Overlord Tour--101st Airborne

Our 2nd tour with Overlord was the 101st Airborne tour. We met at 8:30 am in Place du Quebec. We had a different tour guide. He was in his mid 20s but very knowledgeable about the events of D-Day. I would recommend watching "Band of Brothers" before going on this tour--many of the sites were featured in the mini series.

First stop was Marmion's Farm, a stop only Overlord can make because they have a special arrangement with the owner of the farm. Many of the 101st Airborne paratroopers regrouped here after their missed landings.

Sainte-Marie-du-Mont--the first village to be liberated in Normandy on D-Day.

Famous statue of WWI French soldier which was toppled by the Germans and replaced on its pedestal by the US Army.

The church in town was riddled with bullets.

The remnants are still visible today.

Chateau Bellenau was occupied by the Germans as a gun placement and lookout post. It was the first chateau liberated by the Screaming Eagles on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

La Barquette Lock. The Germans controlled flooding of the lowlands by controlling this lock. Allied control of the lock was gained shortly after D Day.

At lunch, we stopped at St. Mere Eglise again. This time, there was no market so we picked up some items at the charcuterie and had a picnic lunch.

After lunch, we toured the church.

Paratrooper John Steele landed on the spire of the church although he landed on the other side of the church. The other side of the church wasn't as dramatic so the memorial was placed on the side facing the town square. John Steele hung limp for 2 hours, pretending to be dead, until he was taken prisoner by the Germans. He was able to escape and rejoin his division.

Where else would you see stained glass featuring paratroopers except in Normandy.

C47 crash site memorial near Beauzeville

101st Airborne Memorial, located near St. Marie du Mont.

Statue of Major Richard Winters located near St. Marie du Mont. He unfortunately passed away the year before the statue was unveiled. He was made famous by the mini series "Band of Brothers."

Church in Saint Come du Mont

The museum we visited on this tour was the D-Day Experience. We were able to ride a C47 simulator, complete with smoke when we crash landed.

Memorial honoring Congressional Medal of Honor winner Lt. Col. Robert G Cole. He was only 29 when he died during Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands.

The tour ended at 6 pm--another long but very educational day.

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