Sainte-Mere-Eglise

 This is our last history search.  We saved Sainte-Mere-Eglise for last.  Records for this town date back to 911.  It saw its share of troubles through the centuries.  The town got its name from the family of Robert de Sainte-Mere-Eglise. Eglise family passed into history December 8, 1764.  The name of the town never changed.

It was a sleepy seaside town until June 5-6, 1944.  The 82nd Airborne and the 101st Airborne made a parachute landing in the middle of the night, engaging in battle with the occupying German forces.  Sainte-Mere-Eglise burst on the worldwide scene.  It became a household name in the USA.  Along with the airborne troops, the entire US Army was right behind them.  The invasion of the Allied forces against the Axis powers had begun.  The official name was Operation Overlord, commonly referred to as D-Day.   

It was the first town in France to be liberated from German occupation. It was never  recaptured despite German counter-attacks from the South, North, and West.

June 6, 2026 will mark the 82nd anniversary of the greatest military invasion.  Much has been written, movies have been made, and during this time families of the service members involved anxiously awaited information about their kinsmen.

We spent the day here, toured the city, visited the museum and had lunch in the Sgt John Steele restaurant.

Km 0, Liberty Road

Sgt John Steele had birdseye view of the fight
Church stained glass honoring the airborne troops
Samuel & Ethan, with the King of Battle


German 88



Ethan, I want to be an airborne ranger

Samuel, I want to be an airborne ranger, too









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