Safely grazing the nether lands

On the "island" near the Lower Rhine -- once a front line fiercely defended by the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment,

Men, your relief is here. Now Zip, Fix Bayonets, Go!

Just beyond the positions our men have briefly taken is a ditch, which gave Easy Company cover to prepare.
A mortar team was left here, eventually called in to play. The men, above, will perform an about face to
begin their simulated charge.

Thirty-five men from Easy Company, 506th PIR, ambushed 150 Germans paused beside this dike near the Lower Rhine in September of 1944, killing 50 and routing two companies at a cost of one of their own. To get a sense for the difficulty and scope of this dawn bayonet charge, volunteers from our World War II study group hiked the 300 yards to the Easy Company starting point, turned around, and waited to dash back toward the bus, the point of enemy contact.
Our study group is composed of mostly senior gentlemen, so by the time the patrol had walked to its starting point, special preparations for their simulated bayonet charge were necessary. Once everyone had been securely zipped, the order to fix bayonets was given. The run was longer than most expected it to be. The distance required stamina, stealth and courage, assets that Easy Company held in great measure.
Today's volunteers, not so much.

The Germans were settled in behind the tree line in the distance, beyond a roadway that leads to the river.
The Germans were waiting for more troops to be ferried across the river and were caught off guard.
The dike, with a road on top of it, is at the right just beyond our hard-charging patrol leader, Bubba.
The charge was made parallel to the dike, a detail not so clear in "The Band of Brothers" portrayal.
We watched the episode in the bus before our arrival here.

Church Bell Tower view of Hell's Highway

That's Hell's Highway, with its original brick surface below, passing in front of the cafe where we lunched today.
Lt. Winters glassed the horizon and saw enemy action in the next town from this position.

Peter and the Bell, about to give the clapper a toss.

In September 1944, a patrol from Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, set up operations in Uden, the Netherlands, and used the St. Peter's Cathedral bell tower to observe enemy activity. They were protecting the flanks of British traffic running Hell's Highway to "The Bridge Too Far," as part of Operation Market Garden.

After signing waivers, our study group got permission to ascend the 60 meters to the observation point. Seven rickety century-old ladders later, we found ourselves at the top with Sextant Peter R. (sp).

 When Lt. Winters used this as an observation post in 1944, a sniper spotted him and fired a round that glanced off the church bell. To add authenticity to our experience, the plucky Dutchman gave the huge bell a clang or two, rattling our ear drums and shaking our bones -- and possibly confusing the town's population about what time it was..
Then we ventured out on the catwalks around the massive dome over the altar, and looked down at the more squeamish in our party. It was a day for adventure and adrenalin. And we forgot to light a candle before we went up.
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Photo left: We had lunch in the cafe on Hell's Highway. Dutch bikers whizzed past and an
old fellow on a battery-powered 3-wheeler stopped to reminisce with our party about being forced to learn German during the five years of occupation.  It was a tense time, he said. We waited for our appointment with the church deacon from across the street, then made our
way through this historic building, literally
from bottom to top. 

Look closely and you'll see two of our cadre on the maintenance catwalk
along the dome over the altar. Shaky. Ridiculous. 

Reporting from Uden, in a cathedral on Hell's Highway

He also knows Dixie. Fortunately. . .

Some of us climbed to the top for a look out.

When the sextant at St. Peter's Cathedral in Uden asked if anyone would play the organ today, we were a bit surprised at what happened next.

Bubba McHan, -- (no kidding, that's what the name tag says), a good ol' boy from Alabama and a devout Baptist who enjoys tweaking Yankee travelmates with an occasional "The South SHALL Rise Again!" in a lazy drawl, -- stepped forward. Bubba calmly selected Pachelbel' s Canon in D and stunned his audience with a powerful rendition that filled the massive sacristy and left this Yankee open-mouthed.

A classically trained organist? Nope. He says he just copied his sister. He actually plays the guitar and a variety of other instruments, once for a Beatles Tribute band. He's got a family now and sells medical supplies. This trip to the choir loft was all part of our World War II study mission, understand. Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment set up a defense in this area and used the bell tower to spot the enemy. We were on the way to the top to see where Lt. Dick Winters looked out to see the enemy and was sent skittering down when a sniper's bullet clanged the bell. Nothing ever written about Lt. Winters playing the organ. More on him later.

Ike's view on war from here

These two fellow travelers were asked to sit here while our leader told this story:

Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Dwight Eisenhower took this seat over Omaha Beach alongside Walter Cronkite in 1960. He was asked what he remembered most when looking back at the war. The former president was known to be quite fond of his grandchildren. He didn't speak of any of his great victories. Rather, he gestured toward the cemetery and said: "I think about the parents whose only son is buried there and will never know the pleasure of grandchildren."

Omaha Beach defenses

This gun emplacement inflicted the most harm. Aimed at right angles to the ocean it raked the beach with
murderous fire. It was finally taken out by Rangers coming from the right, as depicted by Tom Hanks
in the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan. Back in the day,
as now, there was a casino and numerous holiday houses on the shoreline.

It took only about 150 Germans to create most of the carnage on Omaha Beach. The gun emplacements and bunkers were brilliantly placed to put maximum crossing fire on the Americans as they moved over the sand in plain view.

Entrance to Pvt. Goeckel's living quarters.

Our guide, Ron Drez, has interviewed as many as 3000 veterans during his career as a writer/historian.. Among them were Germans, notably a Pvt. Franz Gockel. Drez got to know Gockel and stood with him at his deadly Omaha Beach position on more than one occasion. This morning he read from Gockel's personal account of the courageous Americans rushing toward him for hours on the morning of D-Day, as he cut them down with his Czechoslovakian-made machine gun, aiming at the troops as they disembarked their landing craft. He had trained diligently for this duty and defended Strong Point 62 until finally, at about 11 a.m., the Americans chased him out, killing most everyone else. His 150 comrades, in their hardened positions, had created 90 percent of the casualties of the day.

Dog Red. Visitors are amazed at the immenseness of the beach at low tide when the assault troops arrived. Low tide
avoided the obstacles placed by Rommel, but left a great distance for men under fire.
The tide moves back in quickly, adding to the difficulties.. The largest building marks the exit to the high ground
with the gun emplacement in the cliffs to the right. The photographer  is  well within its range.
The objective was to clear the draw  to allow logistics to move forward. It was dearly paid for.

A Beautiful Morning, a Memorable Day

It's not always like this, our guide warned, as we enjoyed another day of open skies and light breezes, highs of 79.
Looking out from Sacred Ground, the darker blue of the ocean meets the sky behind this
perfectly-manicured treasury of American youth.

At the American Cemetery above Omaha Beach

French tourists with guide under the
map of the European Theatre of Operations.

Visting the American Cemetery above Omaha Beach brings out a range of emotions, some expected, others surprising. A special moment came while caught in a large knot of French tourists, and listening to their energetic guide tell of the remarkable sacrifice made by so many brave Americans who had come to liberate their homeland.

It was not necessary to understand her melodic tongue as she gestured and explained to her rapt audience, clearly touching them with her presentation. The unnoticed American among these French tourists was moved as well, but perhaps in a different way.

Youth Rising From The Waves
Central Sculpture in American Cemetery.

Remembering Cousin Ed

As customary when honoring the fallen at the American Cemetery in Normandy, Patty and Jeff Bryant of Prior Lake, Minnesota, rubbed sand from nearby Omaha Beach to enhance the lettering on a special marker. Jeff's first cousin, once removed, died here and was laid to rest with 10,000 other Americans lost in the Normandy campaign. Our group gathered to honor 2nd Lt. Edward L. Briant, Minnesota, of the 101 Airborne Division. He died on D-Day.
Jeff told us what he knew of the lieutenant, including how it was that his name is spelled differently from others in the clan.