France - June 2016- Omaha Beach - West side - Vierville-sur-Mer, Normandy
After St. Laurent, we continued driving west along the beach on what was now the Boulevard de Cauvigny. We came tothe west end of Omaha Beach where the draw to Vierville was.
Three German strongpoints defended the draw at Vierville: WN73, WN72 and WN71.
The 116th Regiment of the 29th Infantry Division came ashore here (and at St. Laurent).
This is looking east from the west end of Omaha Beach. A German concrete bunker is visible on the right (where the flags are). This was part of strongpoint WN72.
The centerpiece of strongpoint WN72 -- pictured here -- was a "concrete King Tiger" -- an R677 bunker with an 88mm gun inside. There were two of these 88mm bunkers on either end of Omaha Beach, providing a deadly crossfire across the entire landing area.
They have built a monument to the U.S. National Guard on top of the R677 bunker. Why the U.S. National Guard? The 29th Infantry Division was originally a National Guard formation and contained units from Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and West Virginia.. The division was called into active service on 3 February 1941. The 29th Infantry Division, under the command of Major General Leonard Gerow, was sent to England on 5 October 1942 on RMS Queen Mary. It was based throughout England and Scotland, where it immediately began training for an invasion of northern Europe across the English Channel. The 29th Infantry Division sent the 116th Infantry to support the western flank of the veteran 1st Infantry Division's 16th Infantry at Omaha Beach. They came ashore here at Vierville.
Notice that the 88mm gun is still in place. You can see how it is protected from naval gunfire and has a clear view of the length of Omaha Beach. This bunker and antitank wall were not completed until May 1944 and American intelligence was not aware of it.
The bronze plaque reads in both French and English the following: In commemoration of the determined effort by the soldiers of the 29th Division’s 116th Infantry Regimental Combat Team who landed the morning of June 6, 1944 on this section of Omaha Beach, known as exit D-1, to open the Vierville Draw behind you to begin the liberation of Europe.
There is a paragliding operation here but they weren't flying today.
