WWII - Armistice Day, 11/11/13

Ed Robinson gave us our tour of many of the WWII historic sites in Normandy on Sunday, 11/10.  It was our hope to return on Armistice Day on our own and linger at many of the spots for taking photos.  This was the first day that the weather did not cooperate with us but it turned out to be a good day anyway and we did not have to cope with the tourists taking advantage of the three-day weekend holiday.

Before the rain started we did stop just a few miles from where we were staying to visit the site of the capturing of the US 29th.

After a long march Commander Colonel Wilham E. Warfield allowed his troops to bed down for the night without digging in.  They woke in the morning to find themselves surrounded by German troops.  Warfield ran out of the house where he was staying and was shot.

In this photo you can see that the area where the troops were sleeping was an open field.

This is the house where Warfield was staying.  It is across the road from the field.

Because of the weather we visited the Musee Memorial d'Omaha Beach.  The admiration the French people have for the sacrifices made by the Allied troops is evident throughout the museum.  There is a real bond between many of the local residents and the returning soldiers who visit the sites and contribute items and financial support for the museums.

After visiting the museum, we had lunch at the Normandy Restaurant on Omaha Beach.  It had the best onion soup we had had and a nice beer menu.  We ended up eating there twice.  During our second visit, we met a couple from Dallas who seemed a little hesitant about the menu.  They seemed relieved to know we were fellow Texans and followed our menu recommendations.