D-DAY 80th | NORMANDY 2024 – Part 5 – Omaha, Sword, Juno, & Gold Beach

One of the most sacred World War 2 locations… Omaha Beach. It’s hard to fathom what happened 80 years (+1 day) at this very spot. Since we couldn’t get to this location the previous day on June 6th itself, we decided to go first thing the on the 7th, knowing it would get crowded with everyone who couldn’t get out to the beach. It was early morning, and already crowded. I lucked out to get this shot as some people walked behind the ‘Les Braves’ sculpture. A few seconds later and there were a bunch of people all around the sculpture.

The beach was already starting to get busy, even in the morning. You can see the chain link fencing to the left that blocks off most of the inner beach due to the previous day’s ceremonies. They built a massive stage for the world leaders that were in attendance. This was where the main ceremony for the 80th was held, and thus why the beach was closed on June 6th.

We started to make our way east towards the ‘Hotel du Casino’ restaurant. It’s not a long walk, and gives you some time to reflect on where you are. As we walked, already the military vehicles were out and about, with various convoys and lone vehicles zipping by. Here, a lovely slat grille leads two GMC CCKW trucks.

There’s a bit of irony between the huge tour buses carrying tourist groups to the beach and these GMC CCKW trucks that would have been the ‘buses’ for soldiers on D-Day.

Along the walk, you’ll run into this monument for the first American cemetery in France. With so many American bodies on Omaha and with the rapid movement, once the German lines were broken, there needed to be a spot to bury the dead. This was that original spot, at least until the American Cemetery opened in 1956. The bodies were moved to the new cemetery, and this was erected in its place.

Some of the houses along this road have been here since World War 2, like this one (although it was heavily damaged and rebuilt). One thing I enjoyed was several of the homeowners of original WW2 houses put up information boards outside the front gates with history and photos of the houses during D-Day.

Making our way all the over to almost where the road turns inland, we’re greeted with more memorials and this original bunker, Widerstandsnest 72 (WN 72), which was part of the Dog Green sector of the D-Day landings at Omaha. This emplacement, along with WN 71 and WN 73, were the guards for the Dog-1 exit that the allies were trying to break through. Inside is a German 88mm gun, still aimed out towards the sea.

As we continued onward, more and more vehicles started to arrive, coming and going regularly like these two Jeeps.

Another memorial, this one quite powerful, depicts an American soldier dragging another wounded soldier off the beach. A moving reminder of what happened 80 years ago.

And we were greeted with more Jeeps! Jeeps always look so tiny to me when the front windshields are down. The owners were getting some breakfast at the restaurants along the road.

With the tide now fully in, we made our way onto the pier, which is anchored to a Mulberry harbor. Parts of what was planned to be another massive ship offloading artificial harbor, a massive storm (the worst in 40 years) hit Normandy on June 19th and ravaged the harbor at Omaha, resulting in most of its destruction. What survived was taken to Arromanches to repair the Mulberry there. This large concrete pontoon is part of that Mulberry and remains today, very slowly succumbing to the sea.

While on the Mulberry, my girlfriend suddenly said ‘LOOK!’ I turned and saw a Lockheed C-130J Hercules, one of the ones that had buzzed us the day before, suddenly dart out from behind the cliffs. And it was one of the D-Day stripe ones!

Since we were further out in the sea on the Mulberry, I was finally able to get an almost head-on shot with this awesome Herc!

Suddenly, three more C-130Js popped out from behind the cliffs. I wish I could have had video going, it was SUCH an awesome sight.

And I was able to get some great shots of another D-Day stripe marked Hercules, this one from 86th Airlift Wing (Germany) with the 86th Airlift Wing!

The four Hercs were ‘mapping the shore’ as they zig and zagged left and right following the beach. Such an awesome sight. Note, that you can see the large structure they built for the opening ceremonies on the bottom right. It’s all those white structures you see.

Looking back from the pier, you can see just how large the slab of Mulberry Harbor is marooned on the shore. Also you can see the ‘Hotel du Casino’ restaurant to the left.

As we continued along, we ran into this nicely weathered Dodge WC-52 parked along the shore.

Someone had backed up their Dodge WC-57 (3-star general!) right up to the water’s edge on these rocks. A little precarious, but a great photo spot for sure!

The destination for this hike along Omaha Beach was the bunker you can see half way up the cliff (right in the middle of the photo). This was shot before we had gotten to that area.

This bunker, WN 73, was an observation bunker I believe. It had sight down the entire beach for a long way. It was part of a larger bunker structure that continues west.

And this is the sight from atop that bunker. Perfect vantage point to see the entire Omaha Beach. This bunker, along with WN 71 and WN 72 gave the Rangers the most trouble on D-Day.

From up here we get another vantage point on that Dodge WC-57. If I had my Jeep there at Omaha, I’d be next in line for this photo!

As we were up at the bunker, the C-130 Hercules made a return pass down the beach!

You could tell those guys were having fun!

And another look at the other side of one of the 86th Airlift Wing Hercules. Note the large W7 marking and the WW2 style star and bar on the rear D-Day stripes, just like a C-47 Skytrain of WW2!

Heading back down the cliff side and back the way we came, the area had started to get a lot busier. Lots of military vehicles kept showing up bringing loads of reenactors.

I managed to quickly snap a shot of this Jeep ‘Mirna’ with a pinup and a piston.

We stopped to get some snack French fries at the ‘Hotel du Casino’, which was now a popular spot!

With so many Jeeps and trucks, setting a M3A1 Scout Car was quite unusual! This, and a halftrack, are two vehicles I’d love to have one day. Then again, who wouldn’t want one?!

And, like everywhere else, Jeeps were everywhere. Parked any and everywhere they could fit (which is a lot of places with their small size!).

And the vehicles just kept coming, one after another. Out for a drive along the beach? Headed to some ceremony or event? Sightseeing? It’s anyone’s guess. This Dodge WC-51 in 3rd Armor markings has been at several D-Day anniversaries judging by the window stickers.

I had to stop in my tracks and scramble to get my camera up to get a good shot of this incredible 1940 Buick Super Eight staff car! What an incredible restoration!

I am curious, with it being a US Army staff car, about the blue color. I thought it was a US Navy staff car at first until I saw the side stenciling. Anyone know why a US Army staff car would be blue? Still, great to see a unique staff car driving around!

And with every non-Jeep vehicle that left the area, like the staff car, it seemed like two more Jeeps showed up, like these two!

It seemed to be a truck day as well, another Dodge WC-52 showed up with a load of reenactors.

And a bit of a rarity, I spotted this German Kübelwagen being followed by this Jeep. It’s pretty rare to see German vehicles driving around Normandy outside the various camps and museums.

And another popular sight that people were looking at were these three motorcycles.

I then noticed something really incredible coming up the road… I immediately turned to see a 1941 Willys MA! First time I’d ever seen one in person!

This MA was pretty incredible. Lots of great details in the restoration, and it’s such a unique design for the early Jeep! It’s like a cross between a Dodge truck and a Jeep!

As the owners opened up the hood for people to check out, I checked the inside. So many differences! Neat to see how the Jeep evolved from this and the Ford GP design.

And what an immaculate engine this Jeep had! I didn’t even realize till the hood was up the unique wedge shape it had instead of the usual square.

A closer look at the engine. If you’re a Jeep person, you can play the game of ‘what’s the same, what’s different?’ Very well done restoration!

The back pretty much resembles the Jeep we all know. Though the single top bow bar was interesting!

Looking back as we started to wrap up our time here, I noticed the interesting winter enclosure on the US Navy Jeep. It’s a modern-style enclosure with the larger windows. I’ve thought about getting one of those for my Jeep, I like the idea, but I don’t want to have to drill holes into my original windshield.

And then more Jeeps… it was like a very slow (with modern cars in between) parade of military vehicles coming and going! This Jeep has a massive American flag wrapped up.

And then this Jeep, ‘Joycie’ with 101st Airborne Markings.

Seriously, so many Jeeps. I feel like every time I turned there was a new Jeep that was passing through or had arrived and parked. It’s a military vehicle paradise, that’s for sure.

As we headed back to the main Omaha Beach section, the sound of radial engines filled the air as this DC-3, probably giving aerial tours of the beaches, flew over.

And on the way back, several people had parked various vehicles on the side of the road and were taking photos of them, like this 1942 Harley-Davidson WLA.

More Dodge WC-51s (in 7th Armored markings) and another Jeep!

Here’s another house that still stands from D-Day. They had a nice info graphic out front that had photos of the house as seen from the point of view of the landing craft!

And another person had parked their very well-done ambulance Jeep on the side of the road to take photos. Again, with the tide up so high, you couldn’t drive on the beach, so this was the next best thing!

I’m envious of these photos people were getting with their vehicles! That was the only time I felt sad I didn’t bring my Jeep.

Non-military, but vintage vehicles, that we spotted included this neat-looking British Morgan 4/4.

Heading back to the main ‘Les Braves’ sculpture, it was actually free of people due to an interview happening with a TV station. I took that opportunity to get some people-free shots. You’ll see in a moment why that was pretty incredible.

The ‘Les Braves’ sculpture. It consists of three elements: ‘The Wings of Hope’, ‘Rise, Freedom!’ and ‘The Wings of Fraternity’. It was built and dedicated in 2004 and has become an iconic landmark of Omaha Beach.

And this is why getting a shot with no people was pretty amazing. I’d say the beach had gotten a lot more popular!

Heading down the road, we reached a German bunker that I had wanted to visit after discovering we missed it during the 75th anniversary 5 years ago. This bunker, WN 65, was a major strong point guarding the small inlet. It serves as a monument to the 467th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion and 2nd Infantry Division who landed on June 6th and 7th, and engaged this bunker, suffering heavy casualties.

A German gun still sits inside the bunker…

The remains of this gun, with damage from D-Day, are easily accessible inside. I can only imagine the round that blew up the shield on the gun.

The outside barrel of the gun also shows signs of damage, probably disabled with an explosive charge.

But the main reason I wanted to visit this bunker was to find the exact location up the hill where this photo was taken of members of the 2nd Infantry Division marching inward from the beach. Pretty incredible to match up the shot!

Now it was time to head on to our next destination, the complete other side of the Normandy beaches! As we navigated through the various roads. sometimes alone and sometimes in traffic… we ran into several headaches due to random roads being closed for traveling dignitaries. Again. Ugh. This time, though, the roads were not supposed to be closed. Because of these road closures, it forced us to travel down several of these one-lane roads… with people walking… and, oh yeah, it’s not one way but TWO ways so be prepared to pull over and not drive into the ditches as you pass another car!

Eventually, we made our way back to a major road, with more Jeeps! You could always tell when you’ve hit a big road when there’s military vehicles like this.

We rushed over to Sword Beach to catch the Jeep Gathering that was being held at Luc-sur-Mer, and we ended up being rather late because of the closures. I’m going to cover the Jeep meet in the next update, as it was so large and I shot so many photos that it needs its own post!

After the Jeep meet, we headed over to Sword Beach itself so to continue our post-June 6th tour of the beaches. I was surprised to find this Supermarine Spitfire Mk IX sitting on the beach! It’s a replica, but still a pretty darn good looking one.

It’s actually one of the finest replicas I’ve seen of a Spitfire (and yes, I’ve seen several including movie Spitfires from ‘Dunkirk’)

At this main beach area, there was a large statue to Piper Bill Millin. He was a Scottish soldier and personal piper to Brigadier Simon Fraser, 15th Lord Lovat. He became famous for playing the bagpipes during the D-Day landings on Sword Beach.

I always love the flags at these larger memorials. Here, we see France, the United Kingdom, America, Canada, and the European Union flag.

Looking out at Sword Beach, it isn’t nearly as crowded as Omaha!

Since we were pressed a bit for time due to Omaha and the Jeep meet taking the bulk of the day, we had to move on to the next beach. But one last photo of Piper Bill Millin. Despite orders forbidding pipers from playing during the battle due to the danger, Millin’s commanding officer, Lord Lovat, ordered him to play, believing that the restrictions did not apply to Scottish pipers. Millin played traditional Scottish tunes such as “Highland Laddie,” “The Road to the Isles,” and “Blue Bonnets Over the Border” as he marched along the beach, under heavy enemy fire.

Driving along the beaches, we arrived at the next spot I’d wanted to visit… the town of Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer in Juno Beach. We were met with more flags! But there was a particular reason I wanted to stop here…

Another famous photo shows this beach with a Republic P-47 Thunderbolt having crash-landed on the beach. Another amazing moment when I could line up the buildings!

What a difference between then and now.

Unfortunately, The shootdown happened on June 10, 1944, just a few days after the D-Day landings. 2Lt John A. Weese was hit by flak and crashed in this spot. He was mortally wounded and did not survive, sadly.

There’s also a German bunker emplacement here with a gun as well. Casemate WiderstandsNest 27.

Like the gun on Omaha Beach, this one also shows signs of major damage and possibly another explosive charge in the muzzle to disable it.

Parts of the wall you see here are part of the original German-built Atlantic Wall.

One of the special memorials also resides here. The French and the English are the same, ‘Here on the 6th June 1944 Europe was liberated by the heroism of the allied forces.”

Going further down the road, we stopped at the famous ‘Canada House’ which survived the D-Day landings (as seen in the bottom photo). Named ‘Maison de Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada’, it serves as a Canadian D-Day museum and memorial. It is said to be the first house liberated on French soil.

Unfortunately, it was not open when we were there. But it was nice to see it in person! There are actually two sides to the house. One side is run by the “Maison des Canadiens” association, the other is managed by the Town Hall.

As we walked back to the car (hungry for some dinner), we saw some food trucks and stopped to get something to each. That’s when I noticed the large Canadian reenactor encampment!

There were several vehicles there, all in Canadian markings such as this Ford GPW.

This large Canadian Military Pattern truck (CMP) was something new to see!

And a Dodge WC-62 in Canadian markings!

And a whole group of unique vehicles like this 1936 Mc Laughlin Buick model 44-19 staff car, C15TA Armoured Truck (really cool), and a 1941 Ford F8 CMP.

Another Jeep, this one appearing to be a Willys MB, was parked next to a large tent.

No I mean it, this tent was HUGE!

A third Jeep, a Hotchkiss most likely, in neat camo markings was there as well.

Heading down the beaches again, we stopped at Graye-sur-Mer, one of the main Juno memorials.

Here we found the British sector or Juno Beach, with this Churchill Mk IV AVRE tank. It has an interesting history. “1 Charlie” arrived on June 6th in the ‘Mike’ sector of Juno Beach with the 26 Assault Squadron Royal Engineers. While trying to put a fascine (bundle of sticks) inside a crater blocking the way inland, the tank slid into the crater and got stuck. Soon the crater started to fill with water, and the crew abandoned the tank under fire from the Germans. Still needing to get vehicles off the beach, a bridge-laying tank put a bridge on the top of the stuck tank, using it as a support for the bridge. They then threw whatever they could also into the crater to strengthen the bridge essentially burying the tank. Over time, rubble and debris was put into the crater and a layer on concrete was put over everything, sealing the stricken tank under the road for 32 years! In 1975, two British officers were researching the battle that took place there on D-Day and discovered the tank. It was removed in 1976, first time it had seen the light of day since June 6th along with all the rubble they filled the rest of the crater with! It even still had all the ammunition inside the tank, which had to be disposed of carefully. It was restored and put on display about 300 feet away from where it was buried.

Moving down the beaches we made our way to Gold Beach as the sun was very low on the horizon. Here we found German bunker WN 38. This bunker is unique as it still has camouflage crisscross work on the roof.

From this point, protected from the sea with the large reinforced side of the bunker, a gun could easily sight all the way down the beach.

Glancing out at the ocean, I spotted a DUKW amphibious truck taking some people out on a little cruise just offshore. The silhouette of one of the Phoenix caissons, part of the D-Day artificial harbor at Arromanches, in the distance.

A Jeep sped by putting a nice cap on a great day touring the beaches, completing our tour of all of them (including Utah, we were at on June 6th, the day before.)

By the amount of tracks in the sand, I’d say a LOT of Jeeps have come through here all day long! And another look at those concrete Phoenix caissons offshore.

As we were heading out to leave, the sound of jets filled the air as the Patrouille de France demonstration team flew over, headed to Arromanches to practice for the next day’s (June 8th) airshow!

It was a nice preview, from a distance, of what I’d see the next day at the airshow itself.

Heading out of Gold Beach, we came across a ‘whale bridge’ section from Mulberry Harbor in the middle of the road. Just goes to show that there are D-Day/WW2 artifacts everywhere in Normandy.

As we headed back to Bayeux and the light became less and less, a final Jeep passed us on the road capping off a day full of Jeeps, Beaches, and history.

And with that, this is the end of this update! Look for the next update next week which will cover the huge Jeep meet that happened earlier this day (again, too big of an event to include in this update, which was already large!).
Till the next update…