Thousands of paratroopers jumped in the middle of the night into the hedgerows and wetlands of Normandy, thousands more landing on the beaches as the sun rose… This was D-Day, 6th June 1944, the day that Europe had been awaiting with such hope and trepidation.
The ships of the armada have dropped anchor off the Normandy coast. In the middle of the night the soldiers prepare to embark in the landing craft which will take them to the beaches. In front of Sword, Lord Lovat and his commandos are ready. They will have to link up with Major Howard and his men on what would later be called Pegasus Bridge. The French commandos led by Philippe Kieffer are amongst them, alongside the whole 3rd British Division. On Gold Beach, the 50th Division will soon land too. Their D-Day objective – Bayeux and the main road, but also Arromanches, Longues-sur-Mer and Port-en-Bessin.
Together, we will visit these beaches where the British troops landed on June 6th, 1944: Gold, Sword, including the little town of Arromanches, where remains of the artificial harbour Mulberry B are still in the water, and Pegasus Bridge. We will then reach the former German battery of Merville-Franceville, objective of the British paratroopers on D-Day.
