World War II tour of Normandy - Day 1

Here we learned all about WW II with the 101st airborne (paratroupers) and Easy company. A lot of this tour was based on the Band of Brothers series. They give you stories about the actual men, what they went through, etc. We have pictures of bunkers, trenches, etc. It was a real eye opener into what these men went through. In Normandy, there are lots of memorials on the side of the road dedicated to the men who lost their lives. There is so much I could say here, but one thing to note is that a lot of the places in Normandy are left just as they were during the war (the places that didn't get bombed, that is). We toured a house here which a lot of famous photographs were taken, and it is left just as it was when the U.S. got the Nazi's out. There is a famous picture where a bunch of men are holding the Nazi flag in front of a building and this is the house where that picture was taken. Nothing has changed in this house. The first picture is of a church where a man was parachuted onto a church and got caught and played dead and survived the attacks. There is a model of a man and a parachute hanging here today. Basically, if you were a paratrouper, you were going to die. Most men didn't land in the area they were supposed to and had to walk in the dark to find their position. Other men landed in water and drowned because their equipment was so heavy. These men of the 101st airborne were to take out the German guns before the other men landed on the beaches of Utah and Omaha. They landed around 2 in the morning and had to take out the guns before the men landed on the beach at 6:30. A house across from the church caught on fire early in the morning and this provided light for the men to find their way into St. Mere Eglaise which is where the first attack happened. The house is still there next to a WWII museum. The water pump, which the civilian men used to help put out the fire is still there and working. We just missed the 66th anniversary of D Day by one week. The people of Normandy are still very greatful and there are American, British and French flags all over the area.