D Day Beaches Face a New Enemy: Erosion (1 Viewer)

[jazzeum]

There have been some interesting dios the last few days but the beaches as we know them are starting to lose the battle to climate change and erosion. As the following article points out, large chunks of Pointe Du Hoc have already been lost and portions of the D Day beaches will be lost. The French government has tried to fight it but has admitted defeat and communities around the country’s edges, including the D Day beaches, are working on plans that include the prospect of moving.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/06/world/europe/d-days-beaches-climate-change.html

 

[jason foote]

It definitely sucks. Another battle to be fought and hopefully we can pull together to win it.

 

[Barkmann]

Sadly, just nature, been happening since they were constructed, see picture of a 50mm Gun Bunker, Gold Beach. Jig Green Sector - WN36. This is about 40 yards from where it was sited, every year i go over and it is yet more worn and has moved further into the sea.

Not only nature changing the beaches, at Ponte Du Hoc they build the concrete walkways or at Longues-sur-Mer Observation Bunker, where they cut a huge hole in the side and put a ramp into it. Some Bunkers are now homes or sailing clubs, one was a nighclub for a while. The Morris bunker system [WN16] bits that are left are in the middle of a 1990s built housing estate, but are well kept. A few Tobruk bunkers have just disappeared,dug up and loaded on to trucks, to no one knows where.

Behaviour of people is also shocking, while at Bayeux cemetry i have seen parents [use the word in a broad sense] letting their children throw a friss bee over the graves and another time at Omaha cemetry i saw 4 guys throwing an American football to each other over the graves. While at Wittman's grave i have groups of men standing in formation giving the Nazi salute. His grave has to be cleared almost on a daily basis of Nazi flags etc.