Normandy

For the oblivious, Omaha beach looks like any other. No traces of casualties, of human endurance, of failing machines, of an impossible job against an invincible enemy. But Normandy landings were all that and more. What isn’t obvious is the honorable mention of engineering support, an incredible feat, that most stories about the D-Day fail to cover. One such is the Mulberry harbour. The allied forces constructed two artificial ports, Mulberry “A” and “B”, in just three days. The remains of “B” near Arromanches can still be seen in the shallow waters off the coast of Normandy.

Photo of the Mulberry harbour showing a partially buried artifical port in Arromanches.
Mulberry harbour in Arromanches.

Aside from moving the troops through mine-infested and obstacled beaches, engineers not only had to make way for artillery, but also provide structural support to ensure continuous supply of equipment and men. The Normandy Landing, a paper by Barry W. Fowle, offers a flavour of the horror US Corps of Engineers faced.

Of the 16 M4 tank dozers scheduled to land with the assault gapping teams, only 6 got ashore. With the beach so crowded, the engineers defused the mines on obstacles instead of blowing them. They then used the tank dozers to shove the barriers aside. Eventually the Germans knocked out all but 1 of the dozers.

Despite the doubts and fears of the early hours on OMAHA, the invasion was successful. That success was, in great part, because of the efforts of engineers. They contributed to the victory in their dual role as engineers and infantry. Without their effort in clearing minefields on the beach, removing obstacles, constructing exit roads off the beach, and fighting in the line as infantrymen, the invading force might not have held the beach head and established the critical toe-hold in Nazi-occupied Europe.

Visiting these WWII sites around Bayeux has been educational — learning about the war in scattered musea around Normandy. We also saw families of former soldiers, now old folks, visiting for memorial services. The three nice and quiet days in Bayeux, combined with great weather, turned out to be quite an experience.