Page 13 - Eagleye Spring 2020

corridors and probably more heavily fortified and armed than its exterior. This told the story of Lieutenant Bob Orrell from the Royal Engineers, who with a team of three men captured the outpost in four hours against two officers and fifty men. For our next stand we headed to the beach to see the perfectly preserved ‘One Charlie’ AVRE Tank and saw how important it was to the success of the beach landings. After this we went to JUNO beach to gain an insight of D-Day landings from a Canadian perspective before heading back to the hotel in Bayeux.
Our third day was focused on D-Day from a US perspective, with the first stand of the day being the Airborne Museum in Sainte-Mare- Eglise. This was a very modern museum which focused on the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions. Upon arrival we were handed interactive tablets that could be used through-out the museum as both a virtual tour guide and a way to interact with many of the stands which made the experience much more interactive. After Sainte-Mare-Eglise we headed to Pointe-du-Hoc, where the 24th Rangers Battalion climbed a vertical cliff face in order to capture and destroy an artillery battery located on top. After seeing the cliff face it’s hard to believe that it was possible for an assault to take place there, which made it
even more impressive that the position was successfully taken. The next destination was Omaha Beach, in which the famous ‘Saving Private Ryan’ opening scene was set. Being at Omaha beach we saw both similarities and differences with how the landings were portrayed, which I found very interesting. For our twelfth stand of the study we visited the impressive US War Cemetery in St-Laurent- Sur-Mer, followed by the Royal Engineers Memorial. This gave everyone a chance to reflect on the sacrifices made in during the war. Later in the day we visited the museum in Arromanches and had a presentation on how the Mulberry Harbours were constructed and what a huge engineering feat they were. We finished the day by heading to Longues- sur-Mer to see a Coastal Defence Battery.
On our last day of stands, we visited Hill 112 in Baron-Sur-Odon first, where we learned about Operation Goodwood and the Allied advance. At the top of Hill 112, we could see for miles all around us, this put into context what an important location it was. The next four stands were about the tank battles that took place at Touffreville, Four, Le Clos and Le Prieure. Being on the ground we saw how boggy it can get and how hard it must have been for wheeled vehicles during operations. We also learned about the
Commonwealth Wargrave site in Bayeux
differences between the German and British tanks and how varying tactics were needed to defeat the Germans.
Our final day finished with a Remembrance Parade and laying a wreath at the Commonwealth Wargrave site in Bayeux. After a week of learning about the courage and sacrifices from soldiers during the Normandy Campaign, we all gained a better understanding and appreciation for all those who took part. It was a suitable ending to an educational week and allowed us all to reflect and better understand the events that happened during the Normandy Campaign.
Pegasus bridge in operation
Memorial Service
Original Pegasus Bridge
Omaha War Cemetery
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