It is a bit strange to me how I react differently to the different things there is to see here. Both of the beaches were probably the most symbolic and important locations, and to me the were just beaches. But today we went to the site of Mulberry Harbor and I thought it was just fantastic. No battles fought here, just a port for loading and unloading supplies and men, but I could have wondered around all day looking at the remnants. I guess it just goes to show how visual I am.
Anyway, Mulberry Harbor was actually two artificial harbors, were were towed across the English Channel and put together off the coast of Normandy. One at Omaha Beach, which is gone now, and one constructed off Gold Beach, which we visited. All of the construction was done in England and then floated across the Channel and put together like a puzzle, or very big Legos, whichever you prefer. Each had about 6 miles of roads, and were fastened to piers that sat on the seafloor. Then they installed floating breakwaters around the entire facility. By June 18 both harbors were up and running.
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| A pic from a postcard showing the harbor in action |
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| Before |
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After - this is what the men are standing on in the
picture above |
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| Remnants of the floats which supported the roads |
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| The breakwater outlining the harbor in the distance |
Speaking of before and afters..........This church was between towns, double click to enlarge. You can see the picture taken from during the war showing the devastation.
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