This is a fascinating place to visit and there is a definite "spin" to this site. Whilst it is difficult to ignore the fact that it was a strategic and logistical c**k up you cannot take away the undoubted bravery of the 225 rangers who scaled an impossible cliff face under fierce machine gun fire because they lost the element of surprise to capture a heavy gun position where the guns had already been moved. Over half lost their lives defending what they had won as reinforcements were sent elsewhere and did not arrive until the following day, but again I stress their bravery was immense as you see the cliff face and the moonscape they found.
The American Cemetery
I have repeatedly been told that is a must see place and is deeply moving. We undoubtedly picked the wrong time to go, with a combination of the French public holiday, the hugely increased visitor load as the D Day anniversary approaches and the fact that the place was a building site getting ready for the Presidential visit on the 6th. Like anything set up by the Americans its a beautifully laid out and regimented place, we avoided the visitor centre as you were being herded through, and just as at the British cemetery in Bayeux we visited last year, the effect of walking through rows and rows of graves brings home the loss that occurred. We felt it lacked the personal touch we saw at Bayeux even the floral tributes left on individual graves seemed pretty identical.
This was another memorial described to us as a must see, and it did live up to its billing.
The museum was good value and the guided tour excellent . What made it especially interesting was the focus in the exhibition on personal stories from those involved not just on the invasion itself but also their background their families and their careers both before and after, fascinating.
It also underlined just what an amazing operation it was with some great stories such as the glider that landed 12km away from target the troops found a bridge and "took it" as was their instructions then realized they were in the wrong place and marched for a day to join the colleagues.
It is only when you see it in full scale do you realize just how close the gliders landed.
The visitor centre itself was designed to mimic the shape of the glider and also a parachute, and is the exact distance from the relocated bridge that the first glider landed.
The replica glider is also a highlight, the ultimate disposable airplane and also the famous Café Gondree the first house liberated in France.
I really good place to spend a moving yet uplifting 3 hours and only 15 minutes from the port!
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