Visit to Normandy

“War” – actually only five letters – but you could write an infinite amount about it alone.

So much that entire libraries and millions of letters could not contain it. Historically, there have always been wars – they are also sometimes described with synonyms such as disputes, conflicts, etc. – Here too, as the current times show, there were and are enough terms and rhetoric.

Here I would like to agree a little with the previous blog post/topic by Thomas Schlee, especially since we have often visited Brittany, including the “former fortress of Brest”, with most of its batteries, fortifications and also the submarine bunkers there – and so the events of the paratrooper Lipowski are also known or present.

This time, however – and here I did the math – we were in Normandy again, also for the second time – and the first time was about 25 years ago. The basis was the film “The Last Day” – so that together with a friend and our T3 bus, equipped with the obligatory travel guide and map, I headed to various locations that we knew from the film.

As a soldier, I see it as a duty, but for me personally it is also good manners to show the soldiers their respect. And so I end by visiting the respective military cemetery – also to pause for reflection.

With the visit to the German military cemetery “La Gambe”, one of the largest military cemeteries in Normandy, which is very well looked after by the war graves commission, the circle closes and so does this article.

And I have time to reflect: “War graves and military cemeteries show the last stage of the war – final” “He who was lucky enough to be buried with a name can be happy” “War really only has losers – be it soldiers, their families or, above all, the civilian population.”

“La Gambe” is located in Colleville-sur-Mer and is freely accessible every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The graves of 9,387 fallen soldiers are in the cemetery.

The names of 1,557 are written on the semicircular wall on the east side of the memorial A lot has happened here, especially at the locations – be it the landing beaches, resistance nests, coastal batteries, or the war graves.

Whether you are a fan of museums or not, a lot is being done here too. Some coastal batteries have been or are being restored. For example, the "Longues-sur-Mer" battery has been supplemented by a large car park with a visitor center. Despite the low season, the locations attract numerous visitors.

This is true of all age groups and also in connection with school trips, unlike in Germany, for example, where some witnesses and signs of the past - which also represent a confrontation with history - would be best not to be there.

However, and I am only expressing my opinion here - where can I learn better from the past for the future - than on site and with something that I can perhaps grasp better than with a book or a projector presentation.

And I think the French have recognized and implemented this much better than we Germans. And the Americans are also better positioned there, as we could see, for example, when we visited the military cemetery above Omaha Beach.

Soldiers who were missing or of bodies that could not be found or identified. I can highly recommend a visit.

I hope you enjoyed this post and if you have anything to say or questions, please write them in the comments.

Goodbye, your Tobi