Eurolanche

Eurolanche’s trip to Normandy

After a short stay last year, the Eurolanche Fan Club made its return to Normandy in April 2019. Today, on the 75^th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy as part of Operation Overlord, we bring you a short recap of the Fan Club’s most recent trip, which was made possible by anthem singer, Denver Police Activities League (better known as PAL) director and Eurolanche friend Jake Schroeder.

Nine Eurolanche members from Slovakia and the Czech Republic, all members of the Yeti Ultras group for the Fan Club’s most active members, flew from Vienna to Paris, where they rented a minivan. From there, they embarked on a three-hour journey to Normandy, before arriving in the town of Sainte-Mère-Église, the very first Western European town the Allies liberated from Hitler’s Nazi regime on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

Utah Beach

The participating Fan Club members were accommodated in a spacious historical house on the town’s main street, which is owned by Denver PAL. Jake bought it in order to provide housing mainly for students from Colorado, socially disadvantaged children, policemen, veterans, as well as friends and sponsors of Denver PAL, focusing mainly on preventive and educational projects and activities. The visitors can learn more about an important part of American, European and global history almost on the very spot it was written.

The following three days encompassed a busy schedule. The group visited Omaha and Utah Beach, the two most famous beachheads of Operation Overlord. The schedule also included visits to the biggest American military cemetery in Normandy with almost 10,000 graves, as well as the German cemetery and the Pointe Du Hoc, the infamous sharp cliffs American special units had to climb to breach the German coastline defenses.

Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial

The next two days included visits to the small Le Mont-Saint-Michel island and its famous fairytale-like abbey, the city of Rennes, several military museums in the vicinity and a quick stop at the Eiffel Tower in Paris on the way back to the airport.

Normandy is a beautiful part of France. Everywhere you look, you’ll find a small town, village, settlement or two-three houses, which are known under a specific, unique name. The houses themselves are architectonical masterpieces – with its famous grey stone facades, the houses are cold, yet comfortable and cozy on the inside. The settlements in the region are connected by narrow roads, which should probably be one-way only. The green scenery is dominated by endless fields and endless herds of cows. The green mainland seamlessly connects with the blue of the ocean along the coastlines, offering marvelous sights – a house, a narrow road, a small stone fence and the ocean, all in one place. The vast sandy beaches, without rows of tourists, look endless, running all the way to the horizon and beyond.

Museums, memorials and American flags everywhere you go. This was the place where a crucial part of world history was written, where brave men gave their lives so others may live, only yards away from one another, fighting for freedom and peace. Blood stained every inch of sand and grass. This is Normandy. If you can’t visit and experience it on your own, I recommend you watch the movie Saving Private Ryan, so you can understand what it’s like.

You’ll find more information about Normandy, Sainte-Mère-Église, Denver PAL and an interview with Jake Schroeder in our report from last year’s visit. For more information on Denver PAL, visit its official website at www.denverpal.com.

Eurolanche would like to thank Denver PAL and Jake Schroeder for the opportunity to experience and get to know Normandy.

„Lest we forget.”

View the entire photo album from Eurolanche’s trip to Normandy

Omaha Beach

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Denver Police in Normandy

A report from the meeting with Jake Schroeder in France.