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Omaha
Beach
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'Badness'
Re-vist the D-Day Landing Beaches, Normandy, France
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Eighteen months after our first visit to Utah
Beach we got the opportunity to travel further east along
the Normandy coast to what became known as "The Bloody Beach"
Omaha. Myself, Mike, Arian
and John made the 120 mile round trip from Cherbourg to Omaha
Beach after the ship we were playing on 'The Pride Of
Bilbao' docked at 0800 hrs.
Click on the picture to read the writing.
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Omaha was the landing beach,
which experienced the most casualties out of all the D-Day landings on
the morning of June 6th 1944. Colonel George Taylor commander of the US
16th infantry division was quoted as saying "Two kinds of people
are staying on this beach, the dead, and those who are about to die!!!".
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Horror of Omaha can be seen here, the troops are huddled behind the
beach obstacles and trying to find safety behind the tank. |
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1000 U.S soldiers lost their lives during the first 8 hours of the assault
and by the end of the second day that number had risen to over 3000.
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When we arrived at Omaha
we noticed how peaceful the whole place was, and besides our selves
there was only a local man walking his dog and a few other people
quite far off in the distance who were actually on the beach itself.
It's quite strange how the 'Bloodiest beach' is now the most tranquil
of all the landing beaches.
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An
ariel view of Omaha Beach June 6 1944
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.......and
Omaha Beach as it is today
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Myself, Mike, John and Ade at a memorial erected this year
to mark the 60th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings |
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Above:
A French Memorial
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We
laid a poppy attached to a small cross at the memorial that was
erected this year to mark the 60th anniversary of D-Day, as our
own tribute to all those men who made the ultimate sacrifice 60
years ago.
As we made our way off the beach we noticed there were many French
Memorials all the way along the beach, each at exact points were
a major battle took place.
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Our
final stop was at the Omaha Museum
situated just before you actually reach the beach. Here, on display,
were landing crafts, various tanks used in the battle, anti-tank
defenses, anti-aircraft guns and even UX mines.
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For all of us our time at Omaha Beach
was an unforgettable experience, the only regret………
we did not have enough time there.
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