-armed Germans. Many Allied troops, heavily loaded, simply drowned in the churning waters as they struggled to reach the shore. Others were mowed down as they attempted to climb the steep beach. The Americans suffered a staggering 2,500 casualties that day, with 1,000 of them being killed, most of whom perished within the first hour of their landing. Inch by inch, the GIs gradually gained a foothold on the beach and eventually secured it.

This episode is depicted in gory detail in Saving Private Ryan, and thanks to that, even today standing on that beach I was queasy in my stomach and had goose bumps on my forearms.

Now Omaha Beach is an obscure quiet stretch of sand, home to a memo­rial dedicated to the fallen. Tour buses regularly arrive at the memorial, carry­ing tourists who wear sunglasses and sneakers to take photographs of what is today a peaceful stretch of sea and sand.

I drove westward from Omaha to Brécourt Manor, a quaint village nestled in front of Utah Beach. This is where, on June 6, paratroopers from Easy Com­pany of the 101st Airborne Division, led by the valiant Major Dick Winters, executed a daring mission to eliminate a German gun battery comprising four formidable 105mm howitzers. The events of that fateful day are brilliantly portrayed in the second episode of HBO’s acclaimed TV series, Band of Brothers. And it is an episode I have watched over and over again. To stand where it actually played out was thrilling to say the least. Utah Beach itself is a treasure trove of historical significance, boasting a Musée du Débarquement right on the beach and a sculpture that perfectly portrays the intense sense of purpose of the troops rushing out of a landing craft.

I continued my exploration, driving 13km west of Utah Beach to the town of Sainte-Mère-Église. On June 5, 1944, a fire broke out in a villa behind the church at 11PM. Locals and German soldiers attempted to extinguish it, but amid the chaos, paratroopers from the 101st Airborne Division descended upon them. In the ensuing confusion, many paratroopers were shot dead as they touched down. One such paratrooper, John Steele, found himself entangled in the church spire. He hung there for hours, pretending to be dead before being shot in the leg and captured. This harrowing scene was immortalised in The Longest Day. The film was shot on location in Normandy during the summer of 1961. Today, as a tribute to John Steele, a dummy hangs from a parachute that’s been purposely tangled on the church’s steeple.

For history and World War II enthu­siasts, exploring Normandy’s D-Day region demands at least five days of leisurely exploration. The region boasts over 15 museums, each brimming with fascinating stories and exhibits. Visitors can witness the sites where pivotal battles took place and pay their respects at poignant memorials dedicated to the fallen. I sadly realised that the three days I had put aside fell woefully short. I like to take my time in museums, leisurely run­ning my eyes over exhibits, reading the placards and watching the films. I like to stand at battle sites and bridges and try to imagine what it must have been like during the height of the fighting.

Every year, the D-Day Festival of Nor­mandy unfolds along the entire coastline that holds significance for D-Day and the Battle of Normandy. This stretch spans from Pegasus Bridge to Sainte-Mère- Ég­lise and encompasses the towns of Bay­eux, Ouistreham, Arromanches, and of course, the five iconic D-Day beaches.

This year, the 80th anniversary, the festival took place from June 1 to 16. There were open-air concerts, parades, and re-enactments of the landings, accompanied by fireworks, exhibi­tions, and large-screen projections of archival footage.

As I inquired from a baker in Bayeux about the purpose of this festival given the sombre history of D-Day, she ex­plained that its underlying theme was tribute and thankfulness. “Normandy locals and visitors take it upon them­selves to ensure that the generations to come never forget the events that transpired here during the summer of 1944,” she emphasised. “The festival is a testament to honouring all the soldiers and civilians who lost their lives and celebrating the joy of freedom that was won through their sacrifices.”

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