Today was all about the American input at Utah and Omaha beach. The Rangers, the Parachuters…) If you look at the top left of the Church you can see John Steele playing dead (obviously not him, but a mannequin they put up each year).

When we arrived at Omaha beach it was packed with families frolicking in the water. Our guide, Colonel Christopher…. said his first reaction is how unfitting it felt when describing the scenes of June 6th, but then he realised that this is exactly what the people were fighting for.

The landings at Omaha went disasterously wrong on all counts and had a huge proprtion of deaths in comparison to the other landings. (Those who survived eventually went on to do great things).

We went to the German War cemetery…. Very dark and gothic… The top photo shows someone who killed about 20 allied men in five minutes. The flowers made me sick, Out of every grave there this was the most decorated. People on the tour with me said it was because he was strong; fighting for his people. But you know what…??? We weren’t aggressive. We weren’t trying to take France. We were trying to save ourselves. And though these men were just people; single men, don’t dare try to make the ‘struggles’ the same. Aggressor and defender. NOT the same.

The American cemetery, was, and no offense intended to Americans; American. Grand, HUGE (140 acres for approximately 9000 graves). Again, and not because of my nationality, I prefer the British graves. Each grave is more personal and the smaller cemeteries mean they were buried with their comrades nearer the place of death,  places they were trying to fight for.