Today’s look at the D Day Memorial and Operation Overlord is brought to you in its entirety by Daniel Defense.

Valor, Fidelity, Sacrifice. Moving forward from the beachhead toward final victory in Europe.

Looking toward the arch from the Folly. Note the unit insignia of Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) on the wall directly ahead.

The SHAEF insignia over General Eisenhower’s famous address to the troops. Because of strict radio silence, the address was given to each man on a sheet of paper. Many survived the war, having been carried by the soldiers through Europe and back home.

The English Garden from the wall over the SHAEF insignia. The English Garden is laid out to look like the insignia from above, with the flaming sword as the centerpiece. Flowers provide the color, though they hadn’t yet fully bloomed when this photo was taken.

The English Garden from ground level.

The monument to the “Bedford Boys,” most of whom hit OMAHA Beach in the first wave with Company A, 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division. They had never seen combat before.

The Invasion Plaza, commemorating the crossing of the English Channel and the assault on the beaches. The Plaza is divided into five segments, one for each invasion beach.

The Necrology Walls form the eastern and western boundaries of the Invasion Plaza. The west wall, shown here, records the name of each American who was killed on 6 June.

The eastern Necrology Wall, containing the names of every Allied soldier killed on 6 June.

The Invasion Pool, complete with steel “hedgehogs,” shown from the east. Underwater jets shoot water up at random intervals, simulating bullets striking the surface.

The Invasion Pool. Note the German blockhouses commanding the beach, as they did at OMAHA.

The sculpture Through the Surf, with the Higgins Boat.

The sculpture Death on the Shore, the detail of which is powerful. The sculpture is said to be of Raymond Hoback of Bedford. His friends saw him fall at the water’s edge, but his body was never recovered. Only his personal bible was found. The sculpture shows a small bible falling out of his pack. Raymond’s brother, Bedford Hoback, was killed later in the day. Their mother insisted he be buried in the American cemetery in Normandy, saying that he would never want to be separated from his brother. I recently had the pleasure of meeting the Hoback brothers’ nephew, who volunteers at the Memorial.

Scaling the Wall. The waterfall lends the sound of crashing surf to the scene, fittingly making conversation difficult. This sculpture commemorates the 2nd Rangers’ climbing of the cliff at Pointe du Hoc, overlooking OMAHA Beach. Scaling the Wall incorporates the Memorial’s motto: Valor, Fidelity, Sacrifice. The soldier topping the cliff represents Valor. The soldier helping his buddy below represents Fidelity. The soldier falling after being wounded represents Sacrifice.

Victory Plaza, dominated by the great granite triumphal arch. Crowning the arch are five capstones, one for each invasion beach, painted with the black and white recognition stripes of the Allied aircraft which took part in the operation. Just below the capstones, chiseled in gold letters, is the operation’s codename: OVERLORD.

Looking northwest through the OVERLORD Arch with the Peaks of Otter in the distance.

The topmost soldier of Scaling the Wall, representing Valor.

View of the Invasion Plaza from the top of Scaling the Wall. The Folly is visible in the background.

The motto of the National D-Day Memorial.

Valor, Fidelity, Sacrifice; the OVERLORD Arch seen from the front of Victory Plaza.

Victory Plaza from the south.

Left and right; possibly the most poignant sculpture of the Memorial: The Lady of Trevieres (see informational plaque below. Center, our flag at half mast at the D-Day Memorial.

The history of the Lady of Trevieres.

The Gold Star Family Memorial Garden.

Final Tribute. This sculpture stands on the north side of the arch, in honor of the fallen.

Brought to you by Daniel Defense – LIGHTER, STRONGER, BETTER.