Travels through Normandy – Arromanches

After two nights in the wonderful Hotel Tardif in Bayeux, it was time to leave. We had visited Bayeux and Mont St Michel, and now we were headed to Vernon, in Eastern Normandy. Vernon was to be our base of operations, from whence we should visit Paris and Giverny, but more about that later.

This posting shall be dedicated only to Arromanches, and, in spirit, dedicated to the brave troops who landed on the beaches of Normandy in June 1944. We don’t think much of it today, but it is an important part of our history. When I say “our”, I mean mine as a Brit and yours as an American.

Before we get started, lets get one thing completely clear, we are talking about the Allied Forces, both British and American troops (although they landed separately), and now would not be the time to remind me that “us American’s saved your ass in the war”.

A failed raid in 1942 taught the War Office that if they wanted to land “we must take our harbors with us”. Prefabricated ports were developed that consisted of breakwaters, pier-heads and floating piers. These portable harbors were given the code name Mulberry.

Arromanches was the landing point for Mulberry B (Mulberry A went to Omaha Beach, where the American troops landed). The pieces were floated across the channel, and then sunk to create the artificial harbor. (Wait, lets think about that for a minute, the Germans are flying over the Channel nightly, for bombing raids on the UK, and the Allies are floating bloody great barges across the channel, at around 6MPH – talk about taking your life in your hands!) Today, remains of these Mulberries can still be seen in Arromanches. The guidebook tells us they make for a startling sight, but really, they are a testament to the ingenuity of mankind, in a desperate time, taking desperate measures.

The truly startling sight is the Arromanches 360. Located on the cliffs above the beaches (Sword, Gold and Juno), is a monument to the regiments who landed, and a theatre, which shows the movie “The Price of Freedom”. The movie is shown on 9 screens, in 360 degrees. No one sits down; you lean on a horizontal bar behind you. The theatre is crowded with people of all nationalities. No translation of the movie is needed, as there is no narration, and no dialogue. The entire movie uses wartime footage of the landings, Arromanches, and battle damage, and joins it with footage taken 50 years later. In one amazing scene, a local bridge is shown, one screen shows one side of the bridge as we see it today, the next screen shows wartime footage of the center of the bridge, the next screen shows the other side of the bridge as we see it today. But that is just fancy imagery. The truly startling part is the smiling men on the landing craft, laughing and smoking. They are having a blast. Brave or scared, they are going into the unknown, with little or no idea of the incredible battle and losses they are about to face. Next we see images of the beach, fallen men, dead or injured we don’t know. Next there are images of the beach today, peaceful, children playing in the sand and the sea. Images of a bombed out town come next, civilians (having been allowed back in) are combing through the rubble; a lone kitten stands in the ruins of a street. Then gunshots, soldiers searching houses. Then color images of those streets today, a market, a couple walking hand in hand, and their child running ahead of them. The town has been rebuilt, through the love, commitment and solidarity of the townspeople. This brings to mind the French revolutionary statement “Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite” – Liberty, Equality, and Brotherhood.

More images of the sick and wounded, housed in mobile hospitals, as their comrades fight on. These soldiers traveled on foot, from town to town, fighting for freedom from one house to another. And I don’t use that term for any kind of imagery; they literally fought from one house to another. Never have I been so moved by the mere image or thought of what freedom meant to a person, or what it means to me. I sit here, in my parents home, looking at the gray weather outside, and not once do I think “Will it be safe to go into Chichester today?” or “Will it be safe to travel home on Thursday?” however, I know that people think about these things every day (well, not in the terms of going into Chichester, but their local equivalent, Chichester is perfectly safe).

I should say here, that I am a ‘live and let live’ kind of person, not one to judge others on their way of life, or how they choose to live it, (unless it is harmful to others). I don’t care if you want to wear a burkah; I just think you should be given the choice. I don’t care if you want to practice another religion; I just want you to have the choice. I just want us all to be happy, and live in a society where we are free to choose. And, if the society does not allow you to choose, or you feel oppressed, speak up; don’t stay quiet, as history has shown us what staying quiet can do.

~I'm putting a photo of Megan here, because her middle name is Laurel, a symbol of victory~

Ok, so, off my soapbox – sorry! In my prior post about Bayeux and William the Conqueror, I made sure to tell you that the battle between William and Harold was over in 8 hours, just another day at the office. The Germans were so entrenched in France, that it took the troops 34 days to reach Caen, which is only 22 miles away. Of course, you realize that it didn’t take them so long cause they were slow walkers, or just dilly-dallying along the way. It took them 34 days cause they fought from house to house, in each village or small farming area they came across. And each day, they did it again, and again, and again. Through all this fighting and bombing, there were agreements as to which towns would be spared (seriously!). Paris was one of them, Bayeux was another.

That is about it for our history lesson for today, just one last point to discuss. The French often get a bad rap for giving in so easily to the Germans, for “handing over” their country, for being traitors, as it were. However, this is an over simplification of a more complex issue. Prior to the WWII, France had been through The Great War (1914-1918). They had suffered huge losses. What does this mean for the German invasion in WWII? It means the French lost an entire generation, or, that a generation of troops that should have been born and raised between 1918 and 1940 just didn’t happen. With far fewer men of fighting age, the French were at a disadvantage when the Germans arrived.

~A photo of my parents here, cause they are wicked cute sometimes, and the structure behind them represents what my mother's father worked on during the war.~

Alright, I am done for today. Next on the agenda, the beautiful town of Vernon, Paris and Giverny, home of Claude Monet.