The D Day Series. "Beyond the Battlefields: Embracing the Peaceful Aura of Bayeux War Cemetery"

/ Bayeux war cemetery/

Completed in 1952 and maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, this peaceful cemetery is the last resting place for 4144 named Commonwealth (the UK and former British Empire) soldiers and 338 unidentified ones. Added to this, are 500 graves of soldiers from other countries, the majority being German. It is a fascinating place to visit and observe all the different headstones and some of the stories they tell. The cemetery provides a solemn and peaceful atmosphere, with meticulously maintained rows of white headstones bearing the names of those who fell in the line of duty.

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The D Day Series. Storming the cliffs; Pointe du Hoc's Legendary Raid and the Men Who Conquered It.

/ Pointe du Hoc/

When planning the D Day invasion, it was imperative to take out the the six 155mm guns at the top of Pointe Du Hoc. These massive guns were 4 miles (6.5) km) from the centre of Omaha Beach and 7 miles (11km) from Utah beach . They had a range of 15 miles (25km) and so both of the American landing beaches were easily within their range. This post is about the incredible bravery of the Rangers in climbing 100 feet cliffs, whilst under attack and successfully taking out the various gun emplacements at the top. However, the expected six large guns had disappeared!

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The D Day Series. The Overlord Museum, a great collection of dioramas and fascinating exhibits in a museum which is just a three minute drive from the American Cemetery at Colleville.

/ Overlord museum/

The Overlord Museum is particularly good when combined with the American Military Cemetery at Colleville and an excursion onto Omaha Beach. It has loads of fascinating exhibits from the Omaha landings and has some particularly impressive large dioramas. People of all ages will enjoy this museum, including children although people who have studied this period of history in depth may require a little extra information of some of the smaller exhibits.

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D Day Series:The Pegasus Bridge Museum: Where D-Day's Liberation Story Begins.

/ Pegasus Bridge Memorial Museum/

A visit to the Pegasus Bridge Memorial Museum is a must for anyone wanting to discover the major D Day events. With the D Day seaborne invasion planned for daybreak of the 6th June, there needed to be protection of both the left and right flanks and this was to be done by three airborne divisions just after midnight. Guarding the right flank in the Cotentin Peninsula (as seen from the sea) was the responsibility of the 82nd and 101st, Airborne Divisions, totalling 13,000 troops. The left flank, principally, the area around the Caen Canal and the River Dives, was to be the responsibility of the British 6th Airborne Division and Pegasus Bridge was a key target to capture.

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D Day series;"What courageous actions, sacrifices and setbacks unfolded on Gold Beach during the D-Day landings?

/ Gold Beach/

Gold Beach was one of five beaches in Normandy for the planned landings. This account tells you what actually happened there on June 6th 1944, D Day. It is a story of heroism and determination to rid France of Nazi tyranny. Any planned attack on Gold Beach was to be faced initially by a whole variety of obstacles and mines that would rupture any landing craft. British troops could be landed at low tide to expose the obstacles but that would mean exposing the landed men to running ashore without any protection against machine gun fire.

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D Day series;"Walking Among Heroes: Visiting the British Normandy Memorial"

/ British Normandy Memorial/

Opened on 6th June 2021, the memorial contains the names of 22,442 servicemen and women under British command who died on D Day and in the weeks after D Day to break out of Normandy. It also includes service men and women of 30 other nationalities who were serving in British units. The names of those who died are listed in chronological order, placing each name with the names of others who died on each particular day from D Day until August 31st. Using the free App that accompanies the memorial reveals some fascinating stories of very courageous people.

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D Day series; Arromanches, a gateway to exploring D Day History

/ Arromanches Les Bains D Day Museum/

Find out about Mulberry harbour B, a remarkable engineering feat of the Allies that enabled them to consolidate their foothold in Normandy. In the Arromanches museum you can discover all about that the harbour as well as other aspects of the D Day landings. It was an extraordinary accomplishment to build a prefabricated harbour, tow it across the English Channel and place it where one never existed before. Added to that, it had to withstand numerous natural difficulties such as the waves and the tides as well as German attacks. Then go up to the cliffs overlooking Arromanches to see the remains of a mulberry harbour and visit the 360 Circular Cinema to see a film on the D Day landings and the battle for Normandy.

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The D day Series. The Day that Changed History; Unravelling the significance and Recounting the events, of D Day.

/ Arromanches museum/

This blog answers the question, “Why was D Day significant ?” It also deals with several questions including what happened on that day. It highlights artefacts and displays in various museums in France and the D Day Story in Portsmouth. By 1944, all across Europe, people’s former freedoms were now denied them and Jews were rounded up to be executed in the “Holocaust”. The Nazis needed to be removed from all occupied areas and freedom restored. D Day in June 1944 was one of the events that turned the tide on German expansion. Invading France was no easy operation. In 1942, the British and Canadians had attempted an invasion of Dieppe which resulted in an embarrassing disaster. Far resources of all kinds were needed for a successful invasion. The coastal defences would have to be bombarded from the air and sea with a vast array of planes and ships. More planes would be needed to guarantee air superiority to allow troops to be landed unhindered. Numerous vehicles and contraptions would have to be invented and manufactured to clear away all of the beach devices to allow the men to land and have a clear way to getting ashore.

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