The Allies have 5,000 ships!!!

We landed on Omaha Beach about 9:30a.m. Tuesday (9/16) on dog green, which is where the 29th Division came ashore and the scene of some of the heaviest fighting. The tide was in, so we were unable to go to the waters edge and view the terrain from the same perspective as the GI's coming ashore. The pictures show a pillbox up on the cliff and the view from the pillbox. The Germans had pillboxes stationed across the ridge so that they could cover the entire beach with a line of fire. The gun barrels were chained at a height that resulted in the fire coming across the beach about thigh high. It was impossible to get to the seawall from the water without crossing that line of fire. There was also machine gun and small arms fire direct at the landing crafts. Each GI would be carring btween 40-60 pounds of equipment and wearing a soaking wet wool uniform. The germans also had the beach covered with obstacle to obtruct and damage the landing crafts. The obstacles picture would have had either mines or explosive devices connected to the top. But by Days end, the 29th was able to rally and break through from the beach. Over 3,000 GI's were killed, wounded or missing.

The Normandy American Cemetery at Colleville Sur Mer is one of the most pristine spots to which I have ever been. There are 9,387 graves which iclude 3 Medal of Honor winners, 307 unknows, 4 women and one WWI veteran, Quentin Roosevelt, brother of Brig. Gen. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., and son of President Teddy Roosevelt. Quentin is buried next to Teddy Jr. Also buried here is SSgt. John P. Ray. In the early hour of D-Day, John Ray parachuted into Ste- Mere-Eglise with 82nd Airborne. John Steel, the guy played by Red Buttons in the Longest Day, got hung up on the Church tower. Another paratrooper also got hung up but lower down on the church. A German aimed his gun at this soldier but before he could fire, Ray landed and the German turned to shoot Ray. Ray drew his pistol and He and the German fired. The German was killed as was Ray, the the GI hung up on the church survived. About 8-10 years ago, John Rayes widow signed up to take a tour with Stephen Ambrose Tours. The GI whose life was safed signed up for the same tour. Neither had ever met. When they got to John Rays grave site, the man told Mrs. Ray that he owed John some money and wanted to pay it back. He took some Euros out of his pocket and placed them between the grave marker and the sod. The coins are still there.

After the Cemetery, we visited Pointe du hoc, which was a gun battery just a little west of Omaha Beach with six 155mm cannons having a range of 25,000 yards, well within striking distance. The Navy and Air Corps bombarded the piss out of this place for nearly a month, upping the anti on D-Day, but they couldn't push the Germans out. The job fell to the 2nd US Rangers to scale the 100 foot cliffs and take the battery. They did just and held the battery, dispite 5 vicious counter attacks and suffering 70% casualties. But the guns were not there on D-Day. They had been moved and temporarily replace with telephone poles.

By the time we arrived at Ste.-Mere-Eglise, we were starved. We parked in the lot near the church and got a baguette with chicken, lettuce, tomato and homemade mayo and some water and had lunch on a stone wall across from the p-lot. Ste-Mere-Eglise has a number of shops that sell WWII paraphanalia, some real, some reproductions, some toys and an assortment of pins, badges and insignia. We parused a few of these places and toured the airborne museum, which as a US glider at its center.

Next up was Arromanches, were the Brittish built a harbor using the monterous, concrete Mulberries, many of which are still in the water. The harbor was invaluable in providing a port to off load the supplies and material necessary to fight the war

Our last stop was the 4 gun battery at Longes Sur Mer, just down the road from Arromanches. We had tried to get dinner in Arromanches, as both of the restaurants near the beach had promising menus. Neither served dinner before 7pm. As it was 6:15pm, we opted to head to the battery and then return for dinner. On the access road down to the battery, there is a nice little restuarant called Chaumeire. We decided to dine there after checking out the guns. It didn't look too promising as we pulled in, no cars in the lot. Of course it was only a little after 7 and the French don't dine until at least 8. The lights were on and the tables set but the door was lock. We were turning to leave when Madame appeared and let us in. We ordered the Menu Terroir, local cousine. The food was great, we had a 1/2 bottle od Muscadet and a 1/2 bottle of Bordeaux (2005) as we still had driving to do (no cognac). Towards the end of our meal, a young man from Austria came in (the only other diner). He spoke no French, but his English was fair. He managed to get a beer and sat down at a table for 4. Madame tried to move him to a smaller table. It was pretty obvious to me what she wanted but he was clueless. I told him she wanted him to change tables and he complied. He then tried to order some food but Madame did not understand him. She turned an appealed to me for assistance. I asked the kid what he wanted, figuring I could point to the menu, tell him he was set, get our check and leave before his dinner was ready. Just some bread and cheese cam the repy. Easy. Madame, fromage y pain. Oh merci, merci, Monseiur.

Fred O'Rourke international translator.