Arromanches-les-Bains France
WW2 D-Day Beaches & Mulberry Harbor in Arromanches
by Celeste Lipford and Terry Lipford
Our Viking Cruise Ship the Viking Spirit was moored in Rouen, France which was the final west-bound port stop for our cruise. WIth Rouen being 160
kilometers from Arromanches-les-Bains, Viking offered a Bus Tour Daytrip which the majority of the passengers signed up for.
After yet another delicious Viking River Cruise breakfast (onboard the Viking 'Spirit'), we piled onto tour buses and departed for the invasion beaches at 8:00AM. First stop was to be "Gold Beach sector", the British invasion point, which lies between Le Hamel and Ver sur mer, France.
From an historical perspective, this was just an amazing tour, to see and stand and walk on the same beaches, that the invasion forces landed upon, it felt like we were walking inside a history book! Several interesting points were made that I was not aware of, ie;
- The overall invasion beaches area was approximately 45 miles in width. The idea was that by hitting France in such a wide range of locations, the Germans would not be able to centrally attack the invasion forces. Obviously, this approach worked very well.
- German strong points (aka; pill boxes & larger artillery emplacements) were scattered out on the bluffs overlooking the beaches, and were comprised of long range cannon (155mm) and shorter range cannon (100mm) designed to hit either the beaches, or the invasion force ships. All of these "strong points" were also heavily defended by German troops with machine guns and anti-armor weapons.
- The temporary harbors constructed by the Allies (aka; mullberry units) consisted of two locations, one in the Gold Beach British sector, and the other at the Omaha Beach American sector. The Omaha Beach temporary harbor, was destroyed in a storm shortly after D-Day, and the caissons that were not destroyed, were towed to Gold Beach, and re-used to re-build that temporary harbor.
- Many of the mulberry caissons are still sitting in the water off Gold Beach, a credit to the people that built them, for lasting over 70 years now.
- There are 9,387 soldiers buried in Colleville-sur-mer cemetery. This is a beautiful site, overlooking Omaha Beach, and the people buried there are the true heroes of WWII. There are a total of 26 American cemeteries in France (8 from WW2 and 18 from WW1), and a quick Google search will show you how well they are maintained.
- Omaha Beach was approximately 7,500 yards in width, with sheer cliffs that arise shortly after the sandy beach. Where there were not "sheer cliffs", there were 100 foot tall bluffs that were covered in heavy vegetation.
- It is entirely possible, that if the German Army main focus had not been on Russia, that the invasion would have failed. The Russian Front was eating up German soldiers and armor, at an incredible pace, and Hitler would not release to the German Commanding General (Erwin Rommel) the armored units that Rommel needed to repulse the invasion.
- There was a point in time, where the Omaha Beach American Invasion Commander (Gen. Omar Bradley), briefly considered telling Eisenhower that he was going to remove the American invasion force and retreat. This was caused by the enormous loss of American lives (2,400 dead or missing) during those first few hours, but he eventually was convinced to put ashore the second wave of the invasion forces, and the rest is history.
How did we get to Omaha Beach?
Click above image to view a larger Google Map
As part of Operation Overlord, British forces landed on Gold Beach to secure a crucial foothold in German-occupied territory. The invasion involved coordinated efforts by infantry, engineers, and armored units. Despite facing challenges such as strong German defenses, the Allies successfully established a beachhead, contributing to the overall success of the Normandy landings. Today, remnants of this historic event, including bunkers and memorials, can still be explored on Gold Beach.
The Gold Beach area was more than 8 kilometers wide and included the coastal towns of La Rivière and Le Hamel. On the western end of the beach was the small port of Arromanches, and slightly west of that port was the town of Longues-sur-Mer.
Gold Beach Map
Image # 1 (left side) gives you an example of the tidal variations that occur at Gold Beach. I am standing on the sea wall with Ron and Elaine, and Celeste took this picture from the beach below.
This was morning low tide, and the water was approximately 200 yards out from the sea wall (Celeste hiked out to the water, just to be able to say she stood in the English Channel). The height of the sea wall is because not only does the tide rise considerably, but a storm will bring the water blasting against it ! Tidal variation here range between 3 to 6 meters (9+ to 18+ feet) in height.
Image # 1 (left side) was taken in front of the Hôtel De La Marine in Arromanches-les-Bains and is the property of Just Traveling Thru, LLC.
Musée du Débarquement; Arromanches
This museum was next to the parking lot in Arromanches, and contained quite a bit of military equipment from the invasion. This gun (in image # 1) was a German 88mm, which was one of their more effective tank killers and also used as anti-aircraft. As you can see in this image, it was a magnet for the small boys playing there that day. The museum is located along the Place du Six Juin 1944 street.
Longues-sur-Mer Artillery Battery
After lunch, the tour bus took us to the Longues-sur-Mer Artillery Battery, six kilometers from Arromanche.
This was a World War II German artillery battery constructed near the French village of Longues-sur-Mer. The battery was sited on a 60 meter (200 foot) cliff overlooking the sea and formed a part of Germany's Atlantic Wall coastal fortifications. It was located between the Allied landing beaches of Gold and Omaha and shelled both beaches on D-Day (6 June 1944). These were 150mm large guns with a range of 20 kilometers and a rate of fire of six to eight shots per minute.
NOTE: For more information, click here to go to the Longues-sur-Mer battery Wikipedia Page.
Mulberry Units still in the Water
This image is the property of
Myrabella via Wikimedia Commons.
Image is the property of
Imperial War Museum via Wikimedia Commons using the Public Domain License.
Image is the property of Oxyman via Wikimedia Commons.
The Mulberry Units were used to construct "Mulberry Harbours" or temporary portable harbours developed by the United Kingdom during the Second World War to facilitate the rapid offloading of cargo onto beaches during the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944.
As you can see in image # 2 (taken in September 1944 above Arromanches) these Mulberry Harbors were used continously to bring soldiers and supplies ashore during and after the invasion. Without these harbors, heavy guns and armored vehicles would have been impossible to put ashore.
After the Allies successfully held the beachheads following D-Day, two prefabricated harbours were taken in sections across the English Channel from UK with the invading army and assembled off Omaha Beach (Arromanches). The fact that they are still intact is a testament to their sturdy construction.
NOTE: The history of these WW2 Mulberry Units is fascinating, click here to go to the Mulberry Harbor Wiki Page to read more about them.
Bar du Six Juin in Arromanches
After a nice lunch at the Bar du Six Juin in Arromanches, we all piled back onto the tour buses for a stop at the Longues-sur-Mer Artillery Battery before we headed off to the Colleville-Sur-Mer cemetery.
WARNING: Our entire tour group ate lunch here, and even though Viking Cruises had given them a "head count", because Americans like to "spread out" and as we were the last people to enter the pub, we nearly did not get a seat! Moral of the story is to not be the last people to enter on these types of tours.
Colleville-sur-mer Cemetery Map
Colleville-sur-mer Cemetery
This picture should give you an idea of how beautiful the grounds are at this Colleville-sur-mer cemetery, beautifully aintained in a stunning location. The cemetery is on top of the bluffs that front Omaha Beach, and from an overlook, one can see Gold Beach off in the distance to the north.
Colleville-sur-mer Cemetery Graves
This picture shows you a small portion of the 9,387 grave sites in Colleville-sur-mer cemetery. Jewish graves have a star on them, all others have the standard cross. The name of the deceased and the date of their death, and birth location, is recorded on each cross.
Colleville-sur-mer Cemetery Memorial
The memorial includes maps and details of the Normandy landings and military operations that followed. At the memorial's center is the "Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves", a bronze statue. The cemetery also includes two different flag poles which at two different times people gather around the American flags to watch them lower and fold both flags. This not only honors the United States but all the 9388 people in the cemetery plus everyone who fought in the war.
This cemetery was established by the U.S. First Army on June 8, 1944 and dedicated in 1956, and is the most visited cemetery run 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. It was the first American cemetery on European soil in World War II.
Les Braves Omaha Beach Memorial Map
Located on Omaha Beach, one of the key invasion sites, the memorial comprises three stainless steel sculptures representing the struggle and triumph of Allied forces. Created by Anilore Banon, the sculptures symbolize the elements of Wings of Hope, Rise Freedom, and the Wings of Fraternity. Visitors can reflect on the sacrifices made during the Normandy landings and honor the courage of those who participated in this historic event. The memorial serves as a powerful reminder of human resilience.
Click here for a more in depth description of the monument and a good video.
Some Useful Links
NOTE: Below are some useful links where you can find even more information about the areas we have described on this page. There are of course, many other useful websites & pages, so for something specific, we would suggest using Google Search.
- Just Traveling Thru European Travel Tips
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- Google Search Results list for "Restaurants in Arromanche"
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- Things to do in Arromanche from the 'Lonely Planet' Site
- Things to do from the 'France this Way' Site
- Things to do in Arromanches-les-Bains on the "Get Your Guide" Site
- Amazon Search Results list for "Arromanches-les-Bains"
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- Our Image Gallery for Arromanches-les-Bains
- Wikipedia Article for Arromanches-les-Bains
- Google Image Gallery for Arromanches-les-Bains
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