Omaha Beach

Most of us stood around staring, mouths open, trying to take it all in. That beach is just so huge. It's so far from the waterline up to the sea wall. The bluffs are so high and forbidding. There are concrete bunkers and trench lines everywhere you look. There were something like 2,000 Germans defending that one stretch of beach at the Vierville draw. Good god, how did anyone survive?! I was one of many who spent some time on that beach on the 4th of July, shaking my head in wonderment, disbelieving what had happened on that spot 65 years before.

Len told us about some of the stories that we know through pop culture and other, more factual bits of literature, and that many of them came from that very stretch of sand. For one day, we stood at the spot where many of the worst stories of Omaha Beach originate. In another time, that place was hell on earth.

Today I looked up something that Len told us about the infamous Bedford Boys of Virginia - the town that had a full generation of kids who were basically wiped out in a few hours' time. And it was right there in that spot. You know that scene in Saving Private Ryan when the boat drops its ramp and the entire platoon is cut to shreds by a waiting machine gun? That incident started with the Bedford Boys' experience. This monument was built on top of the bunker referenced in the story, the one at the mouth of the draw that faced east, down the beach:

There were many powerful moments on our trip, but for me I think that the trip to Omaha Beach topped the list. I came away with a couple pounds of sand and rocks which I plan to put into keepsake vials for myself and others.

The Davidson Crowd

All the photos are now downloaded, and I'll do my best to get some more out there for you to see along with some descriptions of the things we saw over those last few days of our trip. In the meantime, here is a good shot of the Davidson alumni group after dinner on our final night in Rudesheim.

In the days since our return I've spent a good deal of time thinking about all that we saw and did - what an amazing experience, and how nice to spend it with a group from Davidson!

Dinner Guests!

Bill Davis and Dennis Phillips.

Bruce Darden and Don Lupo.

We had the pleasure on our last night in Germany of being joined by two Davidson ex-pats, Don Lupo '78 and Dennis Phillips '65. They've each lived in the Frankfurt area for some time now, and had been attending the same church for a long time before they met each other and realized their Davidson connection. Good of them to come out and meet us!

Fathers and Sons

Gray and Seth Bullard on Omaha Beach.

Ross and Robert Manire atop the tower on the Meuse-Argonne battlefield.

Bruce Jr. and Bruce Darden Sr. in the Meuse-Argonne region.

Ward, Bill, and Kearns Davis at the Ludendorff Bridge site, Remagen.


So if you ask any of us who were on the trip this week, they would likely give you a somewhat predictable handful of highlights of our adventure: the scenery, the history, the guide (Franz) and historian (Len), the weather, the good company and conversation. But I'd add one to this that I'm not sure the others would: the joy of watching so many fathers and sons enjoying the journey together.

I'm back! Technical difficulties

Hey, everyone. The hotel in Metz two nights ago could give me a power converter, but didn't have internet service. The hotel in Hurtgenwald last night had internet service, but couldn't give me the converter for my out-of-juice computer.

We just checked into our palace in Darmstadt, and I've got both! So tonight I'll be able to post some things and some thoughts on our last night in Europe. I'm very sorry for the interruption.

Today was outstanding!

Photo above: the Ossuary at Verdun. Long story short, the remains of over 150,000 dead soldiers were piled up after the battle, and fill the lower level of this colossal monument.

July 5 - Normandy

It's pretty hard to follow a 4th of July tour of the invasion beaches. We had a great day, though it felt like we spent quite a bit of time on the bus. But we spent time in Bayeaux to see the cathedral and the tapestry, Rouen to see the cathedral there as well as some amazing architecture and the spot where Joan d'Arc was martyred at the stake, and we also strolled through some fields where the hedgerows were preserved as they were back in 1944.

In any case, I've been having a pretty difficult time getting photos uploaded quickly this morning, so I'm afraid I'll have to do just one from yesterday (and put the rest up when I have a better connection or when I'm home).

Today we're off to Belleau Wood and Verdun - pretty amazing locations. The Davidson group is doing really well, and it's been tremendously easy to enjoy everyone's company.

July 4th Photos from the Invasion Beaches

Our historian, Len, making a point on Omaha Beach (in front of the Vierville draw).


The Niland brothers' burial site - they were the inspiration for the Saving Private Ryan story.

German casement at Pointe du Hoc.

Ward at lunch, Ste. Mere Eglise.

The church at Ste. Mere Eglise, with its parachute reminder.

Peter on Utah Beach.

Mike and Loretta on Utah Beach.

Sorry for the quick post, but we're headed out to the marina area for a drink, and I wanted to get some of our photos from the day up here. More tonight (or tomorrow, at least!).

Elena, I love you and miss you. Kiss the boys for me.

Friday - Paris to Caen

If it weren't for one particular alumni director who managed to sleep through every attempt at waking him, the group would have left at 7:45 this morning for the long drive to Normandy. But we left at 8:05, and fought the traffic getting out of the city before somewhat clear sailing to Caen.

The Caen Memorial Museum was our next stop, and it was an impressive facility. A couple of folks commented on how interesting it was to see a history that we Americans think we "know," but that is a bit different when seen through a different set of eyes. For instance, this museum spent a great deal of space detailing the French Resistance, the partitioning of France during the Vichy years, and life under the occupation. In the photos above, that's a Britsh Typhoon fighter-bomber on the left: a really menacing airplane; on the right, in front of an Omaha Beach memorial, is Chris Gardocki, the former Steelers and Clemson punter who happens to be on the trip with us this week.

The next stop of the day was at Pegasus Bridge, the drawbridge over the Orne River just a few miles up from the beach. It was the objective of the British and Canadian paratroopers and glider forces, and it's a much-celebrated aspect of the Normandy invasion. Most unbelievable was to see how close to the bridge the glider pilots were able to land their plywood and canvas aircraft. The lead glider stopped just 47 yards from the east approach of the bridge, and the glider troops took their objective in just a few minutes. Had they not been successful, an entire German panzer division could have crossed into the morning's bridgehead area and pushed the British and Canadian amphibious forces back into the English Channel. It's really a remarkable story. Here we see the Bruce Dardens in front of the original bridge structure, which was replaced in the early 90s but is preserved at the musuem just a short distance from its original location.

Caen is a city of perhaps 250,000, but it doesn't feel that large when you're in the city center. It's a pleasant town, and appears to be very livable. When Montgomery failed to take the city in the opening days of the campaign, and in fact was still unable to break through after a full month, he grew impatient and decided that the way to dislodge the German defenders was to bomb the place to the ground. It's been a sore spot in Anglo-French relations since then, as the "liberators" from across the Channel laid waste to one of France's historical jewels. Miraculously, many ancient churches, the two abbies that were established by William the Conqueror, and William's castle itself managed to be spared. Save for these wonderful landmarks, Caen is a very new-looking city, which is kind of a shame since the older architecture is just so beautiful.


The good news in Caen is that the beers that were costing us 8 Euros in Paris last night are only 2.50 here. A group of us enjoyed a couple of drinks on the sidewalk this afternoon, out in the sun by the river, before tonight's excursion up to Guillaume's castle. Gorgeous!

Paris!

Oh, my goodness. What a hot, fun, all-too-quick trip that was into the city for us all today.

I think that it's safe to say that most of the group made its way into Paris today to take in the typical tourist sites. We all (most of us, anyway) arrived around 7am this morning at CDG, and by the time we made it to the nearby hotel it was 9am. We took the shuttle to the train station, and waited for more than 30 minutes in line for tickets......


And even once we got to the front of the line, most of us got the wrong tickets and had to get back into the back of the line to get the right ones. Brutal. (pictured: Seth Bullard, Ward Davis '94, Bill Davis '60). I mean, how does this Western country stay afloat with this sort of organization?! Anyone?!

We did the Louvre. We did the Champs des Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe. We did Notre Dame and Sainte Chapelle. We did the Bastille. The Musee de Orsay. The Tour Eiffel. The Trocadero. What a gorgeous and historic city!

We ended the afternoon with a guided bus tour of Paris with our guides Alice, Franz, and Len. And then we made it back to the hotel for a reception and dinner featuring complimentary wine and somewhat venison-like steak.

Then, after a significant thunderstorm (let's all hope that it brings a change of climate for the rest of the week!), several of us made it out to the porch for the late sunset, a few drinks, and some fun and thoughtful conversation. (pictured: Bruce Darden '78, Ross Manire '74, Tom Moore '88, Robert Manire '07).
Lessons learned today:

• Walk slowly and read public transportation signage V-E-R-Y S-L-O-W-L-Y.
• Allot at least 20 minutes to getting any sort of ticket to anything... and then allot another 20 minutes to making it from your ticket purchase to the point where you can actually use that ticket.
• Consider the fact that 20 oz. beers often cost 8 Euros, or about $10 each.
• Before leaving on a trip, take into account how much fun you can have with a group of people that you might not know that well right at that moment in time.
• Before leaving on a trip, remember how much you'll miss your wife and children.

More tomorrow! Two full days in Normandy. Can't wait.

WWII Trip is Underway!

The WWII in Europe Davidson Alumni trip is underway! Our Boeing 767 left Charlotte pretty much on time today, July 1st, at around 4:30 p.m. On the way down the concourse I spotted Bill ’60 and Ward ’94 Davis, so stopped into the restaurant where they were sitting and had a drink with them to talk about the trip, about the NBA draft, and about the prospects for Davidson basketball in the coming year. As we made our way to the gate we connected with Kearns Davis ’91, who had a few work-related phone calls to complete before he unplugs for the next week. I suspect that along with the four of us, that there are another seven Davidson travelers on this flight (while Ross ’72 and Robert ’07 Manire made other arrangements from Chicago).
There is a six-hour time difference from Davidson to Paris; when we arrive at Charles deGaulle at 6:30 a.m. local time it will be just after midnight back home. The first day is actually a relatively casual day spent banging around Paris before we begin our history tour in earnest on Friday. For those of you keeping score at home, I am posting the week’s itinerary below. More to come as soon as we start seeing things, and I start taking photos with the new camera Elena surprised me with this afternoon before I left!
Thursday, July 2

• Day in Paris
• Evening reception and dinner at the hotel (near CDG airport)

Friday, July 3

• Morning departure for Normandy
• Caen (and the D-Day Memorial Museum), Pegasus Bridge
• Overnight at hotel in Caen

Saturday, July 4

• Full day on the Normandy battlefields
• St. Mere Eglise, Utah Beach, Pointe du Hoc, Omaha Beach, the American Cemetery
• Overnight at hotel in Caen

Sunday, July 5

• The Bocage and Hedgerow Country
• Bayeaux (and the Tapestry), St. Lo, Rouen
• Back for another night at the hotel near CDG

Monday, July 6

• A day looking at the roots of WWII and exploring some of the notable killing fields of The Great War.
• Belleau Wood, the Meuse-Argonne region, and Verdun
• Overnight at hotel in Metz

Tuesday, July 7

• The Battle of the Bulge
• Diekirch (and the Bulge Museum), Bastogne, Malmedy
• Overnight at hotel in Hurtgenwald-Simonskall

Wednesday, July 8

• The Battle of the Hurtgen Forest
• Kommerscheidt, Remagen (and the site of the Ludendorff Bridge), Darmstadt, and the Rhine River
• Traditional German dinner in Darmstadt, including a possible connection with “locals” Don Lupo ’78 and Dennis Phillips ’65.
• Final overnight at hotel in Darmstadt/Frankfurt.

Thursday, July 9

• 11:45 flight out of Frankfurt
• Back to Charlotte by 3:15 p.m. local time!

Our group:

• Bill ’60, Ward ’94, and Kearns ’91 Davis
• Gray Bullard ’81 and son, Seth
• Mike Coltrane ’68
• Loretta Fiacco
• Bruce Darden ’78 and father, Bruce
• Ross Manire ‘74
• Robert Manire ’07 (who will turn 24 on July 8th)
• Tom Moore ‘88

So 13 of us in the Davidson family, and 24 others who are joining our trip from all over the country A great group! p.s. The entry above was written on the plane before we all connected in Paris. I will post more after tonight's dinner (for which I'm late!).