Omaha, Utah, Sainte-Mere-Eglise - Follow in the GIs' footsteps

The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial is a World War II cemetery and memorial that honors American troops who died in Europe during World War II.
A memorial in the cemetery includes maps and details of the Normandy landings and military operations that followed. At the memorial's center is Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves, a bronze statue. The cemetery also includes two flag poles where, at different times, people gather to watch the American flags being lowered and folded.
The cemetery, which was dedicated in 1956, is the most visited cemetery of those maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC), with one million visitors a year. In 2007, the ABMC opened a visitor center at the cemetery, relating the global significance and meaning of Operation Overlord.

Omaha Beach was one of five beach landing sectors designated for the amphibious assault component of Operation Overlord during the Second World War. On June 6, 1944, the Allies invaded German-occupied France with the Normandy landings. "Omaha" refers to an 8-kilometer (5 mi) section of the coast of Normandy, France, facing the English Channel, from east of Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes to west of Vierville-sur-Mer on the right bank of the Douve River estuary. Landings here were necessary to link the British landings to the east at Gold with the American landing to the west at Utah, thus providing a continuous lodgement on the Normandy coast of the Bay of the Seine. Taking Omaha was to be the responsibility of United States Army troops, with sea transport, mine sweeping, and a naval bombardment force provided predominantly by the United States Navy and Coast Guard, with contributions from the British, Canadian and Free French navies.

In World War II, Pointe du Hoc was the location of a series of German bunkers and machine gun posts. Prior to the invasion of Normandy, the German army fortified the area with concrete casemates and gun pits. On D-Day, the United States Army Provisional Ranger Group attacked and captured Pointe du Hoc after scaling the cliffs. United States generals including Dwight D. Eisenhower had determined that the place housed artillery that could slow down nearby beach attacks.

This village witnessed the dramatic drop of paratroopers on the morning of 6 June. The film *The Longest Day* recounts the story of John Steele, who became entangled on the church steeple—though he wasn’t the only one. We begin our explanation on the coach before arriving at the church square to view the replica parachutist on the bell tower. Inside the church, we show the stained-glass windows and then take a tour of the surrounding square.

One of the American landing sectors, where Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr. came ashore with the 4th Infantry Division during the first wave at 6:30 a.m. On the approach to the beach, we point out various military artifacts displayed outside. The Utah Beach landings are explained directly on the beach.

The village church was converted into a makeshift field hospital during the Battle of Normandy. Two American medics, working under dire conditions, cared for both American and German wounded—as well as a local child. We visit the memorial and enter the church to view its stained-glass windows and a pew still marked with dried blood.