STE. MERE EGLISE AND UTAH BEACH

June 16, 2005

 

The next day, after our Caen Memorial experience, we again traveled north to visit the town of Ste. Mere Eglise.  This is the town where 13000 paratroopers landed on the night of June 5, 1944.  They were to help with the clearing of the enemy from Utah Beach and to protect the area, preventing German reinforcements from assisting the beach defenses.

 

The poor paratroopers had problems because of bad weather and they were scattered all over the countryside.  They were not able to reassemble quickly and this reduced their effectiveness.  One fellow, John Steele, got hung up on the parapet of the church, and he hung there for several hours while German snipers shot from the church belfry.  There is a dummy and parachute hanging on the church to commemorate Mr. Steele and the liberation of the town.

 

<>This town, more than any other place we have been in France, seems to be quite aware of the contribution made by the United States, Canada and Britain.  American flags are flying from almost every home and business and there are many testimonials from townspeople, expressing their gratitude to the American people.  Even the church displays homage to the American rescuers, with a stained glass window of Mary and child surrounded by American paratroopers raining down from the skies.
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We visited the Airborne Troops Museum in the town.  Don was quite interested in this display because the aircraft, a Dakota C47, and glider exhibits were just like the ones his dad flew in North Africa in 1942.  Les, Don’s father, flew in Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa in 1942, Operation Husky, the invasion of Italy in 1943 and Operation Dragoon, the invasion of southern France in 1944.  He also was involved in missions to deliver 160,000 pounds of cargo in southern France and 10,000 replacement troops to Cherbourg a few months after D Day.  In all he spent 23 months in the European Theater, putting in 350 hours flying combat missions. The battles he participated in include Tunisia, Algeria-French Morocco, Sicily, Naples-Foggia, and Rome-Arno.

 

I enjoyed the more personal displays of letters and photos from paratroopers who were part of the action, recounting their experience es.  There was a letter from John Steele recounting his experiences hanging from the church steeple, and also there was a letter from the German sniper who was in the belfry taking shots at him.  The sniper was just 19.  John Steele was more mature, having made many successful previous jumps. In 1994 a big reunion was held in the town and the museum has lots of recent photos of the soldiers, both American and German, and stories about their lives.

 

Next we visited Utah Beach, where one group of soldiers was deployed.  A number of stellae and markers there commemorate D Day and the many men who gave their lives to free France.