Normandy Institute 2016 LHS: Day 11: Normandy

Isaac and Dr. B by 800 year old tree, Angoville au Plain, France

Today we visited many of the places near the area where our Silent Hero, Ernest A. Tanksley would have been. We learned a great deal about the deadly, small unit battles that took place after the beach landings, and got a much better perspective about what Private Tanksley faced in the Battle of Normandy after D-Day. We also got to see some hidden gems in the Normandy region as well as sample their most famous product (cheese)!

Dr. Dehays at St. Lo Cemetery

We began by traveling to St. Lo, a town that was almost completely destroyed by Allied bombing campaigns before D-Day. We visited the St. Lo Cemetery where the 29th Infantry Division set up their camp during the battle for the town. The cemetery has several hundred gravestones for the French civilians who died during the bombing campaigns. Dr. Dehays expressed to us the importance of remembering the sacrifice of those civilians. Nearly 20,000 Normans died during the war, most of them killed by Allied raids. You can also see the damage of war from the architecture in town. It is clear that most of the buildings are post-war constructions because 90% of the buildings were destroyed during the war.

Victims of D-Day bombings

St. Lo Cemetery

St. Lo Church, 1944

St. Lo Church today, surviving sanctuary on left, modern tower on right

We left St. Lo and stopped by the nearby town of Marigny to visit the German cemetery. It's important to remember that our enemies also sacrificed thousands of men during the war. Immediately after the war, the Germans and Americans were buried in neighboring cemeteries. In the early 1950s, the American government decided to move the American graves to the permanent cemetery near Omaha Beach. It's striking to see the difference between a German war cemetery and the Normandy American cemetery. The Marigny German War Cemetery is home to over 11,000 dead soldiers, more than the number of Americans buried at the Normandy cemetery. The German soldiers were often buried 2 or 3 per grave. Germans were not allowed to come back to Normandy and officially bury their dead until the 1960s. By then, the bodies in temporary graves were decomposed and no more than bones. The German cemetery is extremely understated and contains only a small chapel and many graves. The place exudes a feeling of sorrow and loss without any of the mitigating aspects of glory and triumph that victory allows.

Gravestone marking the former site of a temporary American cemetery

German cemetery, the black crosses a stark contrast to the white crosses at American cemetery

The grave of two German soldiers, one of them unidentified

No bodies are buried under the crosses, they are decorative

Isaac and Konner (FL) at German cemetery

After lunch, we drove to a small town called Angoville-au-Plain, where a small church has become a monument to American servicemen, and two Airborne medics in particular. On June 6, 1944 the 101st Airborne paratroopers landed near the small town. Two medics, Robert Wright and Ken Moore, set up an aid station in the local church, treating 80 American and German soldiers. The Germans retook the village and made Wright and Moore prisoners, but they allowed them to continue to treat the wounded. The church still has visible blood stains on several of the pews. We met the mayor of the small town, and he explained that several years ago, they began raising money to restore the church to its old glory. He led us the ashes and grave of Robert Wright in the graveyard (he considered Angoville his second home and requested to have his ashes scattered there), and proudly showed us several new stained glass windows that were created to honor the American airborne division who liberated the town. It was a completely chance encounter, but a great example of the deep connection many people in Normandy still feel for American soldiers.

Church at Angoville-au-Plain

Army Medic Robert Wright's ashes in graveyard

Stainglass windows in Church

Pew with bloodstains

Our next stop was a small town in the Cotentin Peninsula called Sainte-Marie-du-Mont. U.S. Paratroopers landed near the town on D-Day and quickly moved to secure the location. Today it has wonderful coffee and souvenir shops, and it is the spot where Stage One of the 2016 Tour de France will conclude. It was great to see all of the cycling decorations throughout the small village.

Rue General Eisenhower in Sainte-Marie-du-Mont

Tour de France Fever

Only 5 days until Stage One

Isaac and Liam (PA) chilling by a Pink cyclist

Beautiful Church in Sainte-Marie-du-Mont

A more traditional type of stainglass windows

A short drive from Sainte-Marie-du-Mont is a village called Sebeville. This village is the site of one of the most beautiful chateaus in Normandy. American paratroopers landed near the castle on June 6th and used the home as a headquarters that night. 15 years ago the building was abandoned and in disrepair, but over the last ten years, a Franco-American couple has spent millions to renovate the castle and manor. It was truly a magical place. The pictures do not do it full justice.

Sebeville Chateau

Liam, Isaac, and Teagan

Dr. B and Isaac in front of Dr. B's dream home

Isaac and the Swan

Exhaustion has overtaken him - or more likely he's just acting for the camera:)

On the way back to the hotel, Dr. Dehays showed me an example of the thick hedgerows that complicated the Allies advances through France. Hedgerows, or Bocage in French, are natural barriers between properties that have been built up in Normandy for almost one thousand years. They consist of dirt and rock bases and thick foliage (6 to 20 feet high). As American troops traveled south through Normandy, they encountered these barriers which were perfect hiding places for German snipers or soldiers. The infantry men had to completely change their strategy and begin fighting small unit battles rather than large scale offensives. This often led to confusion and death. Our silent hero, Ernest A. Tanksley fought and died in one of these battles. The below picture demonstrates what a nightmare hedgerows could be for soldiers.

Hedgerow in Normandy

At the hotel we had the privilege of sampling several of Normandy's most famous cheeses. This type of cheese is not available in America because it is made from unpasteurized milk. After cheese tasting, Isaac and I worked on his briefing and eulogy for the next day before we went into Bayeux for dinner. We went to a great Creperie, where he sampled a savory Galette with Ham, Cheese, and Egg, while I stuck with a sweet crepes. Isaac got a sweet crepes for dessert for good measure.