Jun

D-Day Remembrances: The Invasion of Normandy

by Meredith Mullins on June 6, 2019

Never Forget
© Meredith Mullins

Traveling through History: Five D-Day Stories

Traveling through the peaceful greenery of Normandy, it is hard to imagine a land once ravaged by WW II.

The rolling hills are dotted with flashes of white from the speckled Normande cows, famous for their cheese and butter; the statuesque stone church steeples in each town offer a comforting skyline; and the tiny winding roads are edged with towering hedges that once served to divide the farmers’ plots of land.

Today’s peaceful fields of Normandy
© Meredith Mullins

However, the memory of WW II is ever-present. The church steeples were observation towers and sniper posts. The hedgerows hid machine guns and mines. The fields were intentionally flooded by the Germans to make access more difficult for Allied forces.

Sainte-Marie-du-Mont in Normandy
© Meredith Mullins

It is impossible to escape the past—especially this year—the 75^thanniversary of the D-Day landings and Operation Overlord. The Allied invasion of Normandy was the largest amphibious assault in history (five infantry divisions and three airborne divisions).

Plage des Sables d’Or (Golden Sands Beach)—known now as Omaha Beach since June 6, 1944
© Meredith Mullins

More than 150,000 soldiers from the U.S., the United Kingdom, and Canada stormed the beaches on June 6, 1944, supported by nearly 7,000 vessels (from battleships to landing barges) and 12,000 aircraft. It was a day that changed the world—a turning point in WW II.

A memorial at Utah Beach
© Meredith Mullins

In almost every town, there are reminders of the value of liberty and tributes to those who sacrificed in the name of freedom—from abandoned bunkers to memorial statues, from bomb craters to endless rows of grave markers, from bullet holes to beaches that will be called by their code names forever— Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword.

Remnants of WW II at Pointe du Hoc in Normandy
© Meredith Mullins

With stories of courage, films and photographs that bring war horrors vividly to life, and the humble words of the dwindling number of WW II veterans who gave so selflessly in combat, the memory of the Normandy landings lives on.

It is the sadness that comes with such sacrifice that inspired my travel mission—a pilgrimage to pay tribute to that important time in history.

Never forget.

The Bayeux War Cemetery: Their Name Liveth For Evermore
© Meredith Mullins

Oh I See: Five Stories to Remember

I traveled from Bayeux to Sainte-Marie-du-Mont to Sainte-Mère-Eglise to Pointe du Hoc, to the beaches, to Colleville-sur-Mer and the American Cemetery.

I came away with tales of heroism, a better understanding of the detailed military operations and the strategic planning of both German and Allied forces . . . and deeper feelings of grief.

The “Oh, I see” moments were many. Here are five of the most memorable stories.

A German bunker at Pointe du Hoc in Normandy
© Meredith Mullins

Operation Fortitude

Fake news was alive and well in WW II. The Allies’ element of surprise for the Normandy invasion was paramount, so they sent fake transmissions to mislead the Germans and carried out bombing raids in the Pas-de-Calais area in the spring of 1944 rather than near the beaches of Normandy. This deception plan was codenamed Operation Fortitude.

Radio transmissions could be intentionally deceptive (as in Operation Fortitude).
© Meredith Mullins

In the meantime, the Allies were training on the beaches of south England and preparing the strategies for the June bombing raids, for the paratrooper assaults to take control of the roads and bridges, and for the integrated amphibious landings.

The Paratroopers

“We will accept nothing less than full victory. Good luck. And let us all beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.”—General Eisenhower

All the planning in the world couldn’t dictate the weather. The beach landings had to be done at dawn, during a full moon, and at low tide so that the landing barges wouldn’t be damaged by the German obstacles in the water.

Of the three targeted days (June 5, 6, and 7), a storm prohibited June 5. The weather improved, and June 6 was designated by General Eisenhower as D-Day. “OK. Let’s go,” was his command.

The planes dropping paratroopers in the early morning of June 6 were challenged by thick fog and German gunfire. Many of the jumpers landed far from their objectives—some in the fields strategically flooded by the Germans. Their job was to free the roads connecting the beaches, so that the Allied forces could continue their march from the sea, liberating the towns.

A replica of paratrooper John Steele landing on the Sainte-Mère-Eglise church steeple
on the morning of June 6, 1944.
© Meredith Mullins

The story of Sainte-Mère-Eglise was made famous (with a Hollywood touch of fiction) in the 1962 film “The Longest Day.” Because of the challenges for the paratroopers, several men of the Airborne divisions landed on the town church.

John Steele dangled from the steeple. Kenneth Russell was caught on a gargoyle. A third man, John Ray, landed on the ground by the church and was shot by a German soldier.

The German was about to shoot the hanging paratroopers when John Ray, just before dying, shot the German and saved the lives of Steele and Russell.

Today, a replica of John Steele dangles from the church (albeit on the wrong side).

The paratroopers of the 82^ndand 101^stAirborne divisions suffered significant casualties, but they did overcome the challenges and cleared the roads for the incoming infantry. Sainte-Mère-Eglise was the first French town to be liberated.

The cliffs at Pointe du Hoc
© Meredith Mullins

The Rangers

To help protect the Allied forces making the beach landings on June 6, six long-range German guns at Pointe du Hoc had to be destroyed. These guns had a range of 20 kilometers and could have easily targeted the Allied ships and barges as they came toward shore.

A bomb crater, with scattered pieces of bunker, at Pointe du Hoc
© Meredith Mullins

Constant bombing of Pointe du Hoc prior to the morning of June 6 created a scarred moonscape of craters, but aerial recognizance showed that the guns remained untouched. Their ultimate destruction was a job given to an elite U.S. Ranger Battalion.

The rangers landed on the narrow beach and began to scale the 100-foot cliffs, using ropes and rope ladders. They easily overtook the German garrison at the top, but realized that the guns shown on the aerial images were fake and that the real guns had been moved.

The real guns had been removed by the Germans and hidden inland.
© Meredith Mullins

Within a few hours, they found these guns inland, under the cover of an apple orchard, and destroyed them, but also met with German attackers trying to recapture their position.

After 48 hours of heavy fighting, the rangers were finally joined by reinforcements. Of the original 225 rangers, only 90 were still fit for action after the fight.

As President Ronald Reagan said in a 1984 speech at Pointe du Hoc, “These are the champions who helped free a continent, and these are the heroes who helped end a war.”

All those who gave service in WW II were heroes. The Rangers of Pointe du Hoc fought valiantly.
© Meredith Mullins (re-enactment for the 75th anniversary)

The Beaches

The Germans had built the “Atlantic Wall”—a coastal defense that stretched 3,000 miles across northern Europe with 12,000 bunkers, 5 million mines, and 300 large caliber guns.

Each of the five landing beaches was different. Utah beach was relatively flat.
© Meredith Mullins

The infantry landing on June 6 knew the battles would be fierce. They had thought that the advance bombers and paratroopers would lessen German resistance. This was true on most of the beaches, but Omaha beach is the story that most remember. The Germans were ready.

The landing barges could not come ashore, so the soldiers had to wade in to the beach, carrying gear weighing 80 to 100 pounds, made even heavier by the soaking seawater.

The first wave of soldiers took the brunt of the German fire. If they weren’t shot in the water, they became completely exposed targets on the long sandy beach, made even longer because of the low tide. No shelter. No protection.

Omaha Beach. No shelter. No protection. And the Germans were well positioned on the hills.
© Meredith Mullins

The Germans, positioned on the hills, fired machine guns nonstop. Their targets fell . . . in the sea and in the sand.

Survivors describe the scene as chaos . . . and death to a lot of good men. More than 1,000 soldiers were killed in the first few hours.

“Two sorts of people are going to stay on this beach, those who are dead and those who are going to die. Let’s get the hell out of here!”—Colonel George Taylor

Soon, the destroyers moved in close and began to provide support for the men on the beach as they advanced. A few groups began to gain ground and climb the hills. Miraculously, by midday, the Americans had gained control of the beach.

The real heroes
© Meredith Mullins

The Fallen

The D-Day war stories are many. The triumphs and tragedies of the invasion of Normandy are epic.

More than 9,000 U.S. soldiers died in action during the Normandy invasion. They lie in the American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer.

The Bayeux War Cemetery honors more than 4,500 Commonwealth troops, as well as soldiers from other countries (including Germans).

More than 2,000 soldiers are in the Canadian cemetery in Bény-sur-Mer.

The civilian deaths were staggering also, with so much fire power coming from the air.

The American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer
© Meredith Mullins

Traveling to the cemeteries, whether those of Allied forces or German forces, is a reminder of the real cost of war.

“That day as I was coming over in the landing craft, I said a prayer to myself, “If I come through this alive,” I said, “I will never forget the men I leave behind.”—Sergeant Ted Liska (veteran of WW II)

Their sacrifice should never be forgotten.

For more information about D-Day and the 75th anniversary, visit Normandy Tourism, D-Day Overlord, Airborne Museum at Sainte-Mère-Eglise, The Bayeux War Cemetery, and The American Cemetery.

Here are sites to visit, as well as a program of events.

See also the OIC Moments stories on the photographers of D-Day and the reenactment of an Allied military camp at Sainte-Marie-du-Mont.

Additional sources for this story: The Timeline Bloody Battlefields video, The Battle for Liberty (PUBLIHEBDOS SAS), and the paratroopers of Sainte-Mère-Eglise.

The veteran quote is take from Hilary Kaiser’s book WW II Voices.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Meredith Mullins 6 Comments

France/Travels to the Past

May

A Whirlwind of Whirling

by Meredith Mullins on May 21, 2019

Two whirling dervishes dancing in Istanbul;s Sufi Sema ceremony. (Image © Meredith Mullins)

Visions of dervishes dancing in my head
© Meredith Mullins

The Travel Adventures of an Istanbul Dervish Groupie

I have always been drawn to exotic corners of the world. Travel adventures at the crossroads of cultures. Layers of the past interwoven with the changing rhythms of the present. The magical and mysterious places of trade-route caravans and Scheherazade-like storytelling.

Always on the list was Istanbul. I had been to Turkey many times. I had seen incredible riches, such as the strangely beheaded statues of Nemrut Dagi in the east, the ancient Greco-Roman ruins in seaside villages of the south coast, and the moonscapes of Cappadocia.

But in all my travels, I had yet to see the mystical Sufi Sema ceremony. Visions of whirling dervishes were dancing in my head.

Mosque at dusk in Istanbul, city where the whirling dervishes dance in the Sufi Sema ceremony. (Image © Meredith Mullins)

Travel adventures in Istanbul
© Meredith Mullins

Let the Journey Begin

I headed to Istanbul, where I knew the dervishes were still performing, sponsored by cultural centers that are dedicated to sharing this 700-year-old ritual with the modern world. My destiny was clear . . . but there were to be challenges.

After a few false starts, my small Turkish internet airline managed to rally a plane. When we finally landed in Istanbul in the dead of night, a kindly van driver said he was our ride.

All was well until our van was stopped as we left the airport, and the driver was taken away by the police. Another kindly van driver took over and explained that “it was just a small problem with the local authorities.”

These are the kind of travel adventures that make you glad you finally arrive safely at your destination.

Then . . . on my very next night, a mysterious stranger brushed past and whispered “Pssst, wanna see some dervishes?”

And so it was meant to be. And for the next ten days, I was in a whirlwind of whirling. I became a dervish groupie.

Cistern of the basilica in Istanbul, city where whirling dervishes dance in the Sufi Sema ceremony. (Image © Meredith Mullins)

Istanbul is not all whirling dervishes. The mysterious basilica cistern also merits a visit.
© Meredith Mullins

Istanbul Promise

Although there are many things to do and see in Istanbul, such as the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, the covered market, the labyrinthian basilica cistern, and the ancient hammams, I was on a dervish mission.

Covered market in Istanbul, city where the whirling dervishes dance in the Sufi Sema ceremony. (Image © Meredith Mullins)

The Istanbul covered market is a maze of treasures. Can you find the seller in this photo?
© Meredith Mullins

I watched dervishes every night and came to know the Sema ceremony by heart. I fell into my own trance as the dervishes danced. They were mesmerizing and showed me a graceful path to Rumi’s hope that we all learn to “take a step without feet.”

Whirling dervishes dance in the Sufi Sema ceremony in Istanbul. (Image © Meredith Mullins)

Let us learn to take a step without feet.—Rumi
© Meredith Mullins

The Sufi Philosophy

Konya, in central Turkey, is the center of the dervishes, where the Islamic Mevlevi order was founded in 1312. This particular dimension of Islam followed the spiritual philosophies of the mystical poet and Sufi master Rumi, also called Mevlana (or “our leader”).

At the height of the order, there were more than 100 tekkes (monasteries) across the Ottoman empire (including Greece, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, and Iran).

Mevlana’s followers had monasteries across the middle east.
© Meredith Mullins

After World War I, however, the Sufi organizations were declared illegal. But the dervishes whirled on, often in secret. Today, several government sponsored venues are organized for visitors to better understand this historic dance of prayer.

Whirling dervishes in black cloaks arrive to dance in the Sufi Sema ceremony in Istanbul. (Image © Meredith Mullins)

The dervishes arrive in black cloaks.
© Meredith Mullins

The Dance

The dervishes, also called semazens, arrive in black cloaks. The gesture of removing their cloak to reveal their white tenure with its swirling skirt represents a spiritual rebirth to the truth. They are freeing themselves from the attachments of this world, just as their leader Rumi did with his ascetic life.

One of several whirling dervishes with arms crossed before beginning to dance in the Sufi Sema ceremony in Istanbul. (Image © Meredith Mullins)

At the beginning of the ceremony, the dervishes cross their arms to show unity with God.
© Meredith Mullins

They wear a tall tubular camel hair hat, called a sikke. The sikke represents a tombstone for the ego. The dervishes, lose themselves—their ego—in their dance as they meditate, chant, and pray.

While whirling, they hold their right hand toward the sky, showing their readiness to receive God’s love. They hold their left hand toward the earth to pass that gift to those on earth.

One of several whirling dervishes holding the palm of one hand toward the sky and the other hand toward Earth during the dance in the Sufi Sema ceremony in Istanbul. (Image © Meredith Mullins)

As they whirl, dervishes hold their right hand toward the sky and their left hand toward the earth.
© Meredith Mullins

They whirl to show the idea of a revolving body. This is part of their faith—the idea that everything revolves—from the planets; to the protons, neutrons, and electrons of atoms; to blood flowing through our bodies; to the human cycle of birth to death.

It is said that the Sema ceremony unites the three fundamental components of human nature: mind, body, and heart. Some people think that the dervishes are in ecstasy when they whirl.

The movement represents revolving in all aspects of life.
© Meredith Mullins

But the music and dramatic turning just give them a feeling of soaring . . . of mystical flight. They are in a meditative trance.

Rumi said, “There are many roads which lead to God. I have chosen the one of dance and music.”

Close-up of the face of one of the whirling dervishes during the dance in the Sufi Sema ceremony in Istanbul. (Image © Meredith Mullins)

A mystical flight
© Meredith Mullins

An “Oh, I See” Moment in the World of Travel Adventures

No matter what religious beliefs you hold or what spiritual path you might be on, the Sema ceremony of the whirling dervishes is spellbinding.

These moments are the kind of travel adventures that let you see into the souls of the local people and learn from their teachings—the absolute best way to see the world.

Only from the heart can you touch the sky. —Rumi

Close-up of one of the whirling dervishes during the dance in the Sufi Sema ceremony in Istanbul. (Image © Meredith Mullins)

For more information about whirling dervishes and the Sema ceremonies in Istanbul, visit the Galata Mevlevi House Museum and the Hodjapasha Cultural Center site.

Comment on this post below.

Meredith Mullins 2 Comments

Adventure Travel/Turkey

May

Five Minutes from Antarctica: Amazing Places on Earth

by Joyce McGreevy on May 13, 2019

The International Antarctic Centre, in Christchurch New Zealand is the only specialized Antarctic attraction in the world. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

A Cool New Zealand Experience

Arriving at Christchurch Airport, I overhear a family discussing one of the most amazing places on Earth.

“We should stop by Antarctica.”

“Do we have time? It’s almost 3:30. Mum’s expecting us.”

“No worries. It’s only five minutes from here. A waddle, really.”

“Kids, do you want to go to Antarctica? We’re just popping in for a bit.”

It’s the most matter-of-fact call to adventure I’ve ever heard.

Intrigued, I roll my suitcase past waiting taxis, hang a left, and tag along on the the World’s Most Casual Expedition.

Funny, it doesn’t look Antarctic! Christchurch is the logistics center for the
Antarctic research expeditions of NZ, the U.S., Korea, and Italy.
© Joyce McGreevy

What’s It Like to Travel Antarctic Terrain?

Minutes later, we’re staring at what look like giant tractors. Hägglunds are all-terrain amphibious Antarctic vehicles designed to clamber over the roughest, iciest terrain. A driver calls, “Last run of the day, lovies!”

A Hägglund outside the International Antarctic Centre, in Christchurch New Zealand shows visitors what it’s like to navigate the coolest place on Earth. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

As our suitcases rest comfortably in a locker, we discover how it feels for scientists to travel in Antarctica.

Bones shake, brains rattle, and stomachs flip. We picture the real thing: going up and down steep icy slopes. Through treacherous water. Across flat land that may hide a deadly crevasse.

Somewhat wobblier for the experience, I approach the main building. A sign says “Gateway to Antarctica.”

Extreme cold weather clothing on display at the International Antarctic Centre, in Christchurch New Zealand shows visitors how to dress for the coolest place on Earth. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Why Is the Antarctic Center in Christchurch?

One of five official “gateway” cities, Christchurch has designed the International Antarctic Center to let the public experience what life is like in the coolest place on Earth.

A replica of an ice cave at the International Antarctic Centre, in Christchurch New Zealand shows visitors what it’s like to explore the coolest place on Earth. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Instead of just looking at exhibits, you explore them. These range from a full-scale ice cave to an explorer’s hut and its surroundings, complete with changing weather and visibility.

It’s so immersive that afterward, says a guide, some folks feel “exhilarated and a bit bedraggled.” That’s probably in keeping with the effects of an actual Antarctic sojourn.

A replica of Robert Falcon Scott’s Terra Nova hut at the International Antarctic Centre, in Christchurch New Zealand shows visitors what it was like to live in the coolest place on Earth. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

By honoring New Zealand’s cultural heritage of Antarctic science and stewardship, the Center has attracted many prominent visitors, from prime ministers to presidents. But none have been more warmly welcomed, says our guide, than “Ed.”

Who Was “Ed”?

Our guide says: A shy Auckland city boy and beekeeper who secretly dreamed of adventure.

Mt Ruapehu, New Zealand shows what inspired Edmund Hillary to climb Mt Everest and explore the coolest place on earth, Antarctica. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

As “Ed” later wrote in his autobiography, “I returned home in a glow of fiery enthusiasm for the sun and the cold and the snow—especially the snow!”

Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary embodied the spirit of exploration to some of the most amazing places on Earth. (Public domain)

In 1953, Tenzing Norgay and “Ed”—a.k.a. Edmund Hillary—reached the summit of Mt Everest, the world’s highest mountain.
© Joyce McGreevy

Five years later Ed Hillary led the New Zealand contingent of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic expedition. His team became the first to reach the South Pole overland since Robert Scott’s tragic journey of 1911–1912.

Hillary’s enthusiasm for snow had, in the understated words of our guide, “turned out rather interesting.”

So folks must have been “rather pleased” when Hillary stopped by the Center, especially when he praised the realism of the world’s first indoor Antarctic Storm.

How Do You Create the Perfect Storm?

Designed to simulate a blizzard on the South Pole, this snow and ice experience takes place in a special room complete with icy surfaces, wind chill machine, stunning lighting effects, subzero temperature drop, and authentic Antarctic blizzard audio.

The Storm Room at the International Antarctic Centre, in Christchurch New Zealand shows visitors what it’s like to experience the coolest place on Earth. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

As visitors don parkas and boots, eagerly awaiting their chance to be blasted into human ice cubes, I question my own eagerness. After all, I’ve lived in Chicago.

The Storm Room at the International Antarctic Centre, in Christchurch New Zealand shows visitors what a blizzard is like in the windiest place on Earth. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Even the Windy City can’t top Antarctica’s record as windiest place on the planet.
Winds exceeding 198 mph have been recorded.
© Joyce McGreevy

Why Does This Continent Captivate Us?

Author Jon Krakauer says Antarctica has “mythic weight. It resides in the collective unconscious of so many people, and it makes this huge impact, just like outer space.” But I think that’s only part of it, because Antarctica—our most vulnerable continent–also registers the huge impact we humans make.

Uniquely lacking in permanent residents, this continent models the cross-cultural heritage of protecting our global home.
Isolated from other continents, it connects to every continent through its oceanic and atmospheric effects.
Farther than most of us will ever travel, this continent connects the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the daily choices we make.

Oh, I see: Antarctica is even closer than I realized.

A replica of the C-130 Hercules interior at the International Antarctic Centre, in Christchurch New Zealand lets visitors imagine what it’s like to make to the long flight to the coolest place on Earth. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Discover one of the most amazing places on Earth in a new podcast series, “Antarctica Unfrozen,” here.

Explore New Zealand’s heritage of Antarctic science, here.

Comment on the post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Joyce McGreevy Comments

Adventure Travel/Cultural Heritage & Traditions/New Zealand

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