First, we must apologise for the format of our last blog! We will endeavour to improve from now on! If you are not interested in the 80th Anniversary of the D Day landing and the Liberation of Caen, look away now!!!!!!

We left Vannes to go to Caen for a week stay, On the way we had a coffee stop at Fougeres beside the huge Chateau, the largest preserved medieval fortress in Europe dating back from the 12th to the 15th Century.

We spent a fabulous week in Caen made even more special by the fact that we were in Normandy, and it was the 80th Anniversary of the D Day landings. We spent one day driving along the beaches where the Americans, Canadians, and British launched the largest sea borne invasion in history named Operation Overlord on June 6th 1944.

Allied amphibious landings began at 6.30 am along an 80km stretch of beach on the Normandy coast, Operation Neptune landed 12,000 war ships, 4000 landing craft and 1000 merchant ships aided by 12,000 aircraft.

The first beach we visited was Utah Beach, the first landing zone chosen by English General Mongomery or “Monty” as he is known in Normandy. 21,000 troops were landed on the beach with only 197 causalities. Airborne troops arriving by parachutes and gliders added another 14,000 men with 2500 causalities and all up around 700 were killed.

Next, we stopped off at Omaha Beach where 2/3rds of the US seaborne troops landed. It is appropriately names “Bloody Omaha” and is where the highest causalities of D Day occurred. There were 3600 causalities and 770 were killed. We say considering 34,000 troops landed the causalities were light.

We stopped for a coffee at Omaha Beach and loved the fact that the shop fronts all along the beaches gave recognition to the Allies. All along the coastal road we travelled, we discovered monuments, bunkers and incredible stories associated with Operation Overlord. One story we found interesting was about “Hell Week” which you can read about below in the photo.

At Omaha is the quite emotional Normandy American Cemetery. It contains the graves of 9389 Military Servicemen who lost their lives in the D Day Landings and the ensuring operations. There are also the names of 1600 missing Servicemen.

We then travelled onto Arromonches-Les-Bains to see the large concrete blocks remaining from the Mulberry Harbour” which was towed over from Britain for the D Day Landing. It is known as Port Winston, obviously after Winston Churchill, who wanted to build the artificial harbour, A staggering 2.5 million men, 500,000 vehicles and 4 million tons of supplies arrived in France via “Port Winston”.

It was lovely driving through the coastal villages with the US/Canadian/UK/French flags flying outside “almost” every house. We did wonder whether the houses were “told” to display them or if it was voluntary.

We also visited “Pegasus Bridge” and enjoyed a breakfast at the “first liberated house” in France in 1944. Before the beach landings on D Day, parachuters and gliders needed to secure the river crossings for the beach assault and reduce enemy defences. The photo below will let you know what happened with “Ham and Jam”.

The liberated house, now known as Cafe Gondree was the site of the first battle of the D Day Invasion. The owners had been involved in the French Resistance and passed information to British Intelligence. Arlette, the daughter, who was 5 years old at the time, today still runs the cafe. It is said “she is a firey determined woman” who is commonly referred to as “Madame”. Rhonda agrees! When she asked in her best French “deux alongee s’il vous plait”, Arlette replied in quite terse English “I only do small or big coffees!” The cafe was full of memorabilia.

The bombing of the city of Caen began at 1,30pm on D Day. The city was burning for 12 days and much of the centre was gutted. It had been hoped by the Allies to take Caen within 24 hours of landing but that was not to be, and the civilian population paid a terrible price with over 3000 killed and thousands injured. Over 2500 tons of bombs were dropped on the city in one day. Finally on July 9th the Left Bank of Caen was liberated but it took until July 21st and further bombings before the entire town was liberated.

We were lucky enough to be able to attend 2 different Liberation Memorial Services on July 9th, one organised by the Bristish regiment who liberated the city.

The other was organised by the French. Both were quite moving with French, British and Canadians attending. At the French service there was a very moving moment when we listened to a French recording made by a reporter on the day of the liberation of Caen. We stood in the exact square where the recording took place, and the French National Anthem was played for the first time since occupation.

We were surprised that there did not seem to be a lot of “locals” attending the service and we kept thinking of the number of Aussies who attend Dawn Services throughout the world each year.

Of course, we did do a lot more in Caen but that’s for another time!

We are now in Epernay, the heart of the Champagne region, so the next blog will be done while drinking the local drop.

And also, our weather has finally improved a little, with a little more sunshine.

A bientot

Lots of love

Greg and Rhonda.