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| Dr. B and Isaac outside the Airborne Museum's Waco Glider Exhibit |
Our first full day in France was unforgettable. We saw multiple places in the Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy, including several spots where our silent hero passed through. First stop was St. Mere Eglise.
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| St. Mere Eglise |
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| Students examining a section of an Allied Paratrooper's parachute |
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| Church in St. Mere Eglise |
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| Altar inside the Church |
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| Famous memorial to an American paratrooper on church steeple |
St. Mere Eglise was a strategic target for the 82nd Airborne Division in the earliest hours of D-Day. The paratroopers' drop zone was one mile away from the town, but in the darkness, some men were dropped right on top of the town square. Several men landed on the steeple of the church just after midnight on June 6th. After two hours, the Germans cut the soldiers down and took them prisoner. By early morning, the American paratroopers had reorganized and taken the town. After a day of tough German counter-offensives, the Allies took the town for good on June 7th.
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| Sherman Tank at the Airborne Museum, St. Mere Eglise |
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| Waco Glider (named after the Waco Airplane Company, Troy, OH, not Waco, TX) |
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| Isaac boarding the Waco Glider |
At the Airborne Museum, we met Henri-Jean Renaud. He was 10 years old on D-Day. His father was the mayor of St. Mere Eglise. He remembers the day well, when the Americans came and liberated his town. His mother gained acclaim for taking care of the grave of Theodore Roosevelt, Jr and several other fallen GIs who were buried in the town.
Life Magazine photographed her in July 1944, and soon after thousands of letters from mothers of dead or missing soldiers came to their house. She answered every one for nearly 40 years, even after the soldier's were moved from the temporary cemeteries in St. Mere Eglise to the permanent American Normandy Cemetery near Omaha Beach.
Next stop was La Fiere Manor, the site of a strategically key bridge that the Americans had to capture in the days after D-Day. This was the site of some of the bloodiest battles of the entire war as 3 German tanks came to reinforce the bridge defenses. Near the bridge is a memorial called "Iron Mike" which honors the men of the 82nd Airborne who fought to win the bridge and liberate France.
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| La Fiere Bridge |
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| Iron Mike Memorial |
After a picnic lunch, we boarded the bus and traveled to our next stop, Brecourt Manor. The seizing of the four guns at Brecourt by 13 paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Easy Company is famously depicted in the book and television series "Band of Brothers." We had the pleasure to meet with Charles, the man who owns Brecourt Manor, and whose father was present when Dick Winters and the GIs arrived near 7:30 am on D-Day. Winter and his men bravely took four large 88 mm guns at a German artillery battery. This assault is still taught by West Point as an ideal example of small unit tactics and defeating a larger enemy. Charles allowed us to see the field where the battle occurred, which was full of Normandy cows. He then invited us inside his manor, and we were greeted by several of his dogs.
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| Brecourt Manor (Guns were near the treeline) |
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| Norman milk cow |
Our last stop was Utah Beach. Not as well known as the other American sector, Omaha Beach, Utah Beach was taken by American soldiers quickly on D-Day. They were aided by the current, which pushed them 2 miles south of their target. Luckily, this area was less defended than their intended target. American and British bombing of the German defenses worked much better at Utah than Omaha, so the Americans were able to land with much less resistance. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. led the charge, saying "The War Starts Here." This was also the spot that our Silent Hero, Ernest Tanksley landed on June 8th with the 90th Infantry Division. There was a monument to the 90th "Tough Ombres" near the beach, and Isaac and I were able to get several patches from the division. After visiting the beach, we toured the Utah Beach Museum. A beautiful new museum was completed four years ago, in large part because of a large donation by David Dewhurst, former Lieutenant Governor of Texas, whose father was a pilot who took part in the Utah Beach landings.
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| Dr. Dehays explaining Operation Overlord in the Utah Beach sand |
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| Isaac and Dr. B at Utah Beach |
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| Utah Beach |
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German bunker near the beach
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| Le Roosevelt - outside of the Utah Beach Museum |
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| Utah Beach Museum Gallery |
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| French Dresses made for 1st Anniversary of D-Day, June 6, 1945 |
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| Cycling Club outside of Museum, the Tour de France begins at Utah Beach on July 2 |
We returned to Bayeux for dinner and some Euro soccer action. We're still trying to get over our jet lag, but we're excited about visiting Omaha Beach tomorrow.
Next stop was La Fiere Manor, the site of a strategically key bridge that the Americans had to capture in the days after D-Day. This was the site of some of the bloodiest battles of the entire war as 3 German tanks came to reinforce the bridge defenses. Near the bridge is a memorial called "Iron Mike" which honors the men of the 82nd Airborne who fought to win the bridge and liberate France.
Our last stop was Utah Beach. Not as well known as the other American sector, Omaha Beach, Utah Beach was taken by American soldiers quickly on D-Day. They were aided by the current, which pushed them 2 miles south of their target. Luckily, this area was less defended than their intended target. American and British bombing of the German defenses worked much better at Utah than Omaha, so the Americans were able to land with much less resistance. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. led the charge, saying "The War Starts Here." This was also the spot that our Silent Hero, Ernest Tanksley landed on June 8th with the 90th Infantry Division. There was a monument to the 90th "Tough Ombres" near the beach, and Isaac and I were able to get several patches from the division. After visiting the beach, we toured the Utah Beach Museum. A beautiful new museum was completed four years ago, in large part because of a large donation by David Dewhurst, former Lieutenant Governor of Texas, whose father was a pilot who took part in the Utah Beach landings. 
I can't believe you were in a "Waco" glider AND visited a museum built with donations from the Texas Lt. Governor AND spent the day at Utah Beach, named after the state where Isaac was born. Today was a day tailor made for you two! Haha. Thanks for the updates and pictures.
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