German Cemetery: La Cambe

La Cambe was the saddest of all the cemeteries we visited. Originally an American cemetary, the American bodies were exhumed and replaced with fallen German soldiers. Over 66,000 German soldiers died in Normandy; 21,222 of them are buried at La Cambe, including 316 in a mass grave. The ages of the soldiers range from 16 to 72.
Crosses were not constructed on the graves, merely a plaque laid horizontally on top of the ground. 

An inscription on the memorial building by Noble Prize Laureate Albert Shweitzer reads:

"The soldiers' graves are the greatest preachers of peace."

American Cemetary: Colleville-sur-Mer

The American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer is vast. An impressive memorial to the fallen soldiers. A fitting tribute. Over 11,000 soldiers are buried on this site overlooking the Atlantic, including a father and son who lie side by side and 37 sets of brothers. A number of the graves bear the inscription 'Known only to God', indicating an unidentified soldier.
A further 4,500 Americans are buried at a second cemetery in Normandy and 14,000 bodies were repatriated back to America.

The design of the cemetery is such that the wherever you stand you can look directly down multiple rows of headstones.

Jewish Stars of David are interspersed among Christian Crosses.

A 7 metre high sculptur, representing American Youth overlooks the cemetary. On the wall behind are inscribed the names of over 1800 men whose bodies were never recovered.

Omaha Beach

Omaha Beach witnessed the bloodiest fighting of all the Normandy landing sites, due to its terrain - cliffs rising from the beach then falling away. This enabled the Germans to command the high ground which was fortified on all sides.

The memorial at Omaha Beach

These cliffs were scaled by a division of 225 men using rocket fired grapples and ropes. The German gunners were ready for them and of the 225 Allied soldiers, only 150 survived.

Allied artillery preceded the attack - this 4 metre deep crater being one of many that litter the cliff tops.

Baeyen - Cemetery

The Cemetery at Baeyen is the largest of 16 British war cemeteries in Normandy, containing 4100 British servicemen and nearly 500 German servicemen.
Baeyen was the first city to be liberated by the Allies and was the city where General De Gaulle set up the Free France leadership centre.

The memorial for the 1800 unidentified soldiers

Baeyen Cathedral

A New Zealander buried in the cemetery.

Azeville Battery

The Azeville Battery is typical of the heavy gun emplacements that Hitler constructed to create the 'Atlantic Wall' thatb extended from the top of Norway to the bottom of France.
This Battery contained 4 heavy guns and a number of anti-aircraft guns.
The gun emplacements we  designed to look like Norman ruins or houses. Secrecy surrounded their construction in an attempt to conceal the knowledge of the guns from the French Resistance.

A large shell entered this emplacement, yet failed to explode. The shockwave created by the shell killed all 15 German soldiers in the room.

Iron Mike - La Fiere Bridge

La Fiere bridge was the scene of a prolonged battle between American paratroopers and German troops between the 6-9 June. A total of 254 soldiers were killed and 524 injured at this point.

Paratroopers

Over 24,000 Paratroopers were dropped on Normandy on 6th June, nearly all within a three hour period. The memorial below, located in the village of Sainte-Mere-Eglise commemorates the landing of John Steele. The town was heavily fortified with German troops. After being strung up on the Church roof John Steele pretended to be dead. This undoubtedly saved his life. The story of Sainte-Mere-Eglise is told in the film, 'The Longest Day'.

A stained glass window within the church commemerating the contribution of the paratroopers.

Utah Beach

Utah beach was the most westerly of the five landing sites. The beach has a relatively flat terrain that assisted the Americans, however their problems began when they entered the countryside. The farm land is dominated by narrow lanes, small paddocks with hedgerows that made fighting extremely difficult. Furthermore the Germans had flooded much of the low lying land behind the beaches creating large swampy areas. Several of the paratroopers, which landed behind the German front line, drowned in the flooded.

Some of the images we captured include:

This picture illustrates the difficulties faced by the American soldiers - narrow lanes flanked by hedgerows.

A sixteen year old soldier steering this landing craft was killed on D Day

Mont St Michel

Mont St Michel is an abbey constructed in the 8th century and added to/altered over time. It is built on an island rock, now connected to the mainland by a causeway. The construction was incredible, although the sheer number of tourists (we don't count as tourists) somewhat spoils the experience.

This wheel drives the goods lift. Six prisoners were required to walk in the inside of the wheel to provide the necessary force.

The tide around St Mont Michel recedes a total of 18 kilometres! It seems to be a tradition for children and young adults to walk about in the mud, which is very sticky and smelly (12 centuries of monks sewage). The blonde boy in the foreground thought it amusing to kick mud at me.

The cloister. St Mont Michel has an extraordinary number of columns (a bit like Pip's house).

Uzerche, Brittany

Due to popular demand (actually just two people) we have included some pictures of tony

Hillion

A St Helens league supporter (what other game is there?) on the Brittany coast. Keen to discuss the merits of Kiwi league players.

A small chapel that looked down the coast for several kiolmetres.

Treguier

A rare day without wind in Brittany

Kermouster and Creach Mout

Half tide at Hillion, a very quaint village on the northern side of the Brittany peninsula

Creach Mout was the location for a German pillbox and semaphore station. The Allies were advancing rapidly on the fortification. In another tragic war crime the Germans massacred 32 inhabitants of the town. The fortifications serve as a memorial.

High and dry: The tide on the west coast of Brittany recedes several kilometres. This tide drop and low gradient of the seabed facilitates the major industries of shellfish gathering and seaweed collection for iodine extraction.

Carnac

Some of the Megalithic stones at Carnac - about 3000 of them in total, all set in linear patterns. Apparently the stones date from about 3500 years ago.

Quiberon

Quiberon, a town on the southern side of Brittany, was a trip back in time for Gretel. It was the venue for the 1981 world 470 championships, which Gretel sailed in with Leslie Egnot. The visit made us realise how quickly the years have flown by. The only unchanged nautical memory was the slipway: the yacht club and accommodation block having been demolished.

View of the slipway and new yacht club.

The 'yacht' harbour.

The railway station remained unchanged from when Gretel disembarked as an 18 year old.