Band of Brothers (Tuesday 10.8.2013)

Our second Overlord tour began with an early morning of me burning the crap out of my paws making coffee in the room with our little kettle.  Damn thing had a broken lid and I dumped most of the boiling water on my paws and feets.

No matter, we checked out of the maximum security hotel and walked down to meet the Overlord tour folks.

This tour was much more personal.  We had only 8 people (some very kind folks form D.C.) in the tour and a new driver/guide.  Dominique was incredibly knowledgeable and the smaller van allowed a great chance to chat with her and ask all our questions.

We started with the naval gun batteries again, and then on to Omaha Beach.  Parking closer to the museum, we had a chance to walk down the sand to the "Spaulding Cut" that allowed him to make one of the first successful pushes into the German backfield and helped break the lines for the rest of the US forces.  This also happens to be the direct terraced and stair laid path up the hill to the American Cemetery.



 Unfortunately it was closed, so our guide gave us strict orders not to cross the rather low wall, and to certainly not be back to the tour van for at least a half hour so she could do paperwork.

The Spirit of American Youth

With deepest respect for the wishes of our govt, we did not hop the wall and have an amazingly private 45 mins walking about the totally silent monument.  Nor did a friendly groundskeeper step from a hedge and give me a wave and a smile.  Nope, never happened.  Any accusations of us crossing the wall against all instructions/signs are vile accuracies and I won't dignify them with further discussions.

Nice to know the French Resistance is still working behind the lines to help Americans fulfill our missions...

A fast trip to Pointe-du-Hoc for pictures and a lecture on high explosives, and off we went to Sainte-Mere-Eglise for a break.

After the lunch break we toured the Band of Brothers sites.  After a detailed lecture of the paratroop landings and associated chaos, saw the spot where Dick Winters landed in Sainte-Mere-Eglise and gathered up more troops.

A mock-up of John Steele who landed on the steeple in SME.  He hung there for over 2 hours till someone noticed he was still alive.  Captured by the Germans, he escaped 3 days later and survived the rest of the war.

Driving the roads they walked, we had the chance to visit a few private farms, including a stop at Brecourt Manor to see the actual place that the iconic raid on the 105mm guns firing on Utah Beach took place.  If you have seen the HBO series, you know what that reference is.  It was chilling to see how small the actual fighting area was and how close to the American command post the guns were located.  Perhaps 1000 yards?  The series seems to show it miles away, but in reality it was a 10 minute walk at best.

The monument for Easy Company at Brecourt.  The guns taken by Winter and "E" were located just at the trees in the background.  The American command post is perhaps 300 yards to the right.

We visited the small church at Angoville-au-Plain again, to see where 2 American medics, Ken Moore and Robert Wright,  treated over 80 US and German(and 1 French teenager) casualties over the course of 3 days.  The church changed hands multiple times over the 3 days, and both sides sent out parties to search for the red parachute marked medical supply crates to give to the US medics.

The story was never really known till Robert Wright came through town on a tour and spotted the church.  He told the story and it grabbed the hearts of the locals. Many years later, Robert and Ken made the trip back to the small church for a reunion.  The mayor of the town had a monument to their bravery erected and new stain glass was installed in the church.

It was at that time that Robert Wright gave a picture of himself and his bride post war, in a wedding dress that was made from the reserve parachute that Robert never lost or used during the war.  The picture hangs near the altar along with a newspaper story showing he and Kenneth with the French teen they saved all those years ago.

I guess I should mention that the church was dedicated to Saints Damien and Cosmas, twin brothers who are the patron saints of Doctors and Pharmacists.  Cool, huh?


Last stop of the day was a quick tour of Carentan, much featured in Band of Brothers.  Now a hugely expanded modern city, we at least got to visit the small downtown area seen in hundreds of period photos from the way.  I believe Dick Winters got shot in the foot near where we stood.

Back to Bayeux to grab the car, we took one last side trip for souvenirs.  Niters drove us home in no time at all and a hearty dinner of slow braised beef, peppers and onions that Mirinda made Sunday evening made a satisfying end to a long couple of days.

I'd really glad we opted for the Overlord tours.  It is hard for me to drive and sight see at the same time, so having a dedicated driver and guide was a perfect balance.

Wednesday is a recuperation day, don't expect much from me after.