April 2024
Day 2 of the Normandy Camporee
Day 2 was a day spent focused on taking in the history of the area. We took the time to visit Sainte-Mere-Eglise and the Airborne museum, Pointe du Hoc, and La Cambe German Cemetery.
Sainte-Mere-Eglise
This area is famous for the misdrop of paratroopers that led Private John Steele to get stuck dangling from the pinnacle of the church tower. Steele hung on the church tower for 2 hours before the Germans took him and other paratroopers prisoner. Four days later he escaped and made it back to the front line. Today this area is also home to the US Airborne D-Day museum.
Point du Hoc
Point du Hoc was a prominent position along the coast of Normandy and was the focal point of an amphibious assault by Rangers of the 2nd and 5th Ranger Batallions under the command of Lieutenant Colonel James E. Rudder. This location was important because of it’s location between Utah and Omaha beaches. On Point du Hoc, Germans had built guns that could fire approximately 20,000 yards and cover both Utah and Omaha beaches. On D-Day the Rangers had to scale the steep cliffs before dawn to neutralize these guns.
While visiting this site we were able to see the gun placements and view what is now a beautiful shoreline and beach.
La Cambe German War Cemetary
La Cambe was originally the site of an American battlefield cemetery where both American and German personnel were buried. The site became the official German cemetery and the remains of 12,000 German soldiers were moved from 1400 locations. Today there are than 21,000 German personnel buried in the cemetery.
2024 Normandy Camporee Firebowl
The camporee firebowl was held on Normandy beach at low tide. With troops from Indiana, Texas, and all over Europe, we celebrated the camporee and the accomplishments of scouts who earned their next rank and other awards as well as sang songs and took time to reflect on where we were standing and the events that had happened so many years ago.
For more information on the camporee visit: Normandy Camporee – Transatlantic Council (tac-bsa.org)
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