As I am taking a break from reading up on exciting Project Management topics such as 'Work Breakdown Structures'...I figured I'd do something useful and finish my blog on my Normandy visit.
One of my hopes when starting this blog was to bring the 101st AB to the attention of more people...please share with your friends to help me accomplish that.
The final stops...and my thoughts.
The next stop after the museum and shop at 'Deadmans Corner' was Carentan. The town was a major focal point during the days following the D-Day landings (10-15th June). The town was of major strategic importance to both the Germans and the allies being in a prime location to control counter attacks and for the consolidation of the landing beaches. The battle was particularly difficult given that the area was defended by fallshirmjager (German Paratroopers) and the town lies in an area where access was by a causeway across a floodplain using 4 bridges to span the Douve river.
The tour took us to the four bridges allowing us to get a great perspective as to what the challenges were for the 101st AB. Driving into the town, along a small back road, we had the chance to see 'Bloody Gulch' the site of a major German counterattack. The gulch was depicted in BoB, as of course was Carentan. The town has grown outwards since the war so areas that were rural then with only the odd farmhouse are now major industrial areas. The one positive is that farmhouse used by LtCol Cole (CO of 3/506) remains even though it is in the middle of an industrial area. LtCol Cole is known for many heroic deeds, one of which was a bayonet charge against superior forces on the 15th of June at Carentan.
There is a lot of history associated with the town and I could almost sense it when standing in the town square...it still retains almost the same structure as 70 years ago when the battle took place and shortly afterwards when an awards ceremony took place.
The last stop on the tour was to a memorial to the 'filthy 13' ...a group of Combat Engineers assigned to a series of bridges across the Douve at Brevands. I am not going to spend much time on this part of the trip as it was the only real dissappointment of the trip. The memorial is very nice but is located a distance from the actual spot. It doesn't really do justice to the '13'. A small footnote is that the '13' are thought to be the inspiration behind the movie the 'Dirty Dozen'. I, personally, don't see that and think of it as an insult to the original 13.
Hints/Tips/final thoughts...
I really enjoyed my trip to Normandy and hope that I could convey that through this blog. If I were to list the high points they would be...
- The ease of the travel to and from Normandy.
- The airborne museum at SME.
- Deadmans corner.
- Brecourt Manor.
- Carentan
The low point would be...
- The '13' memorial.
A summary of my hints from the blog...
- Book well in advance.
- Book a cabin if taking the ferry.
- Choose the Full day, or multi-day tour.
- Purchase a travel card for the train/bus/tram.
Well that's about it for my trip to Normandy...take care and see you later in another post.
