This day, known as D-Day, and the strategically planned landing of 156,000 British, Canadian and American troops at 6:30 A.M. British troops take positions on Sword beach after landing (STR/AFP/Getty Images) Pointe du HocĪlthough not one of the “main” beaches Pointe du Hoc, the outcrop that dominated the headland between Omaha and Utah, was the scene of one of D-Day’s most dramatic assaults.The morning of June 6, 1944, American troops and their allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy, France in an invasion, code-named Operation Overlord, during World War II, which began the liberation of France, and ultimately other areas of Europe, from Hitler’s Nazi regime. However, the beach – crammed by the Germans with mines and obstacles – became heavily congested as further forces attempted to land, while a counter-attack by the 21st Panzer Division hampered progress inland. Canadian soldiers (complete with their bicycles) disembark at Juno Beach on D-Day (STF/AFP/Getty Images) Sword BeachĪt Sword Beach, the easternmost point of the Normandy landings, the British 3rd Infantry Division was tasked with advancing on Caen after attacking a stretch defended by yet more troops from the 716th Infantry Division and the 21st Panzer Division.ĭespite some heavy resistance, the early attack successfully secured most of the exits from the beach within two hours after the Allied amphibious tanks landed with more success than elsewhere. However, the Canadian forces’ sheer numbers ensured that most of the section was cleared within two hours and, although their ultimate D-Day objectives were not reached, Juno is considered (along with Utah) one of the more strategically successful landings. Just to the east of Gold Beach was Juno, where the Canadian 3rd Infantry Division faced further elements of the 716th Infantry Division, supported by thee 21st Panzer Division.Ī combination of stiff resistance from the German troops, an ineffective initial bombardment and poor conditions delaying the landings hampered the initial Allied assault, with casualties totalling around 1,000. The remains of the temporary Mulberry harbour built after the D-Day landings at Sword Beach (Getty Images) Juno Beach Gold was also the scene of the only Victoria Cross awarded on D-Day, with Company Sergeant Major Stanley Hollis receiving the British Army’s highest honour for his single-handed attack on two German pillboxes. Gold Beach, the central of the five main areas targeted in the Normandy landings, was one of the primary British targets, with the highly-experienced 50th Infantry Division leading the assault.ĭefending the stretch between Port-en-Bessin and La Riviere were the German 352nd and 716th Infantry Division and, hampered by poor conditions, the invading forces suffered casualties totalling around 1,000.Īlthough the stiff resistance meant the British troops didn’t secure Bayeaux, their primary objective, until 7 June, they took the town of Arromanches and linked up with the Canadian forces at Juno Beach. American assault troops approach Utah Beach (AFP/Getty Images) Gold Beach However, the beach forces secured the area quickly, and with relatively few casualties – the 4th Infantry Division lost just 197 of 21,000 troops – where the force defending the beach largely defended by poorly-equipped and non-German conscripts.
The second main American attack took place at Utah Beach – the westernmost point of the landings – with the 4th US Infantry Division and 70th Tank Battalion leading the assault against the 919th Grenadier Regiment.Īirborne troops from the 82nd and 101st Airborne Division supplemented the beach landings, and were dropped behind the beach in the middle of the night, although many of the groups of paratroopers struggled to complete their objectives. US Army troops wading ashore at Omaha Beach (NATIONAL ARCHIVES/ AFP/Getty Images) Utah Beach