First thing that became apparent was how many good locations there were with a good amount of space to park vehicles (up to minibus/people carrier size). There were a few locations that were not only unsuitable but also would not add much to a trip as the ground or present features did not really show anything that could not be covered elsewhere.
Walking the ground is also very easy and agin shows some useful features. I wasn't sure how feasible some locations would be to walk between with a group (even though I was using Paul Reed's 'Walking D-Day'). But having walked a number of potential stands feel that it would be worth while, especially the ascent to WN60 which seems to follow the rough route taken by the assaulting troops on D-Day.
WN60 was well worth the trek and thanks must go to the Guild of Battlefield Guides 'Dispatches' magazine and Paul Oldfield's article about going off of the beaten track on 'Omaha' beach. The various emplacements and the view across 'Omaha' from up at this position were stunning to say the least.
I also made the effort to visit the American and German military cemeteries around the 'Omaha' area. I think this is important as it shows the costs to the participants involved and also shows how each nation approaches its remembrance of its war dead.
Here are a few pictures from the Recce and I hope to be able to put a few more up soon with further details relating to them.
Navy Memorial - Utah Beach
Richard Winters Memorial
View from WN60 out across 'Omaha' the view was stunning
Pointe Du Hoc - The scars of bombardment and battle still ever present
I hope to have another blog post with some more pictures later/next week.
