Page 10 - Lifestyles in Palm Beach Gardens - June '20

Page 10, Lifestyles in Palm Beach Gardens
Normandy, Home Of D-Day

By Don Kiselewski, MCC,
D.S., Palm Beach Gardens
Travel Leaders
Battle sites hold a
unique place in the heart
of Americans. We visit
the locations and attempt
to picture the actions and
events that surrounded the
confrontation. We focus on
a picture in our mind’s eye
of how it must have been
during the heat of the conflict. At memorials like Pearl
Harbor, we wonder in amazement at the oil that is still The rolling hills and cliffs of Normandy where much of the
floating to the surface from the Battleship USS Arizona D-Day battle took place
that lies below the water. And, in Normandy, we crawl
through the concrete bunkers that formed the Atlantic the English Channel, only to welcome them with open
Wall and stare in amazement at the remains of the concrete arms some 500 years later when they were liberated from
structures that were towed from England and sunk at Hitler.
Arromanches to form the Mulberry Harbour. The white (chalk) cliffs of Dover are reflected on the
One would have to be oblivious to not realize the south side of the channel in the Le Havre and Cherbourg The Pegasus Bridge at Bénouville
attention that our media has paid to this world-shaping area. The waterfront between these two locations varies
event, perhaps the most important battle of World War from flat, wide-open beaches with minimal dunes, much the Atlantic Wall. German units commanded these catbird
II. June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day, was the launch the same as we have here in Palm Beach County, to an area positions that made it so difficult to secure and cost so
day for the final drive to expel Hitler and his forces where the beaches are quite narrow. In these narrow areas, many lives in the effort.
from dominance in Europe and perhaps the world – quite there is an initial dune line backed up by steep cliffs. In Behind the reaches of the shore lies the gently rolling
possibly the most important date in the 20th century. The some locations, these cliffs are in excess of 200 feet. It countryside which on the eastern end of the beaches is
consequences of the events that occurred on the beaches was just this type of beach that confronted the American open and fairly clear from landowner to landowner. It is
and battlefields of Normandy, France, changed the destiny troops at Omaha. The Germans greeted them from dug-in,
of the world. The history speaks for itself, however the concrete-reinforced, heavy artillery positions that formed Normandy on page 11
emotional impact to visitors of these historic beaches is
simply remarkable. “Service is our number one priority”
The lands along the 50 or so miles of the Baie de la
Seine, between the Cherbourg (or Cotentin) Peninsula and 561-743-0070
the mouth of the Seine River, underwent a coded name
change for the D-Day invasion, which in some instances www.palmspoolservices.com
have marked the area forever. The code names, Utah
and Omaha, used to define the beaches of the American
involvement, along with Mulberry, the name given to
the prefabricated harbor built at Arromanches, for the
invasion points can still be found on many maps today.
However, Gold, Juno and Sword, the cryptic names for
the British and Canadian landing sites, have disappeared.
Normandy has had a long history of invasions and even
received its name as a result of nearly 50 years of battles
that ended in the year 911. In that year, Charles the Simple
conceded some western territory to Rollo, who in return
swore homage to Charles, accepted baptism and agreed to
defend his kingdom against other Vikings. Normandy, the
duchy of Northmen (or Normans) was thus created. The
14th and 15th centuries again saw this area in conflict, Expires 6/30/20.
this time with the British. During this confrontation, the
French expelled the invaders, sending them back across State Licensed & Insured
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