Normandy and the 101st AB Visit September 2015

Welcome back blog friends!

Time for more travel from the 'woof'...this trip is a return to Normandy and to explore some more of the history of the 101st AB. This time the focus is more on the 3rd battalion although we did get to Utah beach and Pont du Hoc.

I hope that you enjoy it...drop me a line on twitter or Facebook if you want to let me know what you think...

Day 1:

Took the ferry from Portsmouth to Ouistraham then a taxi to the hotel on the north side of the town. I love the ferry, cheaper than flying and the passport and security control is quicker and easier than at airports...5 hours from Portsmouth to Ouistraham, pay 20 pounds for a two berth cabin and relax!

Travel is easy in France with trams, buses and trains making access to a wide area easy and cheap. So, took the tram (1.45 euro single trip, two lines A and B) into Caen. Walked around the castle which has been restored following the bombing and destruction of the war (Thank the RAF).

Travel tip-Entry to the castle is free but you will need to pay to enter the individual museums within the castle walls.

The castle is stunning with great views of the city. Spent about 30 minutes exploring the castle then decided to go for my 'pre' birthday dinner...managed to find a nice restaurant about 5 minutes from the castle.

Les Touristes Cafe (Yes, I know it's geared for tourists but, in this case, it wasn't your typical rip off)
3, Bld du Marechal Leclerc-14000 Caen

Had one of the best steaks that I've ever had! To be fair, I've had some great steaks in France...they do know how to cook!

There's always beer....!

Travel tip- Most places, including café's, are closed on Sunday so plan ahead.

Caen is an interesting place. The city was pretty much destroyed during the war but a number of churches remain (having been restored following the war). There’s a memorial near the hippodrome which is about 10 minute walk from the Station (Gare du Caen). You can see the damage on the column from the fighting.

After dinner, took the tram back to the Mecure hotel which is north of the city center...got lazy and had dessert in the room.

Day 2:

After hanging around Caen for a little while, caught the train from Gare du Caen to Carentan. The trip takes about 45 minutes if you take the train that stops (about 3-4 times) or 30 minutes if you take the express. The tickets cost approximately 25 euros for a return trip.

Arriving at Carentan was picked up by my friend Ian Gardner (author of ‘tonight we die as men’) at Gare du Carentan. Part of the tour including accommodation which, in this cases, was a great B&B in St Come du Mont which is central to the events of d-day. St Come is about 4-6 kilometers from Carentan. The B&B is run by a couple (Martine and Michel) and is on 1 route de Houesville. The B&B is across the road from the field where Lt Col Bob Wolverton was killed on 6^th June 1944.

Le Clos Sajot
1 route de Houesville
50500 Saint Come du Mont

Le Clos Sajot

Michel use to be the mayor of St Come du Mont. His mother still lives in a large farmhouse just across the Route de Houesville. During the war, Michel’s father watched the Germans move up and down the road from the hedges. The town’s inhabitants sought refuge in Michel’s father’s farm during the shelling of the town.

Lemarchand farm.

Day 3:

Had a fantastic traditional French breakfast then headed out on our first walk of the tour..that was 10am.

Day 3:

Had a fantastic traditional French breakfast then headed out on our first walk of the tour..that was 10am.

That's Mark (Carol's husband), Carol (LtCol Wolverton's niece), Nadia, Moi and Ian Gardner (author of 'tonight we die as men').

First stop was across the street at Michel’s mother’s farm.

Another view of Lemarchand farm.

From the farm we walked across what was the main road (RN13) to Cherbourg during the war. About 100 yards from the main road is a new memorial to Lt Col Wolverton. He was killed landing on d-day when he got caught up in an apple tree (The field was an orchard at the time). Interviews with survivors appear to confirm that he died in the tree and the Germans used his body for target practice for a number of days before he was cut down.

The field across from where Lt Col Wolverton died was used as a POW compound by the Germans early on d-day. A number of American POW’s confirmed the account of how the Colonel died. His body was, apparently, moved to a number of temporary graves before being repatriated back to the States.

We walked from the memorial along a double hedge (quite rare these days) to Philip’s house (Les Droueries Manor). The house played a central role having exchanged hands between the Germans and the Americans a number of times during the first few days of the battle. Probably best known for being where Hiner was shot by one of his own guys who was fooling around when cleaning a captured Luger.

Folleville farm...

Walked past the house back to the main road which heads back to St Come du Mont. There’s another house along the road (Le Ferage), and across from what was, and still is, a horse training track. The significance of the house is that it was H Co CP on the day.

We then returned to St Come du Mont visiting the square and the church. The church was extensively damaged during the war but has been rebuilt since. It is famous for being where Joe Beyrle landed (kind of like John Steele from SME) and started his war…there’s a plaque to commemorate the occasion. 

Notice the battle damage...

The picture below is the house used by the German commander in St Come. The end of the house, closest to the church was the aid station.

We walked past the site of the aid station along the road past the current school to Destres farm. We turned left and followed the road back towards St Come passing the quarry where Colonel Heydte (Commander of German Paratroopers) had set up his command post in the first hours of d-day. Continuing up the road we stopped at Rampan Manor which was used by the Germans during the battle and provided a allowed a view across the flooded area that extended from just west of Carentan for 4-5 kilometers towards Cherbourg.

We then walked down the main road to ‘dead man’s corner’. There was already and museum on the spot (see previous blog post) but they have just built a new museum called the ‘d-day experience’. Fantastic piece of work by Michel and Manu and a great tribute to Lt Col Wolverton. Being there with the Colonel’s niece (Carol) made the experience that much more poignant.

The museum has a lot to see including the C-47 mock up used in ‘band of brothers’ which has been turned into a simulator…neat experience and well worth the time if you are in the area (12 euros per person).

Following our visit to the museum, including a session with the press and mayor with Carol, we walked across the main to Frigot farm. A 40mm anti-aircraft battery was setup on a hill next to the manor house. The gun played a pivotal role during d-day as it could be traversed to fire on the troops moving around the Douve. It is also worth noting that a C-47 carrying H/501 troopers crashed in the same field, killing the aircrew, on the morning of the 6^Th. The plan flew low over the manor with the ‘stick’ existing as low as 200 feet just before the plane crashed.

Field where C-47 crashed...

After lunch under a tree next to where the gun emplacement was we then walked to Le Haute Maison where a number of 3/506 soldiers were killed and captured. Just down the hill from the house is a nice manor house, Le Bel Esnault Chateau which was used by the Germans as a command post and was, apparently, at one time a high class brothel! The house was where Lt Col Johnson landed on d-day.

We then made our way to Angoville au Plain  where there’s a pretty little church that was used as an aid station on d-day. It has become somewhat famous recently due to the publicity surrounding what is supposed to be blood stains remaining on the church pews. It is unfortunate that the church has now become a focal point for tour groups who don’t explain how it fits in the context of the wider battle on d-day.

After leaving Angoville we walked about half a kilometer to Drop Zone D. Standing on the drop zone it was easy to see how central it was to the entire battle. 

A long walk and we were back at the B&B...over 10 miles of walking, we got back at 7pm. What a great, an informative day topped off by a lot of Cider and a fantastic meal cooked by Martine! 

Day 4: 

Another day of touring started with another great French breakfast...real French toast (Pain Per Du). 

Michel dropped us off along the road towards Utah beach  (the Peneme road) where a Lancaster crashed after bombing Pont du Hoc. The site was excavated recently with a lot of artifacts but not the remains of the crew who all perished in the crash (many were DFC winners and very experienced flyers). 

We walked along the Peneme road towards Utah, cutting across and along a farm road towards the Douve. We followed the river past the location of the footbridge and ferry. This was the site of heavy fighting as members of 3/506 (and other airborne units) gathered along the berm. There was an 88mm flak gun located across the river that routinely shelled the men. 

We continued along the river towards Carentan to the site of the road bridge during the war. This was central to 3/506 as it was one of the main objectives on d-day. The bridge was destroyed, blowing up during a USAAF raid although many think the raid set off demo charges. The concrete base remains and it made for a nice location for lunch....beautiful day without a cloud in the sky!

After lunch, we walked to the La Barquette locks which was another objective of 3/506 and d-day. The locks were important on d-day but from a German perspective as they had already used them to flood much of the surrounding area around St Come du Mont and Carentan. However, consensus of opinion is that the planners had committed too many men to capture and hold the locks without gaining much of a tactical advantage.

 We left the locks and headed back to the B&B. The second day was a short day, only 8-9 miles versus the 10+ of the previous day! That being said, it was warm and sunny so the ice creams supplied by Martine were greatly appreciated!

Day 5:

Final day of the grand tour of Normandy!

Carol and Mark drove the group of us to Pont du Hoc, site of the exploits of the 2^nd Ranger battalion led by Lt Col Rudder. As commonly known, the guns had been moved inland a few miles so, after all the sacrifices of the rangers, the main purpose of the attack wasn’t even there. That being said, it is still an amazing place which has been left, pretty much, as it was on d-day with the craters from the bombardment and the concrete fortifications still in place.

After visiting Pont du Hoc we travelled, by car, to Carentan and parked close to the port. We walked along the canal to the lock and had a nice lunch.  There’s an original bailey bridge still in use next to the lock. If you follow the road along the river you would end up in Brevands site of the memorial to the ‘filthy thirteen’.

After lunch we walked back into Carentan visiting the town square, site of the 3 Silver Star ceremonies one of which was mortared by the Germans killing a number of French civilians including a young girl who was presenting flowers during the ceremony.

Relaxing in the sun...

Higgins boat...

After visiting the town square in Carentan we drove to 'Bloody Gully'. The gully was the site of a major battle following d-day when elements of the 506th (2nd and 3rd battalion primarily) held off a German counter attack. The E company aspect of the battle is portrayed in Band of Brothers..remember Blythe and his role in the show. The gully is under threat from the expansion of the Carnation milk factory so it was good to get a chance to walk it before it's lost forever.

In the photos above you'll see a 60mm mortar shell that my friend Ian Gardner found a month before...still waiting to be removed and destroyed.

After leaving Carentan we drove to Utah beach to visit the Utah beach d-day museum. The museum has been there for 20+ years and, if I were to be honest, could do with an update. I particularly took exception to some of the inaccurate displays regarding the 101^st.

Finished off the day, and the tour, with a walk along Utah beach. It was a fitting end to a long, but productive and informative week. 

I really enjoyed the trip and am looking forward to the next adventure...stay tuned.