THE D-DAY LANDINGS history, timeline and eyewitness accounts In 1939, the Second World War broke The Allies fi nally chose Normandy for this out between the Axis countries led by operation. Its coast was suffi ciently close German Chancellor Adolf Hitler and the to England but not as close as the Nord- Allied nations. Pas-De-Calais where the Germans were expecting any landing to take place. This In 1944, France had already been would give the Allies the benefi t of surprise. occupied for four years by Nazi Germany. The date and time of landings were chosen From 1942 onwards, the German Todt based on a number of factors: labour organisation began building the Atlantic Wall: a coastal defensive The traps and obstacles installed by system stretching from Norway to Spain. Rommel were in anticipation of an Heavy artillery batteries and anti- attack at high tide. The landing should aircraft defences were established along therefore take place in between tides, the coastline and especially around the so that the troops could be offl oaded in ports, to prevent any landing. In 1943, front of these obstacles. Hitler asked Field Marshal Rommel to inspect this defensive wall from the Before the landing on the beaches, Netherlands down to the Loire. Rommel airborne troops had the task of felt that the defences were insuffi cient destroying German defences and and ordered that they be reinforced. preventing any possible counter- Anti-tank and antisubmarine obstacles, attacks. This operation should ideally mines and barbed wire were installed take place on the night of a full moon. directly on the beach at the high tide level with the goal of destroying landing The Navy were to bombard the German barges before their men and vehicles defences before the troops began their had had a chance to disembark. landing, 45 minutes before “H-Hour”. The dawn would be the best time to land At the same time, the Allied countries in order to keep visibility to a minimum were also drawing up their plans for the while nevertheless benefi ting from at liberation of Europe. In January 1943 least some light to be able to get an aim during the Casablanca conference, on the enemy. Roosevelt and Churchill took the decision to organise landings in France to All of these conditions were met between free Europe from Nazi rule. In December, June 5th and 7th 1944. The landings had Gen. Eisenhower took command of the initially been planned for June 5th, 1944. operation which had been codenamed However, the weather was so bad on that “Overlord”. He was assisted by General day that the landings were postponed Montgomery, heading the land troops. until the following day. 1 MP A5 anglais.indd 1 02/04/14 17:05 THE SECTORS The Normandy coastline was split up into several landing grounds divided between the Decouvrir-la-France.com : photo Crédit American, British and Canadian troops. DID YOU KNOW ? For the British sector, General Montgomery chose the names of fi sh: For the sub-sectors, “Mike”, “Nan” and Goldfi sh, Swordfi sh and the name ori- “Roger” were chosen. These were derived ginally picked for Juno Beach was Jelly from the “Joint Army Navy Phonetic Alpha- Beach. This name was not accepted by bet (JAN). This alphabet was introduced the Canadian offi cers and particularly in 1941 by the Armed Forces of the United by wing commander Michael Dawnay States. Before its creation, each branch who thought it inappropriate that fa- of the Army used its own alphabet which milies could be informed that their son sometimes lead to misunderstandings. The had been killed on “Jellyfi sh Beach”. He JAN would be used by all English-speaking then proposed using a shortened ver- troops from 1943 to 1956, the year in which sion of his name of his wife Julian Mary the offi cial NATO alphabet was introduced. Dawnay: Juno. THE JUNO BEACH SECTOR The Canadian sector stretched for 7 km from Saint-Aubin to Graye (the Western mouth of the Seulles). It was the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division commanded by General Keller which landed on Juno Beach supported by tanks from the 2nd Crédit photo : Dominique Gabet Dominique : photo Crédit 2 MP A5 anglais.indd 2 02/04/14 17:05 Canadian Armoured Brigade. The assault took the form of a triangle with the base forming the spearhead with Crédit photo : Decouvrir-la-France.com : photo Crédit Bernières in the centre, Courseulles on the right-hand side and Saint-Aubin on the left-hand side. In the Coeur de Nacre area, the landings took place at Bernières and at Saint-Aubin. Both districts were stormed and liberated by regiments of the Canadian 8 th Brigade and 3rd Infantry Division. Crédit photo : Cœur de Nacre de Cœur : photo Crédit LE SAVIEZ-VOUS ? On June 4, 1944, Luc-sur-Mer was not capture at least one German prisoner included among the landing grounds. while a second group remained on the However, it was the fi rst to see British beach to protect it. They were spotted troops landing on its beach. Back in on arrival and after coming under ma- 1941, an initial landing had been orga- chine-gun fi re were forced to quickly nised, known as Operation Chopper. This re-board their landing craft. When they commando raid carried out on Septem- left, two men were missing, cut down by ber 28th, 1941 by Lt Gordon Hemming was German fi re. They would never see En- intended to test the German defences, gland again. to gather strategic information for the “The Germans told us that the noises future choice of landing beaches and during the night came from a fi ght possibly to bring back German prisoners between German troops, almost cer- for interrogation. tainly to avoid giving hope and encou- The commando raid was divided into ragement to the French” (Mr Flambard). two parts: one part in Saint-Vaast-la- The two British soldiers who died during Hougue, the other in Courseulles-sur- the operation are buried in the church Mer. However, navigation errors resulted cemetery. In 1994, the ashes of Lt Gor- in the soldiers landing on a beach further don Hemming were laid at their side at to the east, that of Luc. On the night of his request. A square in the village is September 28th, the 22 men of the com- named after him and a monument was mando group landed on the beach in Luc erected on the beach to bear witness to at 1:30 AM. One group moved quickly to the courage of these brave troops. 3 MP A5 anglais.indd 3 02/04/14 17:06 A TOWN-BY-TOWN GUIDE TO THE LIBERATION IN THE CŒUR DE NACRE AREA JUNE 6 of getting in trouble. When I arrived, the THE LANDINGS offi cer told me that it was good job that I had, as with all the wounded they needed ALONG THE COAST water. I remained there. I had friends who had also been requisitioned. We recovered BERNIÈRES-SUR-MER four men with the aid of shovels. We managed to revive one of them: Adolphe Mr Regnauld, a resident of Bernières, Boitard. Later in the evening we brought was 19 years old in 1944. He had been back the three bodies. They were buried at requisitioned by the STO (the compulsory Bernières two or three days later. A farmer labour organisation) to work in the from Bény came to collect the injured drinking water section. Before June 6th, Mr man with his cart. He died the next day. Regnauld had a feeling that something was about to happen: On the evening of June 5th, I went back to the farm at Luzerne. The farmer’s wife We had suspected for some time that a asked me if I would like to stay and eat landing was imminent as reconnaissance with them. At fi rst I refused as I knew that aircraft often fl ew overhead. my mother was worried (she had come to the farm twice to see if there was any On the morning of June 5th, any news). In the end though, I stayed for a suspicions the young man may have had meal with them. We didn’t pay attention that something was being prepared were to the time and when I looked, the curfew quickly confi rmed: had ended 20 minutes ago. Roughly an hour later we heard droning. We looked I was heading up to the batteries in out the window and saw hundreds of the area known as “Tombette” where I aircraft bombing the railway track. At was delivering water by horse, travelling that point we were sure that a landing along Route de Bény. I heard a faraway was underway. droning noise behind me but didn’t pay much attention to it. Suddenly though, I On June 6th at dawn, after having heard turned around and there were around 50 waves of aircraft fl ying overhead bombers, not very high off the ground, at throughout the night we cut through the an altitude of maybe 500 m. They dropped chateau to reach a red door known locally their bombs on the batteries, 200 m in as the “great wall door”. From there, we front of me. It was a terrible experience, could see the whole beach. We had just the horse bucked and I had trouble succeeded in opening the door a little breathing because of the sulphur in the when we saw Germans rushing around air. I carried on all the same.