The German Military Cemetery at La Cambe
The Visit
Today a visit is not just an exercise in walking around headstones. It is the largest German Cemetery in Normandy containing over 21,000 burials and dominated by a huge mound containing the remains of hundreds of unknown soldiers and topped by a statue entitled “Mother and Father”.
After the glorious presentation of the American war dead at Colleville we can compare and contrast from a political approach how the fallen from the "losing" side are commemorated. In 1945 shattered Germany arose from the ashes declaring itself to be new Germany and became forward looking. Thus the war dead, being part of Germany’s past, were similarly disregarded until comparatively recently when at least some funding from German government was granted towards the upkeep and maintenance of this somber place. Today under the control of superintendent Lucien Tisserand several interesting stories emerge which are presented by Michael on site. We visit the grave of a very old soldier, study the reasons behind why so many burials contain unidentified soldiers (30%), and visit the grave of Hauptman Michael Wittman, the greatest tank ace of World War II accounting for 132 enemy tanks and assault guns together with 138 anti-tank guns, a record which has never been equaled in warfare.
Private Transfer from London
D-Day Air Tours