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Day Two: Musee du Debarquement, Arromanches, France
On the initiative of Raymond TRIBOULET, France's first sub-prefect after the Liberation the permanent exhibition on the Normandy Landings was officially opened on June 5th 1954 in Arromanches by Monsieur René COTY, the then President of the French Republic. It was the first museum to be built in commemoration of June 6th 1944 and the Normandy Campaign. The D-day Museum (website) overlooks the very spot where one of the Mulberry Harbours was constructed and where its remains can still be seen today, just a few hundred metres from the shore.
Overview of the D-Day Landings
Excerpts from the museum's website =>At midnight, on 5th June, the battle starts on each flank of the landing zone : to the east, on the right bank of the river Orne, between Caen and the sea, the first British paratroopers and gliders land.
The principle objectives are reached on time, thanks to individual initiatives : the bridge at Benouville known as "Pegasus Bridge"at 00h20, the Merville battery at about 04h30. On the other side of the invasion area, the US paratroopers descend on Sainte-Mère-Eglise which is liberated early at 00h30.
At 02h00, off the five beaches, about six thousand ships are waiting. Helped by the sailors, the men board the landing craft. The time has come for the assault. The first American wave reaches Utah beach and Omaha beach at 06h30 ; meanwhile the first British & Canadian troops arrive on Gold, Juno and Sword beaches at 07h30.
On all fronts of the invasion zone, since 00h15, eighteen thousand American, Canadian and British paratroopers are fighting against the surprised Germans.
Along the coast, the naval bombings are being replaced by heavy aerial bombardment.
It is at Utah and Omaha that the first battles are taking place. At Utah, the first American troops get on the beach at exactly 06h30 two kilometres south of the planned area but without heavy losses. Luckily for them, this sector is not so well defended! Soon, one beachhead is formed and then another, thanks to the engineers. The junction with the 101st airborne division is made during the early hours of the day.
At Omaha, the battle is immediately very tough. While they are still in the water, many soldiers fall under the fire of the automatic weapons. The German defences look intact. US B-24 Liberator aircraft have bombed too far inland. Trapped between the water and the concrete seawall, the American troops count their casualties. Some companies have lost nearly 70% of their men.
The Americans are pinned down on the beach until midday. Inside the German bunkers, ammunition is running short. At last, at 12h30, some breaches have been opened: Vierville is taken. As night falls, short of reinforcements because of the Allied aerial superiority, the German soldiers surrender.
Between Omaha and Utah, at the top of La Pointe du Hoc, a thirty-metre high sharp cliff, the guns in the concrete shelters jeopardize the landings along Omaha beach. US Rangers were given the mission to take the battery. They manage to capture La Pointe du Hoc by scaling the cliffs, using fire-ladders attached to the landing crafts and rocked-fired grapnels. Unfortunately the Rangers have to fight off German counter-attacks until 8th June before being relieved.
On Sword beach, between Hermanville and Ouistreham, there is little resistance. The landing operation is carried out methodically: the special tanks quickly open breaches, and at 09h30 the progression inland starts. The British armoured divisions arrive some 6 kilometers from Caen at about 16h00, but, there, the 21st Panzer division stops them. In the meantime, the 177 French fusiliers, lead by Commandant Kieffer, have succeeded in "cleaning-up" the casino at Ouistreham...
At Juno, Courseulles-sur-mer, the 3rd Canadian division has landed. And there too, the special tanks are extremely effective. At about 09h30, Bernières-sur-mer is captured. The Canadians can now continue South.
At the centre of the landing zone, Gold beach is dominated by cliffs. The British 50th Northumberland division progresses rapidly and destroys bunkers and other German obstacles. At the end of the morning, several breaches are opened and the British troops capture Creully and Arromanches, where an enormous artificial harbour is to be installed.
Read the full story at the museum's website
We Need your Help!
Our visit to the Musee du Debarquement, Arromanches, France does not yet have a sponsor! In return for your sponsorhip, we will take a picture (with your logo if you prefer) of our Scouts at the museum, and we will also record a video of our youth thanking you by name from the site. In addition, you will be featured in our "Sponsor Hall of Fame", on our interactive map, and we will publically thank you through our social media channels encouraging the parents of our 100+ youth members to do the same.
All sponsors of our journey will also receive a certificate of thanks signed by all the youth who will be attending the trip.
We Work Hard for Our Donations!
Scouts are not looking for a hand-out, we are looking for the opportunity to work for our donations. As much as we appreciate donations, we also really appreciate the opportunity to provide a service in exachange for the donation. Our adult and youth members are insured by Scouts Canada for service projects, and the onus would NOT be on your business/organization in the unlikely event of injury. We can clean parking lots, shovel snow, rake leaves, clean windows, chop wood, complete light-moderate manual labour, data-processing, painting, customer service, trail maintenance, trash clean-up, web design, photography, graphic design and really anything else you can think of. You will not only be providing a donation to help the youth experience a trip that will literally change the way they look at their place in the world but you will also be providing these same youth with real work experience and life skills.
Sponsor our stop at the Musee du Debarquement, Arromanches, France
We are seeking a $250 donation to sponsor our trip to the Musee du Debarquement, Arromanches, France.
Please contact us if you are able to help.
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