Our last stop in Normandy was at the Longues-sur-Mer. It is the only site where the German guns were not destroyed. Instead of the big 300 and 400 mm guns at Pointe du Hoc these were relatively small, only 150mm. As their range was less and they were not as powerful they weren't bombed as extensively beforehand and were somewhat operational during the D-Day invasion. Although the electronically controlled firing was disabled they remained active during the battle. Throughout the day on June 6, these 4 guns fired some 170 shell onto Omaha Beach and the supporting ships offshore.
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| The business end of one of the guns |
At some point in the battle the German officers decided they weren't going to win and retreated. The only people who were left were the conscripted soldiers who decided to get drunk and play cards, which was exactly what the were doing when the Americans arrived. Apparently at some point in the war the Germans ran out of large guns like those at Pointe du Hoc and were forced to protect their positions with inferior firepower. These guns were Czech.
You can see here where a shell hit the gun during the battle. Apparently it didn't explode and embedded into the wall behind.
You can see all the spots where the forward observation point to direct hits here. Quite a big difference in the damage sustained compared to bombs at Pointe du Hoc.
We stopped to smell (errr look at) the flowers along the way. These poppy fields were everywhere.
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