 |
| D-Day Landing Beaches Then & Now |
76th Anniversary
D-Day
June 6, 2020
Today marks another anniversary of D-Day, the day that the allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy to begin to take back Europe. The generation that fought that battle are slowly fading away, leaving only written accounts in their place.
My father is among those who are no longer with us. He and his comrades live on in our hearts as we honor them today during the commemoration of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy. On the occasion of the 75th Anniversary (2019), a few surviving soldiers gathered to participate in various events.
76th Anniversary - Virtual Remembrance
No public commemoration of D-Day 2020: The French State forbid public gatherings and the organization of festivals until mid-July 2020 due to the Covid-19 health crisis.
For the first time in 75 years there will be no D-Day veterans on the beaches of Normandy to mark the anniversary of the landing. See this website for a collection of videos and stories.
Fox News: One man lays wreaths in Normandy on unusual D-Day hit by coronavirus
Retracing HistoryMy parents went back to Normandy many years later for the 40th anniversary observance. He visited the grave of his commanding officer in the American Cemetery (shown to the left). Despite all his bravery, that sight moved him to tears.My husband and I returned to Omaha Beach and several historic sites in Normandy, France for the 60th anniversary.
This was a very moving experience for us as well and it brought to life events which until then was just something we read about in history books.
That trip was in conjunction with a 12 Night British Isles / Norwegian Fjords cruise. We arranged for a private tour with a local guide during which we walked on the beaches, visited all four of the cemeteries and other memorial sites.
Normandy Then & Now
The benefit of using a local guide was that we not only visited the various sites, but were also provided historical background, through images from 1944 so that we could experience Normandy in a totally different way.
Must See Sites
Our guide picked us from our ship in LeHarve early in the morning and returned us there in early evening. He could have gone longer, but we were tired and decided to return to the ship instead of having dinner in Honfleur.
76th Anniversary Links:
D-Day 76th anniversary - 2020 - Normandy commemorations
National D-Day Memorial
More Coverage on Twitter @ChrisPappinMCC
 |
| D-Day Landing - Arnhem (Groesbeek) - Liberation Museum |
Powerful interactive exhibit on #DDay and #Normandy Invasion from @USNatArchives & @Google is available here: D-Day and the Normandy Invasion
Explore artifacts, oral histories, and more from The National WWII Museum D-Day
In honor of this Anniversary of D-Day, we have verified links in our previous blog articles. Visit our Shutterfly Share Page for our Normandy (D-Day) Photo Albums.
Normandy, France - Retracing History
Our tour started with visits to all three cemeteries:
The British Cemetery (Bayuex War Cemetary)
Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial
German Cemetery (La Cambe German Cemetery)
Normandy, France - Retracing History (Part 2)
Not far from Normandy Beaches we stopped at:
Le Grand Bunker Museum
Pegasus Bridge
Normandy, France - Retracing History (Part 3)
We concluded our Normandy visit with three destinations:
St Mere Eglise
Pointe du Hoc
Honfleur, France
D-Day 6 June 1944
The beaches were quiet the day we visited the Normandy Beaches unlike the early morning hours in 1944. I encourage you to include a visit to Normandy should your cruise call in LeHavre, France. Bring the entire family, especially children, so that they can bring history to life.
D-Day - A Critical Moment In History
Utah beach Pointe du Hoc Omaha beach Gold beach Juno beach Sword beach
Utah beach Pointe du Hoc Omaha beach Gold beach Juno beach Sword beach
Some More D-Day References on the Web
Tuesday June 6, 1944 : minute per minuteNormandie Mémoire
National D-Day Mermorial Foundation
No comments:
Post a Comment