Historic D-Day beaches in France threatened by rising sea levels May 28, 2024
- Ana Cunha-Busch
- May 27, 2024
- 3 min read
By AFP - Agence France Presse
Historic D-Day beaches in France threatened by rising sea levels
As France prepares to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the landing of Allied forces on the beaches of Normandy, the historic coastline faces a new threat: rising sea levels linked to climate change.
More than 100 kilometers (62 miles) of the Normandy coastline bear traces of June 6, 1944, including bunkers, wrecked ships, and other vestiges of the first step taken by Allied troops to liberate Western Europe from Nazi German occupation.
But now, the sea from which 150,000 Allied soldiers conducted the largest maritime invasion in history is threatening those same heritage sites.
Rising sea levels are eroding dunes and cliffs, while marshes and reclaimed land risk submerging places visited by millions of people every year.
The famous beaches - codenamed Utah, Omaha, Juno, Sword, and Gold - that were invaded by troops from the USA, the British Commonwealth, and other allied countries have changed dramatically in 80 years.
The D-Day sites “no longer bear any resemblance to what the Allied soldiers experienced on June 6, 1944,” said Regis Leymarie, a geographer at the Coastal Conservatory in Normandy.
“We are in the process of moving from historical sites to sites for interpreting history,” he added.
And the changes are coming quickly.
Rising global sea temperatures are accelerating the melting of the polar ice caps and raising sea levels, which poses a threat to Normandy's coastal communities.
“The environment will be transformed in about 10 years,” said Leymarie.
- We have no help
For some communities, these changes are already taking place.
In Graye-sur-Mer, a village along Juno Beach, the sea has knocked down entire bunkers, leaving locals worried that history is being swept away by the tide.
And yet few local councils are prepared to act.
Of the 15 or so contacted by AFP in recent months, less than half responded.
Three others said they would not be “affected” or even “threatened” shortly.
Charles de Vallavieille, mayor of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont and director of the Utah Beach Museum, disagreed.
“(There are) difficulties. We shouldn't deny them,” he said.
Standing in front of the museum founded by his father in 1962, Vallavieille recalled seeing former soldiers returning to Normandy.
“I saw veterans waving to the sea, crying... It's the emotion of the beach,” said de Vallavieille.
He said that these sites must be protected, but that there are limitations to the actions that local leaders can take, adding: “We don't have the right to do anything.”
“We have no help, although this is a problem that affects the whole coast - protect one place and the water will go to another.”
-' Coming to an end-
Located between the American and British landing sites, the Bessin cliffs, which were the site of a daring vertical attack by US Army Rangers, were not spared.
Several German artillery batteries stood on these hard-to-reach outcrops, including the famous Pointe du Hoc, which attracts around 500,000 visitors a year.
Climbing the 25-meter (82-foot) cliff face in adverse weather conditions and under German fire, only 90 of the 225 attackers escaped unharmed.
Administered by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC), the site is very fragile and partially collapsed in 2022.
The ABMC said it had taken several measures to “secure the area”, including installing reinforced concrete walls and sensors to detect significant movements.
The agency has also set back paths by 20 meters to ensure public safety.
For Leymarie, Normandy's conservation officer, the only thing left to do is adapt to the changes to come.
Currently, the sea level is rising by a few millimeters a year.
“It's only after two or three generations that we've become aware of this,” he said.
“We're coming to the end of the D-Day landing sites as we knew them,” said Leymarie.
“And nature is going to claim its right.”
By Matthieu CLAVEL
mac/ekf/jh/spb/gil
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