In England and France, Discovery and Remembrance of World War II

The celebrations around the 80th anniversary of the Second World War D-Day invasion may have come and gone but having recently visited the beaches of Normandy and the surrounding areas what occurred on that day has taken up special significance to me.

A WWII nerd since I was a kid, I’ve sat through multiple viewings of every decent film made about the deadliest war in history and read extensively on the subject. I even volunteered to speak on the Second World War during an undergrad history class. The natural capstone to all this interest would have been a trip to Normandy, but I never gave it serious thought—until this year. With plenty of vacation time on my hands, and the realization that life is short, I decided it was time to fill in the blanks and satisfy the curiosity of the child that started me on this road, so this trip was a long time coming. That left the question of how to go about it.

I enjoy travelling alone, so my original intention was to embark on a solo exploration, figuring I could come and go as I pleased. However, that thought became less attractive as I began researching the logistics involved; in and of itself, a time-consuming exercise. Given the ground to be covered, I quickly realized that much of my time would be consumed with driving and navigating to the various points of interest, leaving less time to fully absorb the experience that awaited me. Sure, I was looking to satisfy a long-held desire, but I wasn’t looking for a working vacation. I needed a Plan B.

I had never taken a guided tour but given the area to be covered, I realized it might be the right choice. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. It also offered the added benefit of travelling with a group that had a shared interest. Once I decided upon this course of action, it immediately made things much easier because I could now focus on finding a tour company that offered the most comprehensive experience at the right price. In this arena there are no shortages of companies that specialize in WWII tours. Many focus primarily on the D-Day beaches and Normandy countryside, while others do offer a tailored experience at additional cost. I was shooting for a trip beginning in mid-May but soon discovered that, given the upcoming 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, many tours were sold out through the end of June and the remaining months of the year. Fortunately, after additional research, I came across Collette’s Memorials of World War II.

Rather than an itinerary focused solely on the D-Day beaches, Collette had designed a journey specifically for the 80th anniversary of the Second World War with tour dates available through 2024. Beginning in London, we would experience the city’s connections to World War II and The Blitz. We would cross the English Channel, retracing the parallel journey nearly 150,000 Allied troops took on June 6, 1944. The itinerary included visits to Normandy's D-Day landing beaches, the Normandy American Cemetrey, Sainte-Mère-Église, the first French town liberated from the Nazis, and various museums along the way. As added value, our tour guide JP was extremely personable and had an intimate knowledge of the region, and as we came to discover, he would allow for deviations from the itinerary if they fit into the context of the journey.

London

After a half-day on our own, our group had a full day guided tour visiting some of the more notable sites in the city to understand their relevance during WWII. At the end of that adventure a few of us broke away from the group to visit the Churchill War Room. This underground, labyrinth-like complex was a warren of rooms and sub-basements devoted to prosecuting the war. In addition to rooms for cabinet meetings, communications, and logistics, it also housed Churchill’s private quarters, and sleeping quarters for officers and support personnel. At any one time, upwards of 500 people could be working in this complex.

Portsmouth - Point of departure

On day three we departed for Portsmouth, the city that housed the military headquarters for Generals Eisenhower and Montgomery, and was the jumping-off point for what would become the largest seaborne invasion in the history of warfare. We would stay one night in Portsmouth. Before arriving at our hotel, we visited the D-Day Story Museum. As the name implies, the museum focuses on the effort involved in the planning, execution, and eventual success of Operation Overlord, leveraging audio and visual displays, as well as actual wartime material and weaponry.

After an overnight stay, we rose early and headed for the Portsmouth docks. Boarding a ferry to cross the English Channel, on a trip that took approximately six hours, we were following in the wake of the nearly 150,000 troops that departed from that same location, toward the same destination, 80 years ago. We would eventually dock in Ouistreham, but our final destination was Caen, France.

Shortly after departing Portsmouth, I stepped out onto one of the ferry’s viewing decks to watch the coastline recede slowly in the distance. The rising sun shone bright across the sea, there was a gentle breeze, and the Channel waters were relatively calm. From what history tells us, this was a far different experience from what our Allied troops faced. My ferry offered a level of comfort that included a cinema, game rooms, and sun decks, along with several restaurants, a fully stocked bar, and a coffee shop. When the soldiers crossed the English Channel on July 6,1944, the sea was rough and choppy, and they faced strong winds. Sleeping conditions were wherever they could find a spot, and sea sickness was common.

As we made our way to Caen, our comfortable coach travelled along the coast road passing Sword Beach (British landing site), and stopping at Juno Beach (Canadian landing site).

German mortar pit and bunker at Juno Beach

Caen

Caen served as our base for visiting the D-Day beaches and Normandy countryside. Throughout the early days of the invasion the city of Caen suffered enormous damage. With practically the entirety of it destroyed during the fighting, only several blocks of the original city remain. On our first full day in this port city, we visited the Caen Peace Memorial Museum which offers a comprehensive history of the D-Day landings. Just off the entrance to the museum we could see reviewing stands constructed for the upcoming anniversary celebration. This would become a familiar site at many locations.

Entering the museum, you step into a wide, open-air space. A WWII fighter plane hangs suspended from the ceiling. To the left are the gift shop and entrance to the exhibits, to the right an amphitheatre, and straight ahead is an outside elevator that takes you to a German bunker used during the war.

Caen Peace Memorial Museum Lobby

Given the location of the fighting, it should come as no surprise that the area museums are rich in exhibits of material and weaponry from the conflict. This applied to every museum we visited, whether it was Portsmouth, Caen, or Arromanches. But beyond the physical exhibits, each museum has done a splendid job of telling not only the story of Operation Overlord, but also those events leading up to the war, and those following it. It’s quite immersive, and you can easily spend hours, if not days, trying to absorb it. On more than one occasion I was late getting back to the tour bus because I had lost track of time.

Enigma Code Machine, SS Officer Uniform and Sidearm, Propaganda Poster

Following our visit to the Caen Peace Memorial Museum, we made our way to the German artillery battery of Longues-sur-Mer. These gun batteries were featured in the film The Longest Day. At least a half dozen pillbox bunkers are scattered in the immediate area. Not evident in these photos, each pillbox structure extends deep into the surrounding terrain, and each contains additional rooms for ammunition and supplies. Obviously, the artillery guns are no longer operational, but the structures themselves are a testament to their solid construction. Despite the pockmarks in the stone resulting from bullets and shrapnel, the structures remain sound.

 
German Artillery at Longues-sur-Mer

Normandy Beaches

Our journey to the invasion beaches took us through the Normandy countryside—rolling wheat fields that had an almost meditative effect; wide expanses separated by hedgerows and the sweet sound of birdsong. Simply beautiful. It was difficult to believe that some of the hardest fighting occurred in a place of such peace and tranquility.

A Canadian member of our tour group mentioned that he had a great-uncle who had fought and was killed during the early days of the invasion, but he was unsure where he was buried. Owing to the persistence and resources of our incredible tour guide, we were able to locate the gravesite in one of the smaller cemetreies that dot the region. The graveyard was nestled in the middle of a field and off a secondary road. Despite its location, the burial ground was well maintained – trees like oak, sycamore and hawthorn provided plenty of shade, and spring wildflowers surrounded the perimetre and fronted the many graves. There were approximately 500 grave markers. After about 20 minutes, we located the man we’d come to find—three rows in, second gravestone from the left. Surrounding him were fellow Canadians, as well as English and German soldiers. All killed in action during the early days of the invasion. Most were young, ranging between 17 - 21 years of age. Despite them having entered the war on opposing sides, it seemed appropriate that they should rest in peace in this beautiful field, as brothers in arms.

German Unknown Soldier

D-Day Beaches

Eighty years is a long time. Time and rising sea levels continue to take their toll. Beaches grow narrower; dunes and cliffs have eroded. In the case of Omaha Beach, what was once a cliff is now a low beach wall. Where German machine gun emplacements might have been, now homes sit facing the beach where a narrow road runs in front of them. On Omaha Beach, as in other locations, preparations were being made for the upcoming 80th anniversary, but not much at Utah Beach.

Omaha Beach Reviewing Stand (2024)

On Omaha Beach, standing at the water’s edge, I tried to imagine what it must have been like to exit the landing craft, well short of the shoreline, jumping in waist deep water or higher, laden down with heavy equipment, your boots sinking into the soft sand beneath your feet, navigating past the initial beach defences, uniform and equipment soaking wet, then having to cross several hundred yards of beach under heavy enemy fire, until you could reach a point of relative safety.

Omaha Beach on a quiet day.

Sainte-Mère-Église

We entered Sainte-Mère-Église to find it fully prepared for the upcoming 80th anniversary. Banners and flags of the Allied nations were strung throughout the town. Members of the 82nd and 101st Airborne dropped into the town and surrounding area on June 5,1944, taking heavy casualties, but making it the first French town liberated from the Nazis. If you’ve seen the film The Longest Day, you’ll likely recall a scene where the chute of an American paratrooper gets caught on the church steeple. The film took some liberties with the event, but it did in fact occur. In remembrance of that time and event, a dummy dressed as a paratrooper hangs from the church steeple in the town square.

Departure

Everywhere we travelled, what struck me most was the spirit of remembrance and gratitude that was coursing through the cities and towns we visited. It was almost visceral. The official celebration was still several weeks away, but that almost seemed like an afterthought.

Eighty years on from that incredible day, time and nature have eroded the landing beaches of Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha, and Utah, and filled in the bomb craters at Pointe-du-Hoc with vegetation, but it has done nothing to diminish the memory of the people. At the museums, school groups with children of various ages were a familiar site, ensuring that the younger generations were fully aware of what transpired. It got me thinking that perhaps we, as Americans, have become a bit too isolated, and have lost the connection to an historical event in which we played such a major role. For anyone with even passing interest in the events of that period, I strongly encourage you to make the trip, and bring the family. You will not be disappointed. As for myself, I am planning a return visit for the 85th anniversary and I hope Collette designs another journey specifically for that occasion.

Reflections

I returned home shortly before June 6, 2024. To no surprise, owing to the upcoming anniversary, many WWII films were streaming on a variety of platforms. Considering my recent trip, it seemed appropriate to sit through films I had seen so many times before. I even re-watched Band of Brothers (HBO). However, this time around there was a special significance. Having just returned from a trip which took me through the Normandy countryside, the departure point from Portsmouth, the D-Day beaches, Pointe-du-Hoc, and the Normandy American cemetrey, I was now familiar with some of the ground that was covered, and I felt a deeper sense of what those men went through, and the sacrifice the Allied soldiers made for us all.

October and November dates are still available in 2024 for Memorials of World War II, but if you can't make it then consider our tour France Magnifique which includes three nights in Normandy.