Visiting D-Day beaches part III: Sword Beach

 

We never visited Sword Beach as such as we were staying in Sword Beach. So we encountered the many many monuments and remembrance panels while going to the beach or strolling along Ouistreham and the neighbouring towns.  Every x 100m there is a panel or monument or ...

Sword beach is the most western sector of the D-day landing beaches and the only one where French troops participated under the command of Luitenant Kieffer. His image and the current army brigate Kieffer's pictures were everywhere. 
But we noticed also Norwegian or Polish or ...monuments. 

The Flame, the central monument at the Ouistreham bella riva central beach. 

Some bunkers remained along the beach. 

I really liked the panels with historic images where you could recognize some of the houses along the beach

Everywhere in town there were flags to remember WWII heroes. I've seen these in Omaha beach too. 

As we had already visited extensively the other sectors of D-day, ironically we had an overload and decided not to visit the 5story bunker in the city center of Ouistreham anymore, neither some of the other museums there. 

I did visit the British war cemetery in Hermanville-sur-Mer. In contrast of some of the other cemeteries, it had access via a little almost hidden trail  that led to a small but well kept cemetery.