|
WWII History: The following article is a pictorial tour of the American military cemetery at Normandy. This cemetery was featured in the opening and closing scenes in the movie Saving Private Ryan. |
This Embattled Shore
The American Cemetery at Normandy
High on the bluffs near the village of Colleville-sur-Mer, France, sits one of the most moving landmarks to the American people and their history. Here together now at rest lie thousands of American servicemen and women who were killed in the liberation of France. This vast American WWII military cemetery overlooks the landing spot at Normandy once codenamed 'Omaha', now a peaceful beach backed by rolling, grassy dunes that rise up to the wooded heights.
View of Omaha beach from the American Cemetery at Normandy.
The cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer is one of fourteen such American military cemeteries that are located overseas, although it is by far the most well known. The cemetery encompasses over 170 acres of ground, and is maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commission. As with all WWII military cemeteries in France the grounds are immaculately maintained by the French people.
Tree-lined pathway overlooking Omaha beach.
Viewed from above the cemetery is laid out as a large rectangle. It is bordered on the northern side, which overlooks the Channel and the landing beaches, by a broad, tree-lined path. Along this path is a viewing spot where a plaque has been laid that diagrams the landing zones of June 1944. A path can be taken from the cemetery that winds its way down the bluff to the beaches, passing a number of smashed concrete bunkers now mostly consumed by the weather and earth.
American Cemetery at Normandy, aerial view.
Within the cemetery are ten grave plots, five on either side of a wide central walkway. The plots are labeled A through I, and can be used to help visitors locate individual gravestones. Buried here are 9386 soldiers, each with a bright white marble headstone. The inscription for each lists the name of the soldier, place of birth, unit, and the date of their death. Among the graves are four women, 33 pairs of brothers, one father and son, and three winners of the Medal of Honor, whose gravestones are inscribed with gilded lettering.
Gravestone, Medal of Honor winner.
As you walk through the graves they are aligned so that no matter where you stand they seem to line up, fanning out in all directions. It is impossible through photographs to adequately describe the size of the cemetery and the impact the sheer number of graves makes on a visitor. Only a long walk through aisle after aisle, seeing the names and states familiar to our lives, and reading again and again the poignant date of death of June 6, 1944.
At the west end of the cemetery are two large marble statues, representing France and the United States. They look up the main walkway towards a small round chapel placed in the center of the cemetery. On the wall of the chapel is the following inscription:IN GRATEFUL MEMORY OF HER SONS
WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE LANDINGS ON THE NORMANDY BEACHES AND IN
THE LIBERATION OF NORTHERN FRANCE.
THEIR GRAVES ARE THE PERMANENT
AND VISIBLE SYMBOL OF
THEIR HEROIC DEVOTION AND THEIR SACRIFICE IN THE
COMMON CAUSE OF HUMANITY
The small chapel, which is no more than 20 feet across inside, is open to visitors. Inside is an altar, behind which are the flags of the United States, Canada, France, and Great Britain. A large stained-glass window overlooks the room. Inside is the following inscription:THAT JUSTICE AMONG NATIONS MIGHT PREVAIL AND
THAT MANKIND MIGHT ENJOY FREEDOM AND INHERIT PEACE.
At the eastern end of the cemetery is the entrance gate, and also the site of the largest memorial on the grounds. Dominating the cemetery's architecture is a semi-circular, colonnaded memorial raised up several steps above the grounds. Inside the memorial, which is open to the air along its interior, are large map boards showing the movements of armies in WWII and details of major campaigns.
Memorial at Eastern Gate.
The top edge of memorial, in tall letters, is the inscription:
Bronze Statue at Eastern Memorial.
The semi-circular memorial wraps around a central bronze statue titled, "The Spirit of American Youth Rising over the Waves". The entire memorial looks out over a large reflecting pool and a grassy mall with two tall flagpoles.
Reflecting Pool and Chapel.
Behind the memorial is the Garden of the Missing. This quiet part of the grounds, which is a small planted area with pathways, is surrounded by a high wall on which are the names of over 1550 men who are missing in action. The inscription across the top of the wall reads:WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE SERVICE OF THEIR
COUNTRY AND WHO SLEEP IN UNKNOWN GRAVES.
THIS IS THEIR MEMORIAL.
THE WHOLE EARTH THEIR SEPULCHER.
COMRADES IN ARMS WHOSE RESTING PLACE
IS KNOWN ONLY TO GOD.
"Here Rests In Honored Glory
A Comrade In Arms
Known But To God."
The Omaha beaches themselves have been preserved in large part by the French government, and with the support of the local population. (There is a strong sense of affinity with the United States here among the French people.) Most of the German fortifications have been removed for the obvious safety concerns, since most were badly damaged in the fighting.
In the seaside village of Vierville, located on the western end of the Omaha landing area, the local inhabitants have in some cases built their houses into the fortifications, turning them into rooms or basements. Others have understandably reclaimed the ground by removing all trace of the occupation.
Bluffs at Vierville.
| This article on the American military cemetery at Omaha beach is continued on the next page. |
