Hello folks, we're at Sword Beach,
the easternmost beach of the five in the Allied plan.
Let's see how the landing happened here,
and why it's main objective, taking over Caen, failed.
The area code-named Sword Beach includes 5 mi (8 km) of coastline
between the towns of Saint-Aubin and Ouistreham.
Like the rest of the Norman coast,
the Allies divided the area in sections name-coded by alphabetical order
in this case: Oboe,
Peter,
Queen and Roger.
The unit in charge of taking over the beach
was the British 3rd Infantry Division,
its 8th Brigade, to be exact;
which took part in the Dunkerque evacuation in May, 1940,
and four years later would have its rematch.
Though Sword Beach included the coastline in between the towns
of Lion-sur-Mer and Ouistreham,
the landing happened here, at the beaches of Hermanville and Colleville.
The 8th Brigade's Infantry landed at 07:25 hrs,
with the support of tanks
The 8th Infantry Brigade,
made out of three battalions,
was organized as follows:
the 1st Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment landed on the Queen White sector,
while the 2nd Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment landed on the Queen Red.
The last unit, the 1st Battalion, Suffolk Regiment,
was on reserve and would go into action once the beach was secured.
This would be possible, like in the Anglo-Canadian beaches,
partly due to the use of Hobart's Funnies
and also thanks to the engineers that jointly opened up the beach's exits.
Besides the infantry,
commando units landed throughout the morning of D-Day.
The 1st Special Service Brigade was led by Scottish General Simon Fraser,
better known by his nobility title: Lord Lovat.
He made sure that the landing of the Green Berets
wouldn't go unnoticed by the Germans.
One of the most memorable chapters in Sword Beach
is represented in this statue.
It's Bill Millin, who landed while playing the bagpipe, as ordered
by his commander, Lord Lovat.
By Millin's own account, he said that the Germans didn't shoot him
because they thought he had gone mad.
While the infantry tried to advance towards Caen,
Sword Beach's main objective,
commando units were to accomplish a series of secondary objectives
but vital, on both flanks.
On the west, the 4th Brigade headed towards Lion-sur-Mer
to try to meet up with the Canadian troops at Juno Beach.
On the east, Lord Lovat's Green Berets attacked Ouistreham.
There were 177 French commandos among its ranks
led by Captain Philippe Kieffer.
First, they attacked the German position over the casino's ruins
of Rivabella, which had been destroyed by the Germans.
At the time, only the foundation was standing.
Today, it's a place of remembrance.
If you saw the movie The Longest Day,
you'll remember the combat scene amid the casino.
But in reality, the building was destroyed
to get a better view of the coast.
It's foundation did house a German fortification,
but not like the one showed in the movie.
By the way, this classic movie was filmed almost entirely
in the same locations in Normandy.
But this scene was recreated in Port-en-Bessin.
If you look closely at this building,
you can still see remains of the posters making it seem that it's Ouistreham.
Let's go back to 1944.
After taking Ouistreham, the commandos went southeast
to make contact with the British 6th Airborne Division,
which had taken the bridges over the river and the Caen Canal.
When they were about to reach Pegasus Bridge,
to avoid being mistaken for enemies, Lord Lovat came up with the idea
to, once again, make an entrance to the tune of Millin's bagpipe.
This is what happened on both ends of Sword Beach,
but its main objective, taking Caen,
was being delayed.
At the beaches, due to the tides rising,
vehicles and soldiers were often stuck;
in addition to a strong German resistance inland.
Like what happened to the 1st Battalion, Suffolk Regiment,
on reserve until that moment.
Soon after going into action
it was stopped at the German fortifications at Hill 61.
Baptized by the British as Hillman Site.
It was the 736th Grenadier Regiment's command post.
Located over a small elevation
and with most of the bunkers buried,
which allowed for the control of the area.
In the Sword Beach zone, this and other German fortifications
were re-baptized with British automotive companies names,
like Morris or as it happens, Hillman.
It was from here that the sector's batteries were coordinated.
In the interior of their positions, geographical references
of the German zone still remained.
With the buried bunkers
they managed to stop the Allied advance throughout D-Day.
Like with this dome, armed with a machine gun
that had three openings to cover the whole zone
and had a well protected interior.
In fact, the British couldn't take control
until the morning of June 7th.
The delay in capturing Hillman Site,
allowed the Germans to set up a solid defense around Caen.
Another thing that could've been fatal for the Allies,
has to do with German tanks.
Because on D-Day the German High Command considered
that the Allied invasion could be just a decoy
for the real landing at another place in Europe
the tanks remained on reserve for a long time.
The only counterattack with tanks launched by the Germans
on June 6th was made at the Sword Beach sector.
The 21st Panzer Division was in charge
and did so in two directions:
one at Pegasus Bridge, repelled by British paratroopers;
and another to the west
where the tanks did manage to break Allied lines
arriving at the coast of Lion-sur-Mer and thus stopping
the union of Juno Beach and Sword Beach.
The advantage didn't last long for the Germans
being surrounded, they ended up leaving.
By nightfall of D-Day, the British accomplished
most of their objectives.
They had control over almost all the coast.
To the Southeast, they had made contact with the paratroopers,
and it wouldn't take long before they did the same on the west, with the Canadians.
But the main objective of the sector, to take Caen,
hadn't been done yet.
The city would remain under German occupation until mid-July.
British casualties at Sword Beach numbered
between 600 to 700, including the dead and wounded.
The landing here was only the first phase.
The Battle of Normandy had just begun.
Until the next episode!
For more infomation >> SWORD BEACH (Normandy) - Duration: 9:04.-------------------------------------------
2016 Vacation (12) - Key West DAY 1 - Duration: 5:05.
For the 2nd part of our vacation, we caught a flight from Boston to Key West
We slept at Jimmy's in Lakeville, and got up at 4:00 AM to go to Logan in Boston, May 18, 2016
Jimmy in his Pontiac GXP
Logan Airport in Boston
Plane change in Atlanta
Key West is the last inhabited island in an archipelago with of 1700 islands, 140 km from Florida
Key West has quite a history. It is actually closer to Havana (100 m) than Miami (130 m)
Our taxi ride in blue to the hotel
The Southernmost House Hotel
Originally built as a house for a judge, it became a casino and then a hotel
Some of the distinguished guests: Hemingway, Armstrong, Lindbergh, Tennessee Williams...
Gore Vidal, Al Capone, Truman Capote, Marconi, King Juan Carlos, Al
Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon, Carter
A walk up Duvall Street
Relaxing in the heated pool
Life is hard
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2016 Vacation (8) - Formatura da Lollita/ Lollita's Graduation - Duration: 5:59.
We arrived from the Cape the previous night. Today, Saturday, May 14, 2016, we had Lollita's graduation
We slept at Jimmy's house and again tokk his car to the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Route 140
Crossed New Bedford...
... passed the airport...
...arrived at Dartmouth...
...at UMASS...where I studied and graduated in 1974... 42 years ago
My graduation in the same amphitheater...
... on a spring day just as sunny
After the ceremony
At my graduation, with Jimmy, my Dad and Mom...
... and me holding Lollita
... and me trying to hold Lollita today
Lollita's rooters
Commemoration at Texas Roadhouse...
a very noisy place
On the way back iris had to stop at Dartmouth Mall
Back at Jimmy's house
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2016 Vacation (14) - Key West DIA 3/ DAY 3 - Duration: 4:08.
3rd day on the island, and another marvelous day
Took this shot from our hotel window
Our window
Our hotel seen from the pier
Couldn't resist, had to go in again
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2016 Vacation (18) - Miami Beach Dia 3/ Day 3 - Duration: 11:31.
Miami Beach Day 3
Our Hotel Deauville
View from our balcony
View from inside our room, through the balcony
Shall we go to the beach?
The Beatles 2nd Ed Sullivan Show was broadcast live from the ballroom behind these windows
Afterwards, the pool
Back to the room, appreciating the view
A frightening scene, looks like a shark
This room was shared by Paul & Ringo
Got the Mustang to go for a ride... and shop
North on Collins (A1A)
This is the Bal Harbour Shops
we didn't stop
This stretch I did on Google Earth
Isn't this America song great?
All luxury condos
This last building is the Hotel Ritz Carlton Bal Harbour
Made this film while driving
This record is from the great British singer Helen Shapiro...
... who recorded this at 15 years old in 1962
This is Aventura Mall
just looking
A Formula 1 in the window
On to Sawgrass Mills Outlet
Kinda of far, on highways
Huge and worth it
Just look how mankind invades nature, in this case, swampland
Back to the hotel...
Walked to dinner...
... at Restaurant Little Brazil
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2016 Vacation (2) - Intro: Caça aos Farois de Cape Cod/ Cape Cod Lighthouses Intro - Duration: 0:47.
For more infomation >> 2016 Vacation (2) - Intro: Caça aos Farois de Cape Cod/ Cape Cod Lighthouses Intro - Duration: 0:47. -------------------------------------------
2016 Vacation (7) - DIA 5: Caça aos Farois de Cape Cod/ Cape Cod Lighthouses Day 5 - Duration: 3:54.
Last day on the Cape as we headed back today. But we still managed to see 1 last Lighthouse... from a distance
We made this detour looking for the Light, but couldn't even see it from a distance
Not giving up, on the celphone Google Map discovered another point and went back
Lighthouse # 15 - Sandy Neck Light
Access to the Light is only with a 4 x 4 and on another road. At least we could see it from here. See it?
Ok, seen all there is to see, next stop: Jimmy's home in Lakeville
There are 2 bridges over the Canal, we went over one and returned over the other
I have actually traversed the entire canal in around 1973 when a college friend's father was testing a houseboat he built. We sailed from New Bedford
Note Plymouth, where the Pilgrims finally settled in 1620
End of the trip, we left on Monday and arrived back at Jimmy's Friday Night
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2016 Vacation (19) - Miami Beach Dia 4/ Day 4 - último/ last video - Duration: 9:33.
Woke up at 5:00 and couldn't sleep anymore
Back in bed and I had an idea...
What time is sunrise? Could we watch it?
Grabbed the cel to check sunrise time for today...
5:32... just in time...
We could make it... if the sky is clear
Woke up Iris and invited her to our boxseat in our patio...
(BTW, music is by the Moody Blues - The Day Begins (1967), from the groundbreaking Album: "Days of Future Passed")
This is supposed to be the sun, people. The Google Earth sun.
This is the real one
The background noise is from the waves below
After the show we went down to be the first on the beach
The chairs are the hotel's
Looks like another tough day
Our room on the 12th floor
The same room Paul and Ringo stayed in in 1964
Then we went shopping...
For Iris's son's iphone
Miami Beach
Look at this amazing picture I took through the store window
Miami skyline
At night we drove...
On Ocean Drive, the nightlife... we just watched, from the car
Also by the luxury condos
Finally... back for dinner at...
Little Brazil
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2016 Vacation (16) - Key West a Miami Parte 2/ Key West to Miami Part 2 - Duration: 13:19.
Continuing trip from Key West to Miami Beach after overnight stay at Marathon Key
Our hotel, a brand new Holiday Inn
Back on Route 1
We didn't really find any interesting place to stop
Out side film location. Inside shots were made in Hollywood
Swampland
Low wall on both sides to keep the alligators off the road
This region is not so nice
Coral Gable: rich mansions
Nearing Miami Center
Mixture of office buildings and condos
Causeway to Miami Beach
Miami Port, highest cruise ship traffic
On the left: Palm Island
Right: Port of Miami, only type of cargo: containers
Left: Star Island
Miami Beach, looks like a big island...
... actually it is total landfill
This is the access channel to the port
Right: Fisher Island
Start of Miami Beach
Start of South Beach...
...the most party area of Miami...
...hotels and restaurants for tourists...
... all in Art Deco architecture...
...built in the 20s for the rich coming down for winter
Miami Beach was really down in the 70s and 80s, made a comeback in the 90s
In the 3 years i lived in MB i used to come here on Saturday nights to watch
Let's go down to the street for a look
'56 Chevrolet
Versace mansion...
After his death, it became a restaurant
Sold recently for US$42 M
End of Ocean Drive
Got this hotel for the night...
Awful
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2016 Vacation (6) - DIA 4: Caça aos Farois de Cape Cod/ Cape Cod Lighthouses Day 4 - Duration: 5:47.
4th Day Lighthouse hunting
Spent the day in Ptown
3 Lights today... seeing only, from a distance, did not visit them
Rode from the hotel through town
Cape Cod is famous for its sand dunes
Cape Cod National Seashore
Lifeguard Museum closed for repairs
Our hotel, Surfside, very good
Coast Guard
Here you can get a permit to ride your 4 x 4 on the dunes
We were trying to reach the lighthouse
But it is kind of far to walk along the beach and we were not prepared
From this beach parking lot we could see the Light
See it?
Lighthouse # 12 - Race Point Light
This is Pilgrim Point, 1st place where the Pilgrims landed in 1620, before Plymouth
This seawall gets you to Race Point
The Mayflower left England in 1620 with families looking for a new world to practice their religion in peace
Their destination was Jamestown, Virginia, where the 1st setters were... storms pushed them here
Mayflower's rummaging
They anchored here and spent the 1st winter in the ship
The Mayflower Compact was written here and served as a basis for the Declaration of Independence 157 years later
Of the 102 passengers and 30 crew, 68 survived the winter
A row boat went out exploring and, crossed the bay to find arable land in Plymouth where they settled in spring
Light # 16 - Wood End Light
This marks the end of Route 6, USA's longest road
End of Route 6
Route 6 was important to me as it crossed New Bedford, where I grew up. During the 60s, Rte 6 was our most important road.
I actually made a 2-part video about Route 6
Next we visited the Pilgrim Monument. View from the entrance to the stairs
We actually climbed the tower
All along are plaques from towns that donated to its construction
Here is New Bedford's plaque, where I grew up, 1961-1974
And walked around the outside at the top
You can see the curvature of the Cape here
Terrifying picture from outside walk at the top of the tower
Glad to be back down, I'll tell 'ya
Light #14 - Long Point Light
Provincetown wharf
City Hall
Dining at Fanizzi's Restaurant, a short walk from the hotel
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2016 Vacation (15) - Key West a Miami Parte 1/ Key West to Miami Part 1 - Duration: 13:01.
Last day in Key West and start of trip to Miami
Markers in green are film locations
First i went to get the car I had reserved on the internet
I had chosen the hotel that was near to the car rental pick up
And that I could walk to
Came back on wheels...
Pick up the lady, the bags, and took off...
Our Mustang convertible. Not very big inside. Iris's 2 bags did not fit in the truck
1 had to go in the back seat
This Coast Guard ship is now a museum
Mile Zero of Route 1, isn't that neat?
So here our trip to Miami begins
168 miles to the hotel in Miami Beach
This Roue 1 runs the entire East Coast
2,369 miles (3,813 km), from Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canada–US border, to Key West
The longest North-South road in the USA
Here, along the Keys, it is called The Overseas Highway
Actually the road was built on top of a railroad structure destroyed by a hurricane in 1935
Henry Flagler, a tycoon partner of John Rockefeller at Standard Oil, had visited Florida for his wife's treatment
Liked it but noticed it lacked infrastructure. In 1855 when he retired from SO moved to Florida, built hotesl and bought railroads
Started building new railroads and in 1896 reached Biscayne Bay and founded Miami
In 1904 started a project considered foolish by everyone...
...continue the railroad south of Miami all the way to Key West
More than daring, it was considered the 8th wonder of the world
Certainly the most ambitious with entirely private funds
At peak, 4000 men worked on it, and required several engineering innovations
7 years of construction and 3 hurricanes later threatened the project
Key West had 20 thou residents and with the opening of the nearby Panama Canal...
...Flagler thought of the cargo traffic passing by
Key West was the deepest port in the South
But by the time of its inauguration in 1912, ship range had extended such that they no longer needed to stop at KW...
...to resupply for fuel (coal)
The hurricane of 1935 did great damage and the company could not afford the repairs
The State of Florida bought the remains of the bankrupt company and converted/complemented it into a road...
Completed end to end, it was inaugurated in 1938
Rest stop
This is Bahia Honda Park. A friend from work recommended it
Interesting photo, on the left is the old abandoned (and interrupted) railroad bridge
On the right, the new bridge
Hey Iris, come see this little critter
Can you see the fishies?
Back on the road again
The longest bridge, 7 miles long
They were having a marathon relay...after all, upcoming is Marathon Key
Very tired, and evening coming, we looked for a hotel
Very expensive, and completely. While thinking of what to do... an opening
End of the day...
...we finished off Sally's gift
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2016 Vacation (1) - Início de Viagem/ Start of Trip - Duration: 9:02.
For more infomation >> 2016 Vacation (1) - Início de Viagem/ Start of Trip - Duration: 9:02. -------------------------------------------
2016 Vacation (4) - DIA 2: Caça aos Farois de Cape Cod/ Cape Cod Lighthouses Day 2 - Duration: 9:26.
Day 2 on the Cape, another brilliant day, how lucky...
today we will see 4 lights, actually 3, as we missed 1
...from Falmouth to West Harwich
Before leaving, had time to enjoy the hotel and the sunny day...
...which has a heated indoor pool and an outside one...
...drove by the Kennedy compound
Thought we found an unmarked light, but I called it a false light
What a great picture
We missed this light as I couldn't find the street
Light #3 - Hyannis Rear Range Light, or Hyannis Harbor Light
It is in a private home, but you can see it from the street
Port of Hyannis
Where we met with my sister for lunch at Sparky's Clamshack, who happened to be working near here
From here you can see Light #4
Found access along the beach, probably trespassed
In town, we did the Kennedy Legacy Trail
Entrance to the Kennedy Museum ($)
Hyannis Armory, where JFK made first acceptance speech on Nov 9, 1960, after election win
Photo of the acceptance speech inside the armory, then and today
On the way to the next light, bumped into this one that was not on any map
Lighthouse #5 - Bass River Light
It is a rare river light. It is a hotel now.
Lighthouse #6 - West Dennis Lighthouse Inn
It is a summer hotel, not yet opened at this time
Note that the light is built into the hotel structure
It was getting dark and we needed to find a hotel, so we headed back to the main road
Found this very nice place. In conversation with the coupe that run it, come to find out the wife went to the same college as me, UMASS Dartmouth, during the same years 1970-74! What a small world
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2016 Vacation (5) - DIA 3: Caça aos Farois de Cape Cod/ Cape Cod Lighthouses Day 3 - Duration: 7:03.
Day 3 Hunting the Cape Cod Lighthouses...
...5 Lights today
We are driving over 50 miles today, to the end of the Cape, Provincetown
Interesting, this Inn, the wife of the couple that runs it, went to the same college as me - SMU, now UMASS Dartmouth...
...during the same years, 1970-74!
Another marvelous day...
... along Route 28
The yellow line is always our on-foot moves
You need to do some walking... on sand to get to this Lighthouse #7
We did not go for it and this photo is not mine
Parked the car and walked around charming Chatham
In the summer it is very crowded with tourists here, good thing summer was 2 weeks away
This lighthouse is a working one, maintained by the Coast Guard
We are now on Route 6
Exit at Nauset Road, then Cable Road
Lighthouse #9 - Nauset Light, Eastham (tower was closed to climb)
Wrought Iron plate structure with brick lining, 14 m/ 46 feet high
Details in my Google Photo Album
This is the light pictured on the Cape Cod Potato Chips bags
It was at this shack that the 1st intercontinental telegraph cable made landfall in 1879
Light # 10 - Three Sisters. This is not the original location.
Back on Route 6
Another detour to reach Lighthouse # 11 - Highland
Off at Highland Road
The Light is in the middle of a golf course
It has a visitor center and a souvenir shop, so you can climb the tower (for a fee). It was closing time when we arrived.
This one has a brick structure
We took Route 6A for a more scenic ride
A stop to rest and see PTown in the distance
Decided to leave the car and walk into town (yellow track)
At the turn of Century 18 to 19, PTown had a lot of artists
Looking for a hotel found only gay ones, so had to resort to the celphone map to find a family one
This one is a family hotel, large, comfortable, nice breakfast, very reasonable price.
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2016 Vacation (3) - DIA 1: Caça aos Farois de Cape Cod/ Cape Cod Lighthouses Day 1 - Duration: 4:48.
Day 1 visiting the Cape Cod Lighthouses
We left Lollita's house in Taunton, on Monday at around 11 AM
Check the macro view on the mini-map on lower right
Big curve to line up with Bourne Bridge on Route 28
I have actually traversed the entire canal in a friend's house boat back in 1973
Santana can really play, can't he?
Lighthouse #1: Wings Neck Light
Access is restricted, but you can see it fine from here
You can rent the lighthouse for a stay
The roads are so uncrowded just before the summer crowd arrives
Light #2 in view
Nobska Lighthouse
Very cold wind
Structure is wrought iron with brick lining
Sun coming down in Falmouth, need to find a hotel
ShoeWay Acres Inn. Excellent and since summer is 2 weeeks away.
Walked to DiVine Restaurant for dinner
End of Day 1 on the Cape...marvelous
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