The 70th anniversary of the Liberation of Paris is coming this August along with the D-Day Invasion. 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the start of WWI. You can be assured that tourism will increase in Northern France and Normandy. This posting deals with the August 26,1994, celebration of the liberation of Paris (Paris libre) in 1944.
I held a prized invitation to sit in the grandstand erected in front of the Hotel de Ville (Paris City Hall) for the festivities. For those wanting to know more, I refer you to a classic movie "Is Paris Burning" based on a book with the same name by Larry Collins and Dominique LaPierre. The music score by Maurice Jarre is stirring and fantastic.
I am sharing three personal pictures of the event.
These veterans of General Philippe LeClerc's 2nd Armored Division surround and greet General LeClerc's widow. Note the large projection screen to improve viewing by the audience.
A small group of U.S. soldiers entering the venue. U.S. Ambassador Pamela Harriman arrived soon after this picture was taken.
Entrance to Hotel Meurice on the Rue de Rivoli. This hotel was used as the headquarters for the German commander of Paris, General Dietrich von Choltitz. As most know, General Choltitz did not follow through on an order from Hitler to destroy the city. The book mentioned in start of the blog will give you many more details.
Point du Hoc is located between Omaha Beach and Utah Beach. One takes Road 514 in the direction of Cherbourg and St Mere Eglise. After a few miles, take Road 514a out to Point du Hoc. There is a parking lot to leave your car with a short walk to the site. The area is just the same as D-Day with bomb craters and destroyed defensive positions. The Germans had built a number of casements holding large caliber artillery that could shell both landing beaches (Utah & Omaha). German commanders knew that the Allied air force would subject the redoubt to massive bombing raids. Just prior to the invasion, the German army removed the guns back to the safety of apple orchards and used large wooden poles placed in the casements to fool Allied intelligence.
U.S. Rangers were assigned the task of assaulting the cliff at Point du Hoc to destroy the guns. After suffering significant casualties, the Rangers reached the top of the 100' cliff and found out that the guns had been removed. The Rangers searched further and found the guns. They destroyed the guns with Thermite grenades that fused the operating mechanisms. The commander of the Rangers was Lt. Col. James E. Rudder from Texas. After the war, he would serve as the president of Texas A&M and would preside over a major transformation of that university. The following are personal pictures:
Picture of the Cliff at Point du Hoc
German Bunker
Bomb Marked Landscapes
I am starting the tour of Normandy at Omaha Beach and the American cemetery at St. Laurent sur Mer. The cemetery is located only a few miles from Bayeux. Purchase a good Michelin map to assist in your travel. If still available, I recommend Michelin Map 102 which is a historical map with the name of "Battle of Normandy." You might check online to see if one is for sale.
The cemetery is open all year except for Christmas and New Years day. Hours during the summer run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. During the winter, the closing hour is 5 p.m. I recommend starting your visit at the Interpretation Center. The Center presents oral histories by WWII veterans who participated in the landing along with artifacts given to the Center. There is no charge for admission but visitors must go through a security check.
The cemetery is the resting place for 9,387 military personnel. One notable person buried here is General Teddy Roosevelt,Jr., son of President Teddy Roosevelt. Only a minority of these individuals were killed on D-Day with the rest killed in subsequent fighting in the Normandy Region.
For additional help, please google "American Battle Monuments Commission" which directs you to other American cemeteries in Europe
Pictures of the Cemetery
A small part of the impressive memorial at the start of the Cemetery.
Overlook of Omaha Beach
You can walk down to the beach and look back toward the bluff and see the challenge faced by the soldiers during the invasion. The German defenders had preplanned the fire zone with their machine guns. Their MG-42 machine gun had an extremely high rate of fire posing a real danger to the invading troops.
Row upon Row of White Crosses and Stars of David
I recommend a day trip to Portsmouth from London. Portsmouth is the historic base for the Royal Navy and a key embarkation point for the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944. You take a Southwest train from Waterloo station to Portsmouth Harbor Station. After arriving, I suggest a guided tour of HMS Victory, the flagship for Lord Nelson at the Napoleonic period engagement at Trafalgar in 1805. He was shot by a French Navy sharpshooter and died during the battle. You can learn a great deal about the life of British sailors during this period of time.
Another stop is the new museum holding the remnants of the Mary Rose, a Tudor period warship. The ship was raised from the sea bed, preserved, and placed on display.
The last stop is the D-Day museum located a short distance from the above sites. A cab is recommended for travelers to save time and energy. In the museum is a detailed embroidery of events and personalities in operation "Overlord". A young artist was retained to draw the necessary pictures illustrating the invasion. The staff and students of the Royal School of Needlework (located at Hampton Court Palace) hand embroidered the various picture panels.
Portsmouth D-Day Museum
