The Colleville-sur-Mer American Cemetery !!!

Posted in Europe, France

I have come back in my road warrior trails of my belle France and Normandy is tops ; see my many posts on it in my blog, I needed to be back and did in grand style me think. Nice experiences which had made us come back again to historically Colleville sur Mer, And we arrived late but took a peek more power to be back, eventually, Therefore, let me tell you about the Colleville-sur-Mer American Cemetery !!! Hope you enjoy it as I.

The village of Colleville-sur-Mer is located in the Calvados dept 14 ,in the region of Normandie of my belle France, It has aproximately 203 inhabitants, From Bayeux to the Cimetière Américain de Normandie and Overlord Museum in Colleville-sur-Mer is 17 km from Bayeux, 47 km from Caen, 271 km from Versailles, and 337 km from my current home, We went there from Bayeux on the road D613 ,then D97, and finally the D514 from which there is a road Route du Cimetiere Americain to the US Normandy Cemetery.

The main entrances generally guide visitors to enter through the east face and its neoclassical-style memorial, from which stands a seven-meter-high bronze statue, occupying the center of a semicircular colonnade honoring the airborne troops and their role as a shield they provided at both ends of the amphibious landing front during Operation Neptune. Facing west, its gaze encompasses the numerous alignments of graves. It symbolizes “The spirit of American youth rising from the waves.” The “Taps” (U.S. Army Post) can be heard after the carillon plays the Star-Spangled Banner and at the lowering of the flags. The ends of the memorial are composed of large loggias, on the walls of which are four maps of military operations. You have the Garden of Remembrance , The garden is located behind the memorial. It is bordered by a long, arc-shaped wall made up of a multitude of stone plaques inscribed, separated by bay leaves, with the names, rank, unit, and state of origin of the 1,557 missing persons whose remains could not be identified or even recovered, including more than 800 men of the 66th Infantry Division who perished in the 1944 torpedoing of the Belgian ocean liner Léopoldville while en route to Cherbourg (now the City of Cherbourg-en-Cotentin). From the memorial, past the water lily pond, the symbol of the beach, the path leads us to a central intersection where the multi-denominational chapel is located. This circular chapel, at the crossroads of the main aisles arranged in the shape of a Latin cross, houses flags, an altar and a mosaic designed in 1953. The altar is topped with a stained glass window decorated with stars symbolizing the states that make up the United States, as well as a Star of David with a dove in the center. The ceiling mosaic represents America blessing its children before their departure for Europe, going to fight by air or sea, then the return and repatriation of the soldiers. The woman on the right in a white dress, wearing a crown of seven ears of corn like the Statue of Liberty in New York, represents Liberty with a soldier, rifle in hand, ready for combat, while the woman on the left in a Phrygian cap represents France placing a laurel wreath on a dead soldier in gratitude. The angel and the dove in the center of the mosaic represent Peace, while the thirteen stars refer to the stars and thirteen stripes of the American flag.

The Colleville-sur-Mer American Cemetery is an American military cemetery located just above one of the landing beaches named Omaha Beach by the Allies, in the town of Colleville-sur-Mer , Calvados dept 14 on one of the sites of the Allied landings of June 6, 1944. Located between the towns of Colleville-sur-Mer and Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, the cemetery is oriented from east to west and overlooks Omaha Beach and the English Channel for its entire length over approximately 1 km and covers an area of ​​70 hectares (172.50 acres). Officially inaugurated on July 18, 1956 with its memorial, this cemetery honors American soldiers and civilians who died during the Battle of Normandy during WWII, as well as those of the Army Air Force shot down as early as 1942. The French State granted the United States government free disposal of the land on which the cemetery is built, free of charge and without limitation of duration, with exemption from all taxes or duties. The U.S. government has entrusted management of the cemetery to the American Battle Monuments Commission, a US government agency created in 1923 for “the construction and maintenance of monuments, memorials, and commemorative plaques abroad where the United States Armed Forces have served.”

The official American Battle Monuments Commission on the cemetery : https://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/about-normandy-american-cemetery/#.VlxMTspiVHZ

The town of Colleville sur Mer on the Americna cemetery :https://collevillesurmer.fr/cimetiere-americain/

A private site 6juin1944 on the American actions : http://www.6juin1944.com/assaut/omaha/en_index.php

There you go folks, another dandy in beautiful Normandie, and my belle France,never enough time to see it all, This is a memorable spots that should be visited more, me think. Glad to be back, we had a great time indeed ! Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Colleville-sur-Mer American Cemetery !!! as I

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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