We saw the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc, tall and absolutely vertical, and tried to imagine the Army Rangers climbing them using grappling hooks and fire department ladders, while being fired on by the Germans above. They had to take out the long-range German guns that were trained on the landing beaches, Omaha and Utah. We saw the massive gun batteries, merely pockmarked by bombs that left massive holes in the ground elsewhere. We saw the thousands of graves of the Americans who landed on those beaches, and elsewhere, the somber graves of even more Germans. We saw the remainder of the artificial harbor that was brought in secret from England and appeared suddenly in Arromanche, opening France to Allied supplies.
It’s all peaceful now. The beaches are calm and nice for strolling. The German gun batteries have been made into viewing platforms. We enjoyed wine and mussels in a seaside village. How easily it all could have gone the other way.