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View Full Version : Archived: D-Day Landing Beaches, Normandy, July 2011



Only2Eyes
28-08-2011, 03:16 PM
I recently spent a couple of weeks in France with me ginger bird. After a week of doing all the flowery shit girls like to do I got a week of war, visiting the D-Day Landing Beaches and lots of other associated sites.

I simply refuse to believe that there is anyone reading this that doesn't know what I am going on about. If YOU don't then this is all you're getting…D-Day (6th June 1944) was the first day of Operation Overlord, the Allied Invasion of Normandy…and I would suggest visiting your local library or using one of those useful interweb search engines.

A casemate at WN-10 located on Utah Beach. I think this would have housed a 88mm PaK 43/41 gun used to protect the northern sector of the beach
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6123/5974749453_b382a36811_z.jpg

A Tobruk at WN-10
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Inland from Utah Beach are the Azeville and Crisbecq Batteries.

The Azeville Battery housed four 105mm guns. With a range of around 10km these guns were unable to effectively protect against the landings on Utah Beach. The 4th US Division reached it on June 7th, finally capturing the bunker on June 9th after fierce resistance from the 170 German Troops who were stationed there.

One of the casemates that housed the 105mm guns.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6182/6084321960_df38551c23_z.jpg

On June 6th the USS Nevada was tasked with knocking out the battery, maybe this damage was caused by one of the shells it fired.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6066/6083774251_3759af4b15_z.jpg

The Crisbecq Battery was located further North East than Azeville, closer to the beach. It housed four 210mm Skoda K39/K41 guns with a range of 30km. It was heavily bombed on June 5th but was still operational during the landings, sinking USS Corry (the only destroyer sunk on D-Day) as the troops landed on the beach.

Damage to one of the H622 personnel bunkers.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6185/6084335662_9202b1647a_z.jpg

Sign in one of the 5 open gun emplacements.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6082/6083789637_eb32cd4145_z.jpg

After being bombarded from the air and USS Arkansas, USS Nevada and USS Texas the battery fell silent with the German Kriegsmarine garrison evacuating on June 11th. The 39th Infantry Regiment took control of Crisbecq on June 12th.

One of the 2 casemates that housed the 210mm guns at Crisbecq
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6205/6083794607_7c46218201_z.jpg

"The Braves" Monument, designed by Anilore Banon, in memory of the Allied Forces soldiers bravery on Omaha Beach.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6128/5988124639_85f274863e_z.jpg

A casemate belonging to WN-65 with 50mm AT gun still in place. Situated where the Ruquet Valley opens out, it pinned down the 1st wave of landing troops from Omaha Beach. It was eventually taken out by the 467th Anti Aircraft Artillery Battalion.

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The Pointe Du Hoc is situated between Utah Beach in the West and Omaha Beach in the East. The Germans placed six 155mm guns here. Prior to the landings the allied air and naval forces bombarded Pointe Du Hoc. Despite this, intelligence suggested that the fortifications were too strong and a land attack was required.

Hundreds of craters from the bombardment scar the land. This one was huge with the remains of one of the three ammunition bunkers.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6201/6080447318_0945fa7d1b_z.jpg

The 2nd Ranger Battalion was tasked with scaling the 100 foot cliffs and disabling the German positions. None of the soldiers knew that the Germans had infact moved the guns prior to the assault.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6074/6079904265_3329c79d97_z.jpg

The costliest part of the battle for the Rangers came after the cliff assault, isolated from other Allied forces and outnumbered by the German garrison on the point, the Rangers fended off several counterattacks from the German 916th Grenadier-Regiment. The Rangers were finally relieved after units of the American 29th Infantry Division's 116th Infantry Regiment broke through to the Rangers from Omaha Beach on June 7.

One of the 155mm gun emplacements with the metal pin at the centre allowing the gun to pivot.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6198/6080448594_a83330e843_z.jpg

The Cimetiere Americain was the first US cemetery on European soil. There are 9,387 graves of American soldiers here, most of whom lost their lives in the landings and ensuing operations. It is located at Colleville-sur-Mer on the cliffs just above Omaha Beach.

It is difficult to capture the scale of the cemetery.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6020/5958167318_866b33a147_z.jpg

Sitting in between Omaha and Gold is the Longues-sur-Mer Battery. The German's installed four 150mm guns here which were capable of firing on both beaches. The position was heavily bombed prior to D-Day but was still operational on June 6th.

Three of the four guns are still in place. The Range Finding post, located at the cliff edge, relayed co-ordinates of enemy positions back to the gun emplacements.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6011/5988736838_d32109e933_z.jpg http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6025/5988737778_7f93c83ba1_z.jpg

Looking down the barrel of one of the guns.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6011/5988172567_d13ecc2075_z.jpg

The battery was captured by 231st Infantry Brigade, of the British Army, on June 7th.

In order to offload thousands of men and vehicles and the supplies necessary to sustain the operation two Mulberry Harbours were built by the allies. Mulberry Harbour 'A' at Omaha Beach was destroyed by a storm on June 19th however, Mulberry Harbour 'B', which was constructed at Arromanches-les-Bains (Gold Beach), was operational for 8 months (despite being expected to last 90 days).

Today the remains of Mulberry Harbour 'B' can be seen at Arromanches.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6017/5968035447_5146e09d50_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6128/5968591546_9e6862a359_z.jpg

A row of beach huts at Juno Beach sitting above the antitank wall.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6013/5979388486_1804d8882c_z.jpg

A gun emplacement from WN-27 on Juno Beach at Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer with 50mm gun still in place. You can just about see the damage on the top right corner, apparently caused by an AVRE tank.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6146/5978834539_8e940b101e_z.jpg

I didn't have any time left for Sword Beach aside from a quick walk along the front at Riva Bella where I found these concrete beach obstacles.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6134/5970827991_834172edf0_z.jpg

The Bayeux War Cemetery is the largest British military cemetery of the World War II in France. There are 4,144 Commonwealth burials (338 of which are unidentified). There are also over 500 graves of other nationalities, the majority Germans.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6150/5988331515_8490048814_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6137/5988332365_ff37f376a3_z.jpg

And that's it. I missed so much and will definitely be going back (to Ginge's delight).

There are much more knowledgeable people on this forum about this subject so if there are any glaring errors or you want to add anything please do.

Cheers for looking :thumb