France Trip 2004

Normandy - Point du Hoc

D-Day Beaches | American Cemetery | Pointe du Hoc | Mont St. Michel

Our last D-Day stop was Pointe du Hoc. This nearly 100 meter cliff overlooks both the Utah and Omaha D-Day invasion beaches. On D-Day, American rangers scaled the cliff and seized the German artillery pieces that could have fired on the American landing troops. At a high cost of life, they successfully overtook the position.

We heard that Pointe du Hoc was one of the better preserved World War II battlegrounds in Normandy , but we were still surprised at what we saw. The area is filled with giant craters and huge crumbled German bunkers. Though now overgrown with grass, it isn't hard to imagine how terrifying it would of been to be there during the Allied shelling.

Craters Everywhere

The cliff that was scaled during D-Day

Inside one of the standing bunkers - the light is only from the camera's flash. It was pitch dark in the bunker.

Decimated Bunker. This photo doesn't do justice to the size of this pile of rubble.

Probably where a cannon once stood

Monument to American Rangers

Destroyed Bunker (Jamie above right)

Normandy - American Cemetery France Trip Normandy - Mont St. Michel
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September 13, 2004