65th Anniversary of D-Day – June 2009

65th Anniversary of D-Day – June 2009

Take a look at John and Mike’s trip to the 65th D-Day reunion along the coast of Normandy, France.
I took over 500 photos the week I was there.
I posted only about 16 here.
The other 500 are in an album on the Picasa Photo Sharing site.

To check them out click on the following link: href=”http://picasaweb.google.com/kmbizal/Normandy2009#

Our first stop was at the Todt Battery near Calais. About a 2.5 hour drive from the Paris airport. A great view of the channel and interesting artifacts inside the Musee.
Our first stop was at the Todt Battery near Calais. About a 2.5 hour drive from the Paris airport. A great view of the channel and interesting artifacts inside the Musee.
Angoville au Plain church near St. Come du Mont. Used as an aid station during the first days of the battle. More pictures of this site on the album link.
Angoville au Plain church near St. Come du Mont. Used as an aid station during the first days of the battle. More pictures of this site on the album link.
One of my favorite trucks of the week. A really nicely restored short wheelbase GMC outfitted with period cargo to compliment the restoratation.
One of my favorite trucks of the week. A really nicely restored short wheelbase GMC outfitted with period cargo to compliment the restoratation.
A great group of guys from Austria and Belgium treated us to dinner and spirit tasting. Great hosts and new found friends.
A great group of guys from Austria and Belgium treated us to dinner and spirit tasting. Great hosts and new found friends.
My good friend, Mike in period uniform looking quite snappy. Posing behind the church in St. Come du Mont. Jeep courtesy of Rex Cadman of the War and Peace Show. He graciously let us use it most of the week. THANK YOU REX!!!!!
My good friend, Mike in period uniform looking quite snappy. Posing behind the church in St. Come du Mont. Jeep courtesy of Rex Cadman of the War and Peace Show. He graciously let us use it most of the week. THANK YOU REX!!!!!
The butcher shop in Crepon. Immaculately clean and the best sausice we had over there. A very pleasant business owner. He was glad to see us all. He did not speak English, but we had no problem communicating food. If you are ever near  Crepon, stop in and try their food. You will not be disappointed in it, or the service!
The butcher shop in Crepon. Immaculately clean and the best sausice we had over there. A very pleasant business owner. He was glad to see us all. He did not speak English, but we had no problem communicating food. If you are ever near
Crepon, stop in and try their food. You will not be disappointed in it, or the service!
A Willys MA. These folks drove it all over Normandy. We saw it on the road several times. I sure hope they have a LARGE insurance policy on this one. The man on the right is Petra from the Czech Republic. He owns the Mack NO I was  drooling over. You can see it on the album link.
A Willys MA. These folks drove it all over Normandy. We saw it on the road several times. I sure hope they have a LARGE insurance policy on this one. The man on the right is Petra from the Czech Republic. He owns the Mack NO I was
drooling over. You can see it on the album link.
A Federal wrecker staged with a jeep at the Jeep Est business set up. They had a nice display there.
A Federal wrecker staged with a jeep at the Jeep Est business set up. They had a nice display there.
Mike and I found this hedge row while driving in the country one afternoon. It was actually darker than the camera makes it appear. We drove down this while imagining what the soldiers would have been going through while trying to  navigate this countryside. Notice the D Day license plate? I took my remaining 26 plates with me. I could have sold a thousand of them. We got stopped all the time and asked where we got it, how much and could I get more. A bunch went to new friends over there.
Mike and I found this hedge row while driving in the country one afternoon. It was actually darker than the camera makes it appear. We drove down this while imagining what the soldiers would have been going through while trying to
navigate this countryside. Notice the D Day license plate? I took my remaining 26 plates with me. I could have sold a thousand of them. We got stopped all the time and asked where we got it, how much and could I get more. A bunch went to new friends over there.
Part of the history of the coast is the German Cemetery. Quite impressive in it's own right. Different than the US Cemetery, but beautiful too. Most graves have at least 2 soldiers per. The center mound is a mass grave with dozens of soldiers. Worth the visit too. They paid a heavy price also.
Part of the history of the coast is the German Cemetery. Quite impressive in it’s own right. Different than the US Cemetery, but beautiful too. Most graves have at least 2 soldiers per. The center mound is a mass grave with dozens of soldiers. Worth the visit too. They paid a heavy price also.
I know what made these tracks, do you? Click on the album link to find out. This is on Gold beach headed towards Arromanches. How would you like to have climbed these cliffs under fire? Scary stuff.
I know what made these tracks, do you? Click on the album link to find out. This is on Gold beach headed towards Arromanches. How would you like to have climbed these cliffs under fire? Scary stuff.
This is Stewart. He is my good friend Mark Rickard's son. You could not beat the smile off his face when we put him in the half track and ran down the beach. That's happy! Mark's father landed at Arromanches on D-Day as a Royal Engineer. Mark and Stewart along with the rest of his family live in the UK. This was his first trip back to Normandy for his father's rememberences.
This is Stewart. He is my good friend Mark Rickard’s son. You could not beat the smile off his face when we put him in the half track and ran down the beach. That’s happy! Mark’s father landed at Arromanches on D-Day as a Royal Engineer. Mark and Stewart along with the rest of his family live in the UK. This was his first trip back to Normandy for his father’s rememberences.
You are lookng at 2 old friends and one great new one. We met Erwin over there through my business and became fast friends. He lives near Vienna and was a fantastic guide and host. I owe him a great amount of gratitude for his gracious demeanor and friendship. He speaks 4 languages and was our interpreter between the French, Belgiuns, Czechs and his friends from Austria. A great bunch of people!
You are lookng at 2 old friends and one great new one. We met Erwin over there through my business and became fast friends. He lives near Vienna and was a fantastic guide and host. I owe him a great amount of gratitude for his gracious demeanor and friendship. He speaks 4 languages and was our interpreter between the French, Belgiuns, Czechs and his friends from Austria. A great bunch of people!
This is a very long convoy of near 400 trucks of all types headed from Ver Sur Mer down the beach at low tide headed for the Arromanches ceremony on Saturday the 6th of June. The first truck arrived and the last had yet to even start the engine.
This is a very long convoy of near 400 trucks of all types headed from Ver Sur Mer down the beach at low tide headed for the Arromanches ceremony on Saturday the 6th of June. The first truck arrived and the last had yet to even start the engine.
Is this a great picture or what? You would think we staged it. We didn't. This guy thought he could drive between the caissons. Little did he know that this is where the sewer water is let out into the channel from Arromanches. They tried a jeep first, no go. Then they tried a GMC with this tow rope and the guys help. SNAP! A new nylon tow strap and the GMC freed him, but what came out with him chased us all back. The stench that came out with this jeep was nasty. More pictures of this debacle and what ensued on the album link.
Is this a great picture or what? You would think we staged it. We didn’t. This guy thought he could drive between the caissons. Little did he know that this is where the sewer water is let out into the channel from Arromanches. They tried a jeep first, no go. Then they tried a GMC with this tow rope and the guys help. SNAP! A new nylon tow strap and the GMC freed him, but what came out with him chased us all back. The stench that came out with this jeep was nasty. More pictures of this debacle and what ensued on the album link.

Normandy09p
I took over 500 photos in all! To see my whole album click on the following link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/kmbizal/Normandy2009#

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