On the hallowed grounds of the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial rest 9,387 Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice during the Operation Overlord landings and ensuing battles in the Allied liberation of France. Set high on a bluff above the Omaha Beachhead in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, it is one of the best-known military cemeteries and memorials in the world.

Part III of the series begins with a long coach ride from the riverboat AmaLyra’s docking to the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. Our guide explained that we would walk the cemetery alone, for she never accompanies tour groups in fear of endless bouts of tears. This I soon understood, as I paid witness to the many Latin Crosses and Star of David markers on the cemetery’s lawn. The government of France granted use of the land to the United States, perpetually, free of charge or tax to honor the Allied forces. U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and French President René Coty dedicated the cemetery on July 18, 1956.

Elizabeth A. Richardson’s life began in Indiana, then moved on to college and career in Wisconsin, finishing with the American Red Cross in England and France in 1945. Her job was to lift the morale of GIs in rural Britain, providing food, entertainment and “a connection to home.” This was done by the use of “Clubmobiles”: single-decked buses, barely large enough to transport three Red Cross women and one British driver to GIs stationed far away in the countryside. This unique vehicle also contained coffee and doughnut-making equipment, chewing gum, cigarettes, magazines, newspapers, and a record player for popular songs and dance. The Red Cross “Clubmobileists” were well-schooled in the use of GI slang; could “dish it out and take it,” knew how to talk about baseball, Duke Ellington and the Coney Island Hot Dog. They also knew how to look at pictures of wives, families and girlfriends, and patiently listen to personal stories, which may have included sad news from home. The American Red Cross “Clubmobile” women were often referred to as “donut dollies.” When passing a truckload of GIs, a popular exchange was, “Hey, soldier, what’s cooking tonight?” The soldiers would shout back, “Chicken, wanna neck?” Elizabeth A. Richardson’s life ended in a plane crash to Paris.

As I left the cemetery, I accessed my phone and discovered that as many as 4,400 Allied troops, along with approximately the same number of French civilians, died during Operation Overlord on the day of June 6, 1944.

A decision was to be made: a self-guided tour of the Musée Mémorial d’Omaha Beach or visit the Nazi Wehrmacht (“defense power”)  bunkers overlooking Omaha Beach. With only an hour and a half, it would be difficult to do justice to them both. But, after a brief moment of hesitation, I realized that my decision was obvious.

In the wave of thousands of landing ships, more than 156,000 Allied infantrymen stormed five Normandy beaches – Juno, Gold, Sword, Utah and Omaha – spread over 50 miles of blood-soaked terrain. Facing them were around 50,000 German soldiers. Like the “Battle of Okinawa” and “Invasion of the Philippines,” it was among the largest amphibious assaults in modern history.

On Omaha itself, Americans suffered 2,400 casualties, but eventually landed 34,000 troops. The German 352nd Division lost 20 percent of its strength, with 1,200 casualties, and also had problems with reserves arriving in support. The French Resistance and the Special Operations Executive (SOE), a secret British organization, had provided accurate intelligence reports and aerial photography as well as the disruption of German supply and communication lines.

So, with facts and stats in my head, I charged over to the bunkers, and took a harmless spill on its hill, which produced no laughter from the slightly older AmaLyra tour group, whose only concern was of my well-being. But my concern was to enter a bunker and see the Wehrmacht soldiers’ viewpoint of Allied troops on Omaha’s beachhead. My mind raced to images of Allied soldiers landing on the bloody-soaked beaches, doing everything in their power to stay alive, help the wounded, let alone fight. I also thought of conscripted adolescent German soldiers, barely old enough to fire a weapon, trembling, desperately trying to hold back tears. My thoughts then wandered to the words of my Marine Corp father, who had experienced his own World War II D-Days in the “Battle of Okinawa” and “Battle of Iwo Jima”: “No one wins in war, Eddie… it’s only the little guy that gets hurt. We should ask all those flag wavers in Washington DC, if they’re willing to sacrifice the lives of their own children.”

Yet, today, I’ve noticed there are some who have never experienced warfare, regard a battle as it was hardly more than a video game, while for others – my next-door neighbor, who lost a leg in Vietnam, or my two cousins, one who became a Quaker, the other who eventually found piece in Buddhism – it is quite literally a matter of life and death.

African-American soldiers accounted for a still unknown number of deaths among the 2,000 black troops who stormed the Omaha and Utah beachheads on D-Day. While portrayals in film and literature often depict all-white troops, African-Americans fought not only Nazi German weaponry, but also segregation in the military and at home. Waverly Bernard “Woody” Woodson, Jr. was a medic in the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion when his landing craft hit a mine on its way to Omaha Beach. Woodson was wounded in the back and groin, but still spent 30 hours on the beach, reviving soldiers, resetting broken bones, performing amputations, removing bullets and shrapnel before collapsing from his own wounds. By the end of World War II, more than a million African-Americans were in uniform, but when many returned to their homes in the Jim Crow South, they were not regarded as heroes; often segregated from others, denied admittance to restaurants and movie theaters, and forced to sit in the back of buses, while still in uniform, as their white band of brothers sat in the front. In 1994, Waverly Bernard “Woody” Woodson, Jr. was one of the three veterans invited to visit Normandy by the French government to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the D-Day landings. He was presented with a commemorative medallion.

As my photographer and I left the bunkers, we hurried past our tearless guide, who shouted we only had ten minutes left to access the tour bus. “What should we do?” “Run,” she replied. Nevertheless, we decided to run into the engaging Musée Mémorial d’Omaha Beach for a cursory look at its collection of soldiers’ personnel objects, historic documents, archival photographs, vehicles, uniforms and weapons, and a peek at a 25 minute-documentary film. We swore that somehow, someday, we will return for full solid day.

Our bus arrived at a small village for a closer look at Omaha Beach. In our 30 minutes, I noticed the lines at an ice cream vendor, and understood that this was also a vacation for many. I realized I was on holiday, too; as my photographer and I sipped cappuccino on a restaurant’s deck, gazing at  the beach, imagining the U.S. troops’ landings and the horrors they faced.

Julius “Henry” Pieper and Ludwig “Louie” Pieper did everything together. They were identical twin brothers of German immigrant parents, the first twins to graduate from their Nebraska high school, and then went on to work for the Burlington Railroad together. When they enlistment with the Navy, underage, but with parents’ consent, they were informed that they would be separated, but their father appealed and made a special request. “My sons came into this world together, and they should have the right to fight and die together.” And when their vessel hit a German mine at Utah Beach, they perished together at 19-years-old in the LST-523’s radio control room. But then, they were apart. Louie Pieper’s body was found and buried at the Normandy American Cemetery, but Henry’s body, known only as “X-9352,” was not identified until 74 years later due to the help of Vanessa Taylor. Ms. Taylor was a student at Ainsworth High School in Nebraska, who had been looking for a topic for a class project. “We were supposed to select a silent hero from our state. I just happened to notice there were two people killed who had the same exact last name.” She made a request to the U.S. Government for personnel files on the two sailors which caught the attention of officials at the Defense POW-MIA Accounting Agency. Henry’s body was recognized by his dental records and DNA. The Pieper boys were given the Victory Medal and the Purple Heart. Inseparable in birth, in life and in death, and finally reunited. Otto and Anna Pieper received a letter from the brothers only two days before their deaths: “Do not worry about us. We are together.”

As we began our long journey back to the AmaLyra, we passed through a number of small French villages; national flags waved proudly in the sky. It was quiet on the bus. Perhaps we all felt a sense of reverance for the nations who had suffered and sacrificed; no doubt as the French did, too, and still pay homage to the Allied soldiers on this bloody day, a bloody day that time will never forget.

A member of the Coeur d’Alene Schi_tsu’umsh Tribe, U.S. Army PVT Charles K. Louie was one of the 175 American-Indian soldiers who participated in Operation Overlord. As part of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, he was killed in mid-air in the pre-dawn hours of D-Day during the paratroopers’ descent behind enemy lines. A combination of low clouds and anti-aircraft fire caused the break-up of the air armada’s formations, scattering paratroopers throughout the pitch-black sky. The name of U.S. Army PVT. Charles K. Louie is listed on the WWII Honor Roll and on the tablets of the missing at the Normandy American Cemetery, with the distinction that he was awarded the Bronze Star and a Purpleheart. As many as 25,000 American-Indians fought actively in World War II: 21,767 in the Army, 1,910 in the Navy, 874 in the Marines, 121 in the Coast Guard, and several hundred nurses. There is a deep sense of patriotism among many of the tribal nations, a belief that despite genocide, broken treaties, and the savage Anglo-American attacks of their tribes, that the United States can still be a better place for all.

As I returned to my stateroom on the AmaLyra, I slipped into a dream, and imagined the sound of D-Day Clickers. Clickers were used by the American paratroopers of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, who made parachute drops behind enemy lines on the blackened eve of Operation Overlord’s D-Day. Many perished in the sky or drowned in the flooded marshlands below, but those who landed safely, would make a single click, and waited to hear two clicks back, to determine if friend or foe. When I accessed mine, I noticed two clicks back.

Postscript:

The French Resistance, estimated at 500,000 men and women, carried out endless acts of sabotage against the Axis occupiers. Created by the French Communist Party in 1939, the French Resistance was made up of citizens. And, like other anti-fascist partisans, they were not protected by the rules of war. More than 90,000 French Resisters were killed, tortured or deported. But, after four years of occupation, the French Resistance staged an uprising against the German garrison in Paris, which led to the city’s liberation on August 25, 1944. Allied troops were soon to follow.

The Allies became a formalized group upon the Declaration by United Nations on January 1, 1942, which was signed by 26 nations, including governments in exile and small nations far removed from the war. Latinos from the Americas, led the Allied Western European pack with the largest number of troops in service at 16,000,000.

America First and Seven Hours in December

The U.S. was a late entry in WW II due to a pressure campaign by the America First Committe – its name taken from a Ku Klux Klan rally – whose isolationist policy included no intervention in foreign wars and virtually no immigration from non-Anglo-Saxon nations. With Charles Lindberg as their spokesperson, and members who embraced anti-Semitism and fascist sympathies among their ranks, many admired Hitler and some considered him a friend. Lindberg wore a German medal given to him by Luftwaffe Commander-in-Chief, Herman Goering, then number two man in the Nazi chain of command. The America First’s intensified campaign against sanctions dramatically impacted the U.S. Government’s policy to such an extent that the ocean liner St. Louis, whose 937 passengers were almost all Jewish children seeking safety, was turned back to Europe where many would face certain death.

a prevailing sentiment among the America First nationalists was that British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and world Jewry had caused WW II, not Nazi Germany. The America First nationalists vehemently oppose the Lend-Lease Act of 1941, which stated that the U.S. could lend or lease war supplies to any nation deemed “vital to the defense of the United States.” Under this policy, the U.S. was able to supply aid to Great Britain, while still remaining officially neutral. Once this was achieved, Churchill knew that Nazi Germany would be defeated. The U.S. finally joined the military campaign after the Western Allies had been engaged in warfare with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy for 27-months. It took the surprise, coordinated seven-hour aerial bombings on December 7, 1941 by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service on the U.S. territories of the Philippines, Guam, Wake Island and Hawaii’s Pearl Harbor for the U.S. to act. And act they did, sending a combined number of 16,112,566 American troops to Western Europe, North Africa and the Pacific.

Sad as it may sound

Despite my reluctance to use the term, “fake news,” I found the concept of “D-Day Dodgers” to be a particularly disturbing example. A “D-Day Dodger” was a name branded on Allied troops who supposedly avoided combat on Operation Overlord’s D-Day. The label was put forth by the press to an ignorant populace, unaware that there were many Allied troops who had already participated in earlier D-Days. Many were killed or wounded in the invasion of Sicily, followed by the D-Day beachheads on the Italian mainland with Anzio, Salerno, Calabria and Taranto. On the Western Front of World War II, the battles in Italy proved to the most devastating campaigns in casualties, suffered by infantry divisions on both sides. Over 150,000 Italian civilians died, as well as 35,828 anti-fascist partisans.

I encourage you to read T-Boy’s Stephen Brewer’s illuminating article which covers the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery: At Rest in Italy.

Honor the served & fallen, and teach the next generation

“The War” is a seven-part documentary mini-series which focuses on WW II from the perspective of people living in America’s towns. Directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, and written by Geoffrey Ward, the inspiration for the series stemmed from a lecture Ken Burns made at a U.S. high school. He was surprised that many of the students knew very little about WW II, with some believing that the war was fought against the Soviet Union; our ally who lost 28 million Red Army soldiers and civilians on the Eastern Front,  yet also accounted for 76 percent of Germany’s military dead. It was the beginning of the end after the Red Army’s defeat of the German army in the Battle of Stalingrad in 1943, which continued on the Western Front with the Allied battles at Sicily, Anzio, the Battle of the Bulge, far too many to list.

And, with the Red Army at Berlin’s doorsteps, Hitler, now hidden in his bunker, issued his infamous Nero Decree for the complete destruction of Berlin, leaving no trace that a city had ever existed; also aimed to punish the German people for losing the war. Due to breakdown of communication lines or to the refusal of his generals, it was a command that was never met. Days later Hitler would take his own life. The Red Army soon poured into Berlin, leaving the Volkssturm, Germany‘s citizen army of children and old men to defend what was left of the city. But no one could stop the sheer force of the Red Army’s numbers, and Germany would officially surrender after the Soviet Union victory at the Battle of Berlin (May 2, 1945),

V-E Day celebrations erupted around the globe, but U.S. President Harry S. Truman reminded us that there was a V-J Day that still needed to come.   

Related Articles

• See Part I: Down the Seine to Normandy: Seven Days on the AmaLyra
• See Part II: Monet in Giverny: Down the Seine to Normandy on the AmaLyra
• Stay Tuned for part IV where Ed Boitano writes and Deb Roskamp photographs, The Long Week on the Seiene closes: The royal residence at Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France’s Musée d’Archéologie, and the final night on the riverboat AmaLyra.

The post From Monet Gardens to Gardens of Stone: Seven Days on the AmaLyra, Part III. appeared first on Traveling Archive.

The campaign for the Italian peninsula began in July 1943, with landings on the southern coast of Sicily. More Allied forces came ashore in Salerno in September, then on the beaches at Anzio and neighboring Nettuno on January 22, 1944, when 36,000 Allied troops established the so-called Anzio beachhead. The Allies met fierce German resistance and became entrenched on muddy coastal plains and in high mountain passes as they moved north toward Rome, liberating the city on June 4, 1944.

Of the 60,000 to 70,000 members of the Allied forces who died in the Italian campaign, 7,860 or close to 8,000 are buried on these lawns that slope gently above a large reflecting pool. A marble wall in the chapel is inscribed with another 3,095 names of the missing. Among those buried here are William and Preston Kaspervik, one of 30 sets of brothers in the cemetery, and Ellen Ainsworth, a nurse killed by enemy fire while moving surgical patients to safety in a field hospital; she is one of 16 women interred at Nettuno. As former president Dwight D. Eisenhower said when he dedicated the cemetery in 1956, hose interred here rest tranquil and secure in the friendly soil of Italy.

Veterans Day Commemorations

As Veterans Day approaches, travel-inclined descendants of World War II veterans might set their sights on visits to the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery or the other military cemeteries that the American Battle Monuments Commission maintains around the world. In total, the ABMC commemorates 207,621 U.S. war dead from World War I and World War II. The most visited site is the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in France, with a million visitors a year. The website www.abmc.gov provides information on ABMC’s 26 cemeteries and 32 memorials and monuments, as well as a searchable database for service members interred in the cemeteries.

If you go to Nettuno

The Sicily-Rome American Cemetery is at the eastern edge of Nettuno, off Piazzale John Fitzgerald Kennedy. It’s about a ten-minute walk from the train station, where trains from Rome arrive at least hourly; the trip takes an hour and ten minutes. The cemetery is open daily except December 25 and January 1 from 9am to 5pm. An excellent visitor center details the Italian campaign with maps, photo displays, and videos, and also profiles some of those commemorated in the cemetery. In addition to the burial area, the cemetery includes a chapel, a map room in which bronze and marble reliefs show Allied World War II operations in Italy, and a couple of beautifully tended gardens.

Nettuno’s seaside old quarter, the Borgo Medievale, is an enticing warren of lanes and squares. Zero Miglia on Piazza Marconi is a local favorite for a seafood meal, accompanied by a bottle of Cacchione, the region’s white wine. I Nobili, practically next door, is the stop for gelato. To enjoy some time in the sun, you can rent a lounge at one of the many beach clubs that line the sands of Nettuno and neighboring Anzio. Ex-pat and local guide Paula Clark ( mc********@ao*.com ) can show you around town and provide lots of insightful commentary.

The post At Rest in Italy appeared first on Traveling Archive.

The clarity of the air was intoxicating as I sat on the the AmaLyra bus in La Havre, France. With small boats in the harbor, I realized it was the same location where Claude Monet created his monumental landmark painting, Impression, Sunrise, which gave birth to the art movement known as Impressionism. Devoid of pictorial realism, it was from his own personal perspective – not from yours or mine – achieved by a series of short impasto brushstrokes and the use of subdued blue-grayish colors, which contrasted with the warmth of the orange sun.

It was revolutionary, but deemed amateurish and unfinished by critics and art institutions; where the visible brushstroke was the antithesis of painting, plus certain elements seemed to be almost cut off in the frame. But, Monet’s work as painter would soon be known throughout the world.

WHAT I LEARNED: The art world would change.

THE RIVER SEINE

The Seine is a 483-mile-long-river in northern France that flows through Paris under its two most famous bridges: The Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge across the river, stands by the Ile de la Cité (City island), once inhabited by the Parisii, a small Gallic tribe in 3rd century BC. Today it is home to Notre-Dame de Paris and Sainte-Chapelle. And the ornate Pont Alexandre III Bridge, with its gilded fames sculptures and nymph reliefs, which reflects the grandeur of the Belle Epoch. Both bridges are classified as a French monument historique. Unlike the Rhine and Danube, also popular for riverboat journeys, the water level on the Seine is regulated by a series of locks, which means smooth sailing as it meets the English Channel.

WHAT I LEARNED: Once you leave Paris, the Seine is historic; charm and beauty await at the many sites stopped at during the riverboat AmaLyra‘s journey.

SO, THIS IS NORMANDY

The first Viking raids began between 790 and 800 on the western coast of France. Normandy takes its name from those Viking invaders, referred to as Nortmanni (“Men of the North” or ”Norse Man”). Their savage raids consisted of plundering treasures stored at monasteries by defenseless monks, kidnappings for slave trade or ransom, generally ending with fires of destruction and death. The Vikings initially wintered in Scandinavia, but then found the warmth and comfort in the Lower Seine Valley more to their liking.

The Viking long-ship is characterized as a light, narrow wooden boat with a shallow draft hull designed for speed, which allowed navigation in shallow waters, making it easy for coving and beach landings. Ships carrying 100 warriors were not uncommon with an estimated 34 rowing positions. Viking leader, Rollo, made it all the way east on the Seine and reached Paris. The Carolingian king, Charles the Simple, struct a deal with Rollo, giving him Rouen and present-day Upper Normandy, establishing the Duchy of Normandy. In exchange, Rollo pledged loyalty to Charles, agreed to baptism and vowed to guard the estuaries of the Seine from future Viking attacks. The rate of Scandinavian colonization was vast, and continued when William the Conquer, Duke of Normandy, defeated England in the Battle of Hastings in 1066, displacing Anglo-Saxon nobility with Norman and reshaping the English language into Anglo-Norman, also known as Anglo-Norman French.

WHAT I LEARNED: It’s complicated.

Château Gaillard, once a towering medieval castle overlooking the Seine, was built by Richard Cœur de Lion (“Richard the Lionheart”) which added to his mystique as a great military leader. He is best remembered as a chivalrous knight in the Third Crusade; despite the neglect of his own realm due to long absence.

Richard was also the great-great grandson of William the Conqueror, and simultaneously the King of England (Richard I) and feudal Duke of Normandy. The Château, now surrounded by a dry moat, was regarded as a naturally defensible position. The remains of its dungeon proved to be the most popular site of the tour. Richard did not enjoy Château Gaillard for long; he died from an infected arrow wound to his shoulder, sustained while attacking Chasteu de Chasluç-Chabròl in 1199.

WHAT I LEARNED: During long battles of siege, local non-combatant populations sought refuge in castles for protection. The fortifications were generally well supplied for a siege, but when the extra mouths to feed rapidly diminished the supplies, led to the eviction of civilians – generally women and children – into the hands of the invaders.

Honfleur is located on the southern bank of the Seine with its sister city La Havre on the other. In the 1600s, Honfleur benefited from a boom in maritime trade which included an expedition by Samuel de Champlain, who founded the city of Quebec in Canada. Today, it is primarily known for its old port, characterized by houses with slate-covered frontages, painted by artists. Monet’s mentor, Eugène Boudin, was born in the Honfleur, and is considered one of the first French landscape painters to paint outdoors. The Sainte-Catherine Church is the largest wooden church in France, with its bell tower across the street to avoid the spread of fire if struct by lightning. Unlike Le Havre, Honfleur was not ravaged by Allied bombings during WWII and was then liberated by the Allied Canadian, British and Belgian armies without any combat.

There’s a chance that tourists outnumbered the locals, but for good reason, with its picturesque cafes hugging the old harbor – you’ll find giant pots of steaming fresh moules (mussels) with bits of camembert cheese waiting for you – fish and vegetable markets, museums and art galleries, inexpensive souvenir shops, and simply strolling through its historic cobblestone streets and functioning old harbor.

WHAT I LEARNED: The people of Honfleur are referred to as Honfleurais.

The chimes of the Gros Horloge (Great Clock) wet my excitement as I entered Rouen’s old town center. Resting on a Renaissance arch, the astronomic clock has spanned Rue du Gros-Horloge since the 14th century, and is considered the defining image of Rouen, the capital city of Normandy.

Renowned for its well-preserved architectural heritage and historic monuments, Rouen was able to survive the Hundred Years’ War and later wave of Allied bombings in 1944, despite the destruction of half of the city, leaving more than 1,200 civilians dead and thousands injured. Bullets and shrapnel can still be found lodged within buildings today. Nevertheless, Rouen regained its economic composure in the post-war period thanks to its industrial sites and large seaport, which today is the fifth largest in France.

It was once said that you could smell Rouen a mile away. With its dank medieval streets, barely wide enough for a donkey to pass, the Rouennais would drop debris and feces out their windows, creating a cesspool with that particularly unique stench, and sometimes diseases of the pandemic kind. Devoid of sunlight, the ground would remain muddy seemingly forever.

But it was the light of the sun that I was more interested in seeing, or, should I say, the light that Monet sought when he painted the Rouen Cathedral (circa 1506) more than thirty times, between 1892 and 1894. Moving from one canvas to another as the day progressed, he painted the facade with highly textured brushstrokes, making the light palpable at different hours of the day. I had always thought he set his easels in front of the cathedral – though he did twice – but learned he painted through windows of buildings across the street, which explains his compositional perspective from various angles. To view those paintings and other Monet and Impressionist masterpieces, though, requires a trip to the Musée d’Orsay and other museums in Paris.

The Jeanne d’Arc Memorial Cross is the centerpiece of a small garden on the Place du Vieux-Marché (market square), the site where a 19-year-old illiterate peasant woman was burned at the stake for witchcraft, heresy and dressing like a man by her English captors. Remember, Rouen was then part of England. But history now explains Jeanne’s death was really more about politics, not theology, when England was at war with France.

The adjacent Church Sainte-Jeanne d’Arc felt a little out of place with its 1970s architecture, surrounded by Norman half-timbered houses, but it does offer an emotional experience with its sweeping curves that evoke the flames that consumed her. Also, its interior is illuminated by the light of 13 pristine Renaissance era stained-glass windows, which were taken from a nearby 16th century church that is now in ruins.

Thirty years after her death, the 19-year-old woman who called herself Jehanne la Pucelle (Joan the Maid; “maid” signifies virginity), was exonerated of all guilt. And by the time she was canonized in 1920 by Pope Benedict XV, Jeanne d’Arc had long been considered one of history’s greatest martyrs, and a patron saint of France.

Renée Jeanne Falconetti in Carl Theodor Dryer’s “La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc.”

Jeanne’s mythical stature has been the inspiration for numerousous works of art in film, song, opera, sculpture, painting, literature and even frivolous computer games and advertising. Her legacy has also inspired two of the cinema’s greatest films: La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc, a 1928 French silent film, directed by Carl Theodor Dryer – famous for the use of the closeup – where you can feel the anguish on actress Renée Jeanne Falconetti’s face. And Robert Bresson’s 1962 minimalistic masterpiece, Procès de Jeanne d’Arc (“The Trial of Joan of Arc”), with both films regarded as profound transcendental works of art.

WHAT I LEARNED: The attractions in Rouen are immense, but, if you have time, walk up to the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen for Impressionist paintings. The building and park facing it are magnificent and entrance is free. Here you will see limited works by Monet, Sisley, Renoir, Degas and Pissarro without any crowds and that tall guy in a hat, plus more artists, such as Corot, Derain, Dufy, Modigliani and Vuillard.

The long day in Rouen closed with A Taste of Normandy, where our group sampled Norman cider, Calvados apple brandy, an abundant selection of local creamy cheeses and pieces of fine Rouennais chocolate. My taste buds were endowed with pleasures of the palate, but with little attention to my own waist line, my photographer and I charged back to the AmaLyra for – what else – cocktails and dinner with the new friends we had made.

WHAT I LEARNED: Don’t miss it.

Tous à bord!

Related Articles

• See Part II: Monet in Giverny: Down the Seine to Normandy on the AmaLyra, Part II where Ed Boitano describes Monet’s home, gardens and life in Giverny.
• See Part III: From Monet Gardens to Gardens of Stone: Seven Days on the AmaLyra where Ed Boitano writes and Deb Roskamp photographs Operation Overlord Beachheads, German bunkers and the Normandy American Cemetery.
• See Part IV: The Long Week Closes: Seven Days on the AmaLyra where Ed and Deb cover the Louvre Museum, the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye and the Musée d’Archéologie Nationale.

The post On the Seine to Normandy: Seven Days on the AmaLyra appeared first on Traveling Archive.

It was spine-chilling and unnerving to be on what, back then, was known as “Bloody Omaha” (as so many of the US military on that beach were dead) and that day when I was there in 2004, it was a glorious morning and afternoon. Sunny skies, and kids and families playing.

The contrast between then and 1944 was beyond strange. The so called “Big Event” and celebration that day was at Arrowmanches Beach and, as part of the media in attendance, I sat fifty feet from such well-known public figure as Putin of Russia, the Queen of England and the Duke of Edinburgh and, of course, our own president, George W. Bush and his wife Laura. Curiously, when our last president visited Normandy for its 75th anniversary in 2019, he expressed amazement upon finding that there was such a thing called Omaha Beach.

While strange it was, for me an avowed WW2 aficionado, remarkable and awe-inspiring, to chat with some of our guys who had stormed those hellish beaches, filled with machine gun fire and death lurking at your side every second, and yet these few had survived that madness of war, and were on their first (for many) and last visit to Normandy.

When I asked some of them why it was their first visit (most were then in their early 80s) they asked if I had seen the movie Saving Private Ryan. When I told them I had, they said (to a man) that the first thirty minutes of this brilliant and often all too realistic movie, depicted the awful reality that THEY had personally felt and seen during those terrible minutes and hours on the beach that terrifying day: they did not want to re-live that horror again.

But all told me they wanted to see, one last time, where they were – and might have died – that June 6th, 1944 day. In my travel related journalistic career, I have been lucky and yes, privileged, to see and experience amazing things around the world. All made possible by my being able to earn a living and super life, in this superb and yes, magically marvelous place called the USA.

As an ex-Brit I’m thrilled, yes, EVERY DAY, that I’m a legal American citizen. This is a country where miracles happen, and I love every second of my life here. Are YOU proud to be an American?

See Mr. Clayton’s previous article: Normandy: A Personal WW2 Reflection – Traveling Boy

The post Normandy – 77 years later, what do YOU recall of the 1944, June 6th invasion? appeared first on Traveling Archive.

On the other side of the English Channel back in WW 2 – 1943 to be exact – there was another imaginative and vibrant character – known as “The Desert Fox” to many, but also by his more recognized name, Field Marshal Rommel. I’ve always thought it was intriguing that Rommel was highly regarded by many of the higher echelon of the British and American military leadership.

To enrich YOUR mind, and WW2 interest, a 2019 book by American born Peter Margaritis, “Countdown to D-Day, The German High Command in Occupied France, 1944,” is also equally spellbinding.

Not only is it a stimulating, even an enthralling, time about the daily, and personally punishing work productivity of the Field Marshal, it also offers up an intimate perspective on another top German Field Marshal – Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt. When you read about his luxurious yes, LUXURIOUS! lifestyle in Paris during the latter part of WW2 in his extravagant French mansion, it makes you wonder how he was able to get away with such an opulent daily life for so long.

As a WW2 aficionado I’ve been to Normandy 4 times, and as I read this riveting As-You-Are-There-Book and appreciated, and even more understood, how Rommel lived and worked each day from December 1943 to his last moments before the invasion on June 6th 1944, I knew that THIS book has the most meticulous account of Rommel’s Normandy days than anything before or since.

If you’ve been to France, and know this part of the Norman countryside, especially the landscape, around the areas in Normandy that took up so much of Rommel’s daily life, what you read here becomes even more thrilling, as you can relate it to what you’ve seen and done there.

This book’s written as if you’re the proverbial fly on the wall, and vividly describes how Rommel reached out to his soldiers, and what an avidly and colorful character Rommel was. Nothing shows his integrity more than his face to face meeting with two British commandos who, on Friday, May 19^th, 1944, had been captured on the beach shortly before D-Day.

One was Lt. Roy Woodridge, the other Lt. George Lane (pages 449-455).  The former refused to say anything to his captors’ but Lane was more open to conversation, so much so that one of Rommel’s top advisors, General Speidel, brings him, at Rommel’s request, to La Roche Guyon, Rommel’s plush, French mansion and HQ, to speak with the Field Marshall. He was so impressed – by Lane particularly – that Rommel arranges to have them “protected” from both execution and the Gestapo. Both Brits survived the war.

The book also brings out how grueling Rommel’s work schedule was, and he expected all who worked for him to have the same devotion and loyalty.  It details, and I found this riveting, how concerned he became on learning about the plans to assassinate Hitler, and describes how strongly Rommel felt this was NOT the way to achieve what the plotters’ wanted. He felt a trial was more suitable.

I’ve read countless books about D-Day and the vast majority all come from the Allies’ point of view. Although written by an American, this book provides a mesmerizing portrait of a brilliant, controversial German general in WW2. As such, I highly recommend it for your reading enjoyment, as the book will also give you insights on why it was – and still is – a tragedy that Rommel’s life ended the way it did. Contact John:

jd******@gm***.com

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As I saw each photo and watched (and still utterly fascinated) the media programs and so called “Specials” about those historic days, it reminded me, yet again, of MY many trips to Normandy. As a long time travel journalist, I felt honored to have been invited 4 times to that part of France by the French government tourist office.

Anytime the subject of Normandy comes up, I’m often asked why THIS destination continues to intrigue me. Going all the way back to my childhood in London, Normandy has always mesmerized me because much of my upbringing was spent in the county of Dorset, with frequent visits to the seaside town of Weymouth. WW2 Aficionados will know that name instantly, as this was one of the British ports where an enormous armada of landing craft, warships, troop carriers, supply ships, and all the seagoing means of transportation available to the allies for the invasion, were berthed. I fondly recall the American military – or as many Brits called them — “the Yanks” — were seemingly everywhere you looked in England, and I especially remember US sailors and their marvelous white hats – still part of their uniform today – that were, like them, unique.

The other factor – and very vivid memory – is that of so many British kids being thrilled when they saw an American service person. Why? Well, lots of British children would run up to them and say “Got any gum, chum,” and, more often than not, they’d be rewarded by a friendly smile and a piece of highly treasured American chewing gum!

My memories are equally vivid about Normandy, particularly my visit in June 2004, when the tourist office in Normandy invited me and my KNX1070 travel show, to the 60^th Anniversary of D-Day. Four totally diverse memories of that visit stand out. First, visiting (for the 4^th time) the American cemetery and memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer that honors the 9, 388 American troops, and the 307 unknowns, who died in Normandy.

As I gazed at the multitude of crosses that filled 172.5 acres, I thought of all the lives that were never allowed to grow old, and of the life losing sacrifice they’d made. Many visitors to this sacred part of America – yes, America — are not aware of that fact: This cemetery IS American land and United States property, given to us by the grateful French at the close of WW2. Another little known fact, is that there’s a specific reason the cemetery IS where it is. Just below is a beach, but it’s a special beach that most know as Omaha Beach, a place where many of those interred here, died to protect our way of life.

The second place is Pointe Du Hoc – dramatically portrayed in the brilliant WW2 movie “The Longest Day.” Unbelievably it still looks like the moonscape it was back in June 1944 when British and American bombers relentlessly bombed it trying to destroy the five massive guns there, because these guns were able to shell the nearby invasion beaches.

The third place – and this might surprise some – was the German cemetery of La Cambe. Ironically, it’s located near Omaha Beach. It too is vast, somber, and eerily awesome.  As the largest German war cemetery in Normandy, there are over 21,222 German military personnel buried there, along with 207 unknowns.

The most poignant memory took place during the concluding moments of the commemorative events attended by world leaders and other dignitaries on June 6^th, 2004 above Arrowmanches Beach. At least a dozen or more military marching bands paraded through the stadium like arena, all decked out in colorful uniforms and all playing rousing tunes that expressed pomp and circumstance. As the last band but one exited, the crowd of 2,000 roared their approval as the American band entered, featuring 20 smartly outfitted US Navy sailors in their dress white uniforms playing, with massive enthusiasm, “When the Saints Go Marching In!” I was so overcome with pride I jumped up and shouted “Way to go America!”

For a historic and awe-inspiring destination, visiting Normandy is a marvelous memory you’ll never forget. You’ll be fascinated by what you see, and you’ll discover more gift shops and souvenir places than you ever knew existed. Best of all, it’ll make you proud to be an American, as you gaze in silent wonder at where American men and women, most VERY young, gave their all for Democracy.  Contact John:

jd******@gm***.com

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