Omaha beach - Colleville-sur-mer church - Normandy, France

Omaha beach - Colleville-sur-mer church - Normandy, France

On the photo:

Colleville-sur-mer was one of the main objectives on D-Day as it lay behind one one of the vital draws which were needed to land tanks, trucks and heavy equipment.

This church was the scene of heavy fighting as troops of the 1st Division (“The Big Red One”) finally struggled ashore. The first Americans reached the church around noon and there was a gun battle in this churchyard with casualties on both sides but more importantly it was the scene of the worst friendly fire incident on D-Day.
Since few radios survived the landing and as radio operators were often targeted by snipers, the ships offshore had little idea of what was happening. Based on some misleading information, the USS Harding, a destroyer stationed offshore, fired over 100 shells into the village, aiming particularly at the church tower as it was believed that it was occupied by German soldiers, who were directing artillery fire on to the beach. There were many American casualties and it was some time before accurate information was relayed to the ship.

Nowaydays a photo how it was back in june 1944 is erected near the entrance.

This is how the church looked at the end of june 6, 1944 - D-Day

See my other Omaha beach photo's for more viewpoints, panorama shots and notes on the fighting

Tonemapped using three (Handheld) shots made with a Nikon D610 and a Nikkor 24 mm f/2,8 prime, augustus 2017.

Taken in: France / Normandy / Arrondissement de Bayeux (show map)

Taken on: August 14, 2017

Tags:

Omaha Beach

Colleville-sur-Mer

Normandy

1944

Church « less

Sets appears in: • Battlefields • Omaha Beach, Normandy, France

Groups appears in: • Photography • France more » • Flickr Addicts • Global Photojournalism • Remembrance Day, Veterans Day & War Memorials • History : images without words don't document • Normandy, Normandie • European Travel • WW II • visit the world - the travel guide • Forgotten • Historical places • War • Documentary Photography / Photojournalism • Churches, Chapels, Domes, Mosques, Temples, Shrines and Monaster • Historical/Mysterious Places • FlickrToday (only 1 pic per day) • Total Photography (No AI or SL) • European History • History is All Around Us • WW2 • The World Through My Eyes ... • D Day 6 June 1944 • Battlefields: Then and Now • *Inspirational Travel Photos • HDR Unlimited • War and Peace (10 per day) • Making History • The Military • History Directory • 20th Century European Battlefields • WW2 Battlefields • We travel the World • flickr in full color [No Black & White !] • Eglises de Normandie [Normandy church] • The world through photography • Military History • War in France • The Second World War • ***Flickr Global • Historical Places -P1/C1 • Traces of War • ` FLICKR ´ • Second World War • Steine, die Geschichten erzählen / Stones which tell stories • flickr (unofficial) • D-Day - 6th June 1944 • History in HDR • Walking the Battlefields • D-Day Normandy • Historic Architecture • REMEMBER THEM • Churches in Europe « less

Camera: Nikon D610, f/18.0, 1/40 sec, 24mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D610
Lens:	24.0 mm f/2.8
Aperture:	f/18.0
Exposure Time:	0.025 sec (1/40)
Focal Length:	24mm
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Spot
White Balance:	Auto
Saturation:	Low
Sharpness:	Hard
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CC 2019 (Windows)
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