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The HMS Belfast is a World War II Royal Navy warship on the Thames River in London. It is an IWM (Imperial War Museum) site on the Queen's Walk near Tower Bridge. I took the photo above in 2021.
After paying for my visit at the dockside office, you walk past the small gift shop and down a ramp to the main deck and the commemorative bell. My photos are from 10 November 2021.
The tour route is marked with arrows. Entering a door, I arrive at one of the many gun turrets. HMS Belfast was one of the ships firing over the beaches of Normandy on D-Day.
As you walk about the ship, you glimpse life
as it was for the sailors decades ago.
Toilets
Workroom
A massive kitchen...
Stores (a nice look back at old products)...
a dentistry
and a bunk for some kip
There's plenty of ammo below.
Of course, there's a ship's cat.
I took a break for a light lunch before seeing a few more rooms and guns.
You can walk about nine decks.
Get a pilot's view...
and appreciate an amazing experience.
So, it's easy for me to recommend a visit to HMS Belfast and the other IWM locations.
Here's a view of HMS Belfast and the area from the Shard, which I took in 2018.
Photo: HMS Belfast on the Thames with the
Tower of London upper right and Tower Bridge to the Right (East)
Notes
On board HMS Belfast
Arrows mark the tour route.
Numbers indicate what numbers to press on the included audio guide
Some areas require ladders or small steps.
There are toilets on board
There is a café on board
There are activities for families--see the website
I visited the Grand Bunker museum on a cold and rainy 8 March 2012. The concrete bunker museum offers
visitors a view of the German Shooting Command and Management Station at
Ouistreham, Normandy, France near Sword Beach. The 17-metre (52 feet) high construction has five
levels and was part of Nazi Germany’s Atlantic Wall defense against the
expected allied invasion of France.
The bunker was built in 1943-1944. The bunker was disabled
by a direct hit from British battle cruiser, H.M.S. Frobisher on D-Day, 6 June
1944. It is located near the site of the Sword Beach landings. Troops led by Lt. Bob Orrell eventually
captured the bunker on 9 June and took 52-53 (sites vary in number) prisoners.
The rooms in the museum have been restored to their
functions at the time of D-Day. The museum opened in 1987. At the upper level, we
get a full view of the beaches where Operation Overlord took place.
At the lower levels, we glimpse life for the German soldiers
as they await the inevitable allied invasion.
Vehicles and war machines are on the grounds.
Rating: 4 of 5. It is a very good portrayal of a unique
aspect of WWII. On the web you will see most ratings are 4 or 5 out of 5. The
only significant negative is the glare, which interferes with viewing the contents of items
behind glass (a common problem of many museums).
Location: Avenue
du 6 Juin, 14150 Ouistreham, France.
Admission: There
is a modest charge to enter the museum. Check the website for current prices.
Hours: The museum
is open most days of the year, but there are some closures so check the website
for details. Opening times vary from 9:00 or 10:00 am and close at 6:00 or 7:00
pm, depending on the time of year.
I was in Normandy, France
for the 75th anniversary events. The sacrifices were incredible! So many died in the pursuit of
freedom. D-Day was the beginning of the end of World War II.
Many Flags- People working together
D-Day
is the day, the Allied forces of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, and other allies amassed
the largest armada in history to invade German occupied France and liberate Western
Europe forcing Germany and Italy out of World War II.
The “D” refers to the
designated day for the operation and the “H” in H-hour is the hour the scheduled
operation began.
Troops
from other allied nations were also represented: France, Poland, Belgium,
Netherlands, Australia, Greece, Czechoslovakia, Norway, and New Zealand.
Other nations were involved in the war effort at many other locations around the world. It was truly, and sadly, a world war.
Five Beaches of the D-Day Invasion
On
4 June, chief meteorologist James Stagg of Scotlandtold U.S. General Dwight D.
Eisenhower the weather looked good for 6 June. On 5 June Eisenhower gave the order for
Operation Overlord—telling the troops, "The eyes of the world are upon you".
The
invasion forces left southern England on 5 June 1944.
5 June On Our Way
17:00
The largest armada in world history left the south coast of England
with troops, supplies, and ammunition. Eventually, naval forces would include 6,939 warships and vessels: 4,126 landing crafts and boats, 1,213 combat ships, 736 other craft, and 864 merchant ships.
22:00
Airborne troops make final checks and begin boarding Horsa Gliders.
D-Day 6 June 1944
00:16
British paratroopers land on target at two bridges later named Pegasus and
Horsa, on the path to Caen (Read more about Pegasus Bridge).
00:26
British forces defeat Germans to take Pegasus bridge. A nearby house (now a museum) is among
the first liberated from German occupation.
Pegasus Bridge, Normandy / Geoff Sutton 2012
01:11
German General Marcks gets word of paratroopers, but decides to wait.
01:55
American paratroopers land around Sainte-Mère-Eglise on the path to Cherbourg.
After several hours of fighting, the first village is liberated (Read more about the Americans at Sainte-Mère-Eglise).
U.S. Paratrooper Survives at Sainte-Mère-Eglise
04:30 British capture the Merville Battery (Read more about the British atMerville).
05:23 Allied warships begin firing on the German defenses along the coast. Naval operations were under the command of British Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay.
06:00
American bombers join British bombers, but many bombs fall behind the German defenses. Over 2,000 British, Canadian, and American bombers attacked areas along the coast.
Landing Craft- National WWII Museum, New Orleans
6:30H-Hour: Americans land on Omaha and Utah Beaches in specially designed landing craft (Higgin's Boats). The US zones were under the command of General Omar Bradley.
Utah Beach/ Geoff W Sutton 2012
07:00
U.S. Rangers scale the cliffs to attack the guns of Pointe-du-hoc
7:25
British forces land on Sword and Gold Beaches.
British land at Sword Beach/ WWII Museum
Gold Beach in 2019
7:55
Canadian and British forces land on Juno Beach. 9:00 African-American Soldiers of the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion reach the beaches. Their task to construct a curtain of hydrogen-filled balloons with steel cables over the beaches. Read more at NBC.
9:32
BBC broadcasts that the allies have landed in France to audiences in the UK and worldwide.
10:15
German General Rommel learns of the invasion and returns to France. He had been celebrating a birthday in Germany.
11:15
Canadians and British capture Saint Aubin-sur-Mer (Calvados).
12:00
Hitler at his Bavarian Alps Headquarters believes the allies will be driven
back.
14:00
Soldiers continue to land with equipment.
14:30
Allies reach Caen but do not capture it. Germans execute previously captured
French resistance fighters.
15:00
The first sections of ingeniously designed prefabricated harbours arrive (Mulberry Harbours) from England.
18:00
German Panzer division attacks British forces.
20:00
British and Canadians join forces and approach Bayeux.
20:10
Canadians capture Taillerville.
21:00
More than 140,000 Allies have landed along 55 miles.
At
the end of D-Day, 4,413 allies died. Many are buried in the cemeteries at
Normandy. When we consider the entire battle of Normandy, more than 425,000 men were killed, injured, or missing. Among the allied airmen, 16,714 died and 37,00 died amongst the ground forces.
Pointe du Hoc is a monument constructed by the French to honor the courageous assault on this German defense site above the American landing sites of Omaha and Utah beaches. The American Rangers were under the command of Lieutenant Colonel James E. Rudder. On 6 June 1944, the men climbed the 100-foot cliffs to disable the position.
The Rangers left their landing crafts at 7:10 a.m. and reached the top by 7:40 a.m. amidst heavy enemy fire.
.JPG)
