Sword, commonly known as Sword Beach, was the

code name A code name, call sign or cryptonym is a code word or name used, sometimes clandestinely, to refer to another name, word, project, or person. Code names are often used for military purposes, or in espionage. They may also be used in industrial c ...

given to one of the five main landing areas along the Normandy coast during the initial assault phase,

Operation Neptune Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Ma ...

, of

Operation Overlord Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The operat ...

. The Allied invasion of German-occupied France commenced on 6 June 1944. Stretching from

Ouistreham Ouistreham () is a commune in the Calvados department in Normandy region in northwestern France. Ouistreham is a small port with fishing boats, leisure craft and a ferry harbour. It serves as the port of the city of Caen. The town borders the ...

to Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer, the beach proved to be the easternmost landing site of the invasion after the abortion of an attack on a sixth beach, code-named Band. Taking Sword was to be the responsibility of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

with sea transport, mine sweeping and a naval bombardment force provided by the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

as well as elements from the

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

and other Allied navies. Among the five beaches of the operation, Sword is the nearest to

Background

Following the

Fall of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France during the Second World ...

, British Prime Minister

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

vowed to return to continental Europe and liberate the Nazi German-occupied nations. The Western Allies agreed to open a

Second Front The Western Front was a military theatre of World War II encompassing Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. The Italian front is considered a separate but related theater. The Wester ...

in northern Europe in 1942 to aid the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

. However, with resources for an invasion lacking, it was postponed but planning was undertaken that in the event of the German position in western Europe becoming critically weakened or the Soviet Union's situation becoming dire, forces could be landed in France;

Operation Sledgehammer Operation Sledgehammer was an Allied plan for a cross- Channel invasion of Europe during World War II, as the first step in helping to reduce pressure on the Soviet Red Army by establishing a Second Front. It was to be executed in 1942 and acted ...

. At the same time, planning was underway for a major landing in occupied France during 1943; Operation Roundup. In August 1942, Canadian and British forces attempted an abortive landing—

Operation Jubilee Operation Jubilee or the Dieppe Raid (19 August 1942) was an Allied amphibious attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe in northern France, during the Second World War. Over 6,050 infantry, predominantly Canadian, supported by a regime ...

—at the Calais port-town of

Dieppe Dieppe (; Norman: ''Dgieppe'') is a coastal commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. Dieppe is a seaport on the English Channel at the mouth of the river Arques. A regular ferry service runs to N ...

; the landing was designed to test the feasibility of a cross-channel invasion. The attack was poorly planned and ended in disaster; 4,963 soldiers were killed, wounded or captured. The decision to prosecute the

Battle of the Atlantic The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allied naval blockade ...

to its closure, the lack of landing craft,Ellis, p. 9 invading Sicily in July 1943, and Italy in September following the defeat of Axis forces in North Africa in May 1943 resulted in the postponement of any assault on northern Europe till 1944. Having succeeded in opening up an offensive front in southern Europe, gaining valuable experience in amphibious assaults and inland fighting, Allied planners returned to the plans to invade Northern France. Now scheduled for 5 June 1944, the beaches of

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

were selected as landing sites, with a zone of operations extending from the

Cotentin Peninsula The Cotentin Peninsula (, ; nrf, Cotentîn ), also known as the Cherbourg Peninsula, is a peninsula in Normandy that forms part of the northwest coast of France. It extends north-westward into the English Channel, towards Great Britain. To its w ...

River Orne The Orne () is a river in Normandy, within northwestern France. It is long. It discharges into the English Channel at the port of Ouistreham. Its source is in Aunou-sur-Orne, east of Sées. Its main tributaries are the Odon and the Rouvre. The ...

and

Port en Bessin Port-en-Bessin-Huppain () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. The commune contains the two towns of Port-en-Bessin and Huppain. Population History The name ''Huppain'' stems from Norse/N ...

, capture the German-occupied city of Caen and form a front line from

Caumont-l'Éventé Caumont-l'Éventé () is a former commune in the Calvados department in northwestern France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Caumont-sur-Aure.United States First Army First Army is the oldest and longest-established field army of the United States Army. It served as a theater army, having seen service in both World War I and World War II, and supplied the US army with soldiers and equipment during the Korea ...

while it captured

Cherbourg Cherbourg (; , , ), nrf, Chèrbourg, ) is a former commune and subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French department of Manche. It was merged into the commune of Cherbourg-Octeville on 28 Feb ...

. Possession of Caen and its surroundings would give Second Army a suitable staging area for a push south to capture the city of

Falaise Falaise may refer to: Places * Falaise, Ardennes, France * Falaise, Calvados, France ** The Falaise pocket was the site of a battle in the Second World War * La Falaise, in the Yvelines ''département'', France * The Falaise escarpment in Quebe ...

, which could then be used as a pivot for an advance on Argentan, the

Touques River The Touques () is a small coastal river in Pays d'Auge in Normandy, France. The Touques is officially navigable up to the Pont des Belges, from its estuary. Its source is in the Perche hills, south of Gacé. The river runs northwards, and flows ...

and then towards the

Seine River ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributaries ...

. Overlord would constitute the largest amphibious operation in military history.Granatstein, p. 18 After delays, due to both logistical difficulties and poor weather, the D-Day of Overlord was moved to 6 June 1944. Eisenhower and

Bernard Montgomery Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, (; 17 November 1887 – 24 March 1976), nicknamed "Monty", was a senior British Army officer who served in the First World War, the Irish War of Independence and t ...

, commander of

21st Army Group The 21st Army Group was a British headquarters formation formed during the Second World War. It controlled two field armies and other supporting units, consisting primarily of the British Second Army and the First Canadian Army. Established in ...

, aimed to capture Caen within the first day, and liberate

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

within 90 days.

Plans

Allied

The coastline of Normandy was divided into seventeen sectors, with codenames using a spelling alphabet—from Able, west of

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...

, to Roger on the east flank of Sword. Eight further sectors were added when the invasion was extended to include

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

on the Cotentin Peninsula. Sectors were further subdivided into beaches identified by the colours Green, Red, and White. The Anglo-Canadian assault landings on D-Day were to be carried out by the

British Second Army The British Second Army was a field army active during the First and Second World Wars. During the First World War the army was active on the Western Front throughout most of the war and later active in Italy. During the Second World War the army ...

, under Lieutenant General

Miles Dempsey General Sir Miles Christopher Dempsey, (15 December 1896 – 5 June 1969) was a senior British Army officer who served in both world wars. During the Second World War he commanded the Second Army in north west Europe. A highly professional an ...

. The Second Army's

I Corps I Corps, 1st Corps, or First Corps may refer to: France * 1st Army Corps (France) * I Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * I Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French A ...

, commanded by Lieutenant General

John Crocker General Sir John Tredinnick Crocker, (4 January 1896 – 9 March 1963) was a senior British Army officer who fought in both world wars. He served as both a private soldier and a junior officer in the First World War, and as a distinguished br ...

, was assigned to take Sword. To Major General Tom Rennie's 3rd Infantry Division fell the task of assaulting the beaches and seizing the main British objective on D-Day, the historic Norman city of

Caen Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,Wilmot, p. 273 Attached to the 3rd Infantry Division for the assault were the 27th Independent Armoured Brigade, the 1st Special Service Brigade (which also contained

Free French Free France (french: France Libre) was a political entity that claimed to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third Republic. Led by French general , Free France was established as a government-in-exile ...

Commandos), No. 41 (Royal Marine) Commando of the 4th Special Service Brigade, Royal Marine armoured support, additional artillery and engineers, and elements of the

79th Armoured Division The 79th Armoured Division was a specialist armoured division of the British Army created during the Second World War. The division was created as part of the preparations for the Normandy invasion on 6 June 1944, D-Day. Major-General Percy ...

. 6th Beach Group was deployed to assist the troops and landing craft landing on Sword and to develop the beach maintenance area. The 3rd Infantry Division was ordered to advance on Caen, from Sword, with the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division advancing on its western flank to secure Carpiquet airfield, from Juno Beach, on the outskirts of the city. The 3rd Infantry was also ordered to relieve the elements of the

6th Airborne Division The 6th Airborne Division was an airborne infantry division of the British Army during the Second World War. Despite its name, the 6th was actually the second of two airborne divisions raised by the British Army during the war, the other being t ...

that had secured the bridges over the River Orne and Caen Canal during

Operation Tonga Operation Tonga was the codename given to the airborne operation undertaken by the British 6th Airborne Division between 5 June and 7 June 1944 as a part of Operation Overlord and the D-Day landings during World War II. The paratroopers and ...

, secure the high ground north of Caen, and "if possible Caen itself". The last point was further reinforced when I Corps' commander, General Crocker, instructed the division, prior to the invasion, that by nightfall the city must be either captured or "effectively masked" with troops based north-west of the city and Bénouville.Wilmot, p. 274 Queen sector Sword Beach

Sword stretched about from Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer in the west to the mouth of the River Orne in the east. It was further sub-divided into four landing sectors; from west to east these sectors were 'Oboe' (from Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer to

Luc-sur-Mer Luc-sur-Mer (, literally ''Luc on Sea'') is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. Population Sights * The "Maison de la Baleine" created by Jean Chabriac. On January 15, 1885 a 40-ton and 19 me ...

), 'Peter' (from Luc-sur-Mer to

Lion-sur-Mer Lion-sur-Mer (, literally ''Lion on Sea'') is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. Geography Lion-sur-Mer is located on the edge of the English Channel, more precisely on the '' Côte de Nacre'' ...

), 'Queen' (from Lion-sur-Mer to La Brèche d'Hermanville), and finally 'Roger' (from La Brèche d'Hermanville to

). Each sector was also divided into multiple beaches.Ford, pp. 36–37, 40–41 The sector chosen for the assault was the wide 'White' and 'Red' beaches of 'Queen' sector, as shallow reefs blocked access to the other sectors. Two infantry battalions supported by

DD tank DD or Duplex Drive tanks, nicknamed " Donald Duck tanks", were a type of amphibious swimming tank developed by the British during the Second World War. The phrase is mostly used for the Duplex Drive variant of the M4 Sherman medium tank, that w ...

s would lead the assault followed up by the commandos and the rest of the division; the landing was due to start at 07:25 hours.

German

Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-493-3363-13, Frankreich, Strandbefestigungen

On 23 March 1942, Führer Directive Number 40 called for the official creation of the

Atlantic Wall The Atlantic Wall (german: link=no, Atlantikwall) was an extensive system of coastal defences and fortifications built by Nazi Germany between 1942 and 1944 along the coast of continental Europe and Scandinavia as a defence against an anticip ...

—a line of concrete gun emplacements, machine-gun nests, minefields and beach obstacles stretching along the French coast. Fortifications were initially concentrated around ports, but were extended into other areas beginning in late 1943. While the

German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...

had seen its strength and morale heavily depleted by campaigns in Russia, North Africa and Italy, it remained a powerful fighting force.Granatstein, p. 19 Most of the German divisions along the French coast in late 1943, however, were either formations of new recruits or battered veteran units still resting and rebuilding after service on the Eastern Front; altogether some 856,000 soldiers were stationed in France, predominantly along the Channel coast. They were supported by an additional 60,000 ''Hilfswillige'' (Russian and Polish conscripts to the German army). Under the command of

Field Marshals Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a grass ...

Erwin Rommel Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel () (15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944) was a German field marshal during World War II. Popularly known as the Desert Fox (, ), he served in the ''Wehrmacht'' (armed forces) of Nazi Germany, as well as servi ...

and

Gerd von Rundstedt Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt (12 December 1875 – 24 February 1953) was a German field marshal in the '' Heer'' (Army) of Nazi Germany during World War II. Born into a Prussian family with a long military tradition, Rundstedt entered th ...

, the defences of the

were heavily upgraded; in the first six months of 1944, 1.2 million tons of steel and 17.3 million cubic yards of concrete were laid.Saunders, p. 35 The coast of northern France was also studded with four million antitank and anti-personnel mines, and 500,000 beach obstacles. On and behind Sword, twenty strongpoints, including several artillery batteries, were constructed. The coastline was littered with wooden stakes, mines,

hedgehogs A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are seventeen species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introduction ...

, and Dragon's teeth, while along the top of the beach, the Germans had constructed a network of trenches, gun pits, mortar pits, and machine gun nests. Barbed wire surrounded these positions and lined the beach.Notes on Operations of 21 Army Group, p. 3 The beachfront itself, being generally flat and exposed, was guarded by a few scattered bunkers, with machine gun and sniper posts in some of the holiday homes and tourist facilities lining the shore. To reinforce the defences, six strongpoints had been constructed, each with at least eight 5 cm Pak 38 50mm anti-tank guns, four 75mm guns, and one 88mm gun. One of the strongpoints (codenamed ''Cod'' by the British), faced directly on to Queen sector. Exits from the beaches had been blocked with various obstacles, and behind the beaches, six artillery batteries had been positioned, three of which were based within three strongpoints; these latter batteries had four 100 mm guns and up to ten 155mm guns. In addition, positioned east of the River Orne was the

Merville Gun Battery The Merville Gun Battery is a decommissioned coastal fortification in Normandy, France, which was built as part of the Germans' Atlantic Wall to defend continental Europe from Allied invasion. It was a particularly heavily fortified position and ...

, containing four Czechoslovakian 100 mm howitzers which were within range of Sword and the invasion fleet. Between Cherbourg and the

River Seine ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributarie ...

there were a total of 32 batteries capable of firing on to the five invasion beaches; half of them were positioned in casemates of reinforced concrete. Ouistreham

Since the spring of 1942, ''

Generalleutnant is the Germanic variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO rank of O ...

'' Wilhelm Richter's 8,000-man strong 716th Infantry Division had been positioned to defend the

Calvados Calvados (, , ) is a brandy from Normandy in France, made from apples or pears, or from apples with pears. History In France Apple orchards and brewers are mentioned as far back as the 8th century by Charlemagne. The first known record of Nor ...

coast of Normandy.Ford and Gerrard, p. 16. In March 1942, the 352nd Infantry Division assumed control of the western Calvados coast, leaving the 716th in position north of Caen covering an 8-mile (13 km) stretch of coastline. The division comprised four regular infantry battalions, two Ost battalions, and artillery units.Copp, p. 37 Four infantry companies were spread along Sword, with two positioned facing Queen sector—another four were positioned inland behind the beach. Further inland, ''Generalleutnants

Edgar Feuchtinger Edgar Feuchtinger (9 November 1894 – 21 January 1960) was a German General (Generalleutnant) during the Second World War. Feuchtinger was commander of the 21st Panzer Division during the Normandy Invasion. Later in 1944 he was tried and convic ...

's 16,297 strong 21st Panzer Division had been positioned on both sides of the River Orne around Caen to provide an immediate counter-attack force should a landing take place.D’Este, p. 117 In May 1944, two ''Panzergrenadier'' battalions and an antitank battalion from the 21st Panzer Division were placed under Richter's command;Copp, p. 37 this deployment eliminated 21st Panzer as a mobile reserve. One of these battalions, along with the division's anti-tank guns and several mobile 155 mm guns, was positioned on Périers Ridge, which rose to about above sea level, south of Sword.

Order of battle

3rd Division group

Film still from the D-Day landings showing commandos aboard a landing craft on their approach to Sword Beach, 6 June 1944

3rd DivisionJoslen, pp. 584–585. – Major-General T. G. Rennie 8th Brigade (assault brigade) * 1st Battalion

Suffolk Regiment The Suffolk Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army with a history dating back to 1685. It saw service for three centuries, participating in many wars and conflicts, including the First and Second World Wars, before bein ...

* 2nd Battalion

East Yorkshire Regiment The East Yorkshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1685 as Sir William Clifton's Regiment of Foot and later renamed the 15th Regiment of Foot. It saw service for three centuries, before eventually being ...

* 1st Battalion

South Lancashire Regiment The South Lancashire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1958. The regiment, which recruited, as its title suggests, primarily from the South Lancashire area, was created as part of the Childers Re ...

9th Brigade * 2nd Battalion

Lincolnshire Regiment The Royal Lincolnshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army raised on 20 June 1685 as the Earl of Bath's Regiment for its first Colonel, John Granville, 1st Earl of Bath. In 1751, it was numbered like most other Army regiments ...

* 1st Battalion

King's Own Scottish Borderers The King's Own Scottish Borderers (KOSBs) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division. On 28 March 2006 the regiment was amalgamated with the Royal Scots, the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Margaret's O ...

* 2nd Battalion

Royal Ulster Rifles The Royal Irish Rifles (became the Royal Ulster Rifles from 1 January 1921) was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army, first created in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 83rd (County of Dublin) Regiment of Foot and the 86th (Royal County D ...

185th Brigade * 2nd Battalion

Royal Warwickshire Regiment The Royal Warwickshire Regiment, previously titled the 6th Regiment of Foot, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. The regiment saw service in many conflicts and wars, including the Second Boer War ...

* 1st Battalion

Royal Norfolk Regiment The Royal Norfolk Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army until 1959. Its predecessor regiment was raised in 1685 as Henry Cornwall's Regiment of Foot. In 1751, it was numbered like most other British Army regiments and named ...

* 2nd Battalion

King's Own Shropshire Light Infantry The King's Shropshire Light Infantry (KSLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in the Childers Reforms of 1881, but with antecedents dating back to 1755. It served in the Second Boer War, World War I and World War II. In 196 ...

Divisional Troops * 3rd Reconnaissance Regiment

Royal Armoured Corps The Royal Armoured Corps is the component of the British Army, that together with the Household Cavalry provides its armour capability, with vehicles such as the Challenger 2 Tank and the Scimitar Reconnaissance Vehicle. It includes most of the A ...

* HQ

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

(RA) 3rd Division ** 33rd and 76th Field Regiments, RA (self-propelled guns) ** 7th Field Regiment, RA ** 20th Anti-Tank Regiment, RA ** 92nd (Loyals) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, RA * 3rd Divisional

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

(RE)Pakenham-Walsh, pp. 335–336. – CRE: Lieutenant Colonel R.W. Urquhart ** 17th Field Company, RE ** 245th Field Company, RE ** 253rd Field Company, RE ** 15th Field Park Company, RE * 3rd Divisional Signals,

Royal Corps of Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS or R SIGS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communi ...

* 2nd Battalion

Middlesex Regiment The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1966. The regiment was formed, as the Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment), in 1881 as part of the Childers Re ...

(machine guns) Attached units and formations 27th Armoured Brigade (DD Tanks) * 13th/18th Royal Hussars * 1st East Riding Yeomanry *

Staffordshire Yeomanry The Staffordshire Yeomanry (Queen's Own Royal Regiment) was a unit of the British Army. Raised in 1794 following Prime Minister William Pitt's order to raise volunteer bodies of men to defend Great Britain from foreign invasion, the Staffordshir ...

5th Assault Regiment, RE * 77 & 79 Assault Squadrons, RE ( AVREs) * 629 Field Squadron, RE * 71 Field Company, RE * 263rd (Sussex) Field Company, RE (attached from XII Corps Troops, Royal Engineers as beach obstacle clearance parties) British Commandos Patch

1st Special Service Brigade (landed on eastern extremity of Sword) – Brigadier Lord Lovat *

No. 3 Commando No. 3 Commando was a battalion-sized Commando unit raised by the British Army during the Second World War. Formed in July 1940 from volunteers for special service, it was the first such unit to carry the title of "Commando". Shortly afterwards the ...

– Lieutenant Colonel Peter Young *

No. 4 Commando No. 4 Commando was a battalion-sized British Army commando unit, formed in 1940 early in the Second World War. Although it was raised to conduct small-scale raids and harass garrisons along the coast of German occupied France, it was mainly emp ...

– Lieutenant Colonel Robert Dawson ** A force of 176 French Marine Commandos from No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando, commanded by Commandant Philippe Kieffer landed with No. 4 Commando * No. 6 Commando – Lieutenant Colonel Derek Mills-Roberts * No. 45 (Royal Marine) Commando – Lieutenant Colonel Charles Ries British Commandos Patch

4th Special Service Brigade (landed between Juno and Sword) 101 Beach Sub-area * Beach groups#No.5 Beach Group, No. 5 Beach Group (Queen sector) **5th Battalion, King's Regiment (Liverpool), 5th Battalion King's Regiment (Liverpool) * 'M' AA Assault Group (from 80th Anti-Aircraft Brigade (United Kingdom), 80th Anti-Aircraft Brigade)80 AA Bde Operation Order No 1, 20 May 1944, in 80 AA Bde War Diary 1944, The National Archives (United Kingdom), The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 171/1085.Routledge, pp. 305–307.3 Division at Royal Artillery 1939–45.
/ref> ** RHQ 73rd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, 73rd Light AA Rgt, RA – Lieutenant-Colonel J.A. Armstrong *** 218 LAA Bty and 296 LAA Bty less 2 Troops ** G & H Troops 322 LAA Bty, 93rd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, 93rd LAA Rgt, RA ** 322 HAA Bty and C Troop 323 HAA Bty, 103rd Heavy AA Rgt, RA ** B Troop 474th Searchlight Battery, Royal Artillery, 474 Independent Searchlight Bty, RA ** 16 Fire Control Post, RA ** 76 & 103 Coast Observation Detachments, RA ** One Platoon 112 Company Royal Pioneer Corps, Pioneer Corps (smoke generators) ** 73 LAA Rgt Workshop, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) * 'N' AA Assault Group (from 80th AA Bde) ** RHQ 103rd Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, 103rd HAA Rgt, RA – Lieutenant-Colonel H.E. Johnston (AA Defence Commander, 101 BSA) *** D Troop 323 HAA Bty and 324 HAA Bty ** 220 LAA Bty, 73rd LAA Rgt, RA ** I Troop 322 LAA Bty, 93rd LAA Rgt, RA ** C Troop 474 S/L Bty, RA ** 160 AA Operations Room, RA ** One Platoon 112 Company, Pioneer Corps ** 103 HAA Rgt Workshop, REME * 18th GHQ Troops Engineers – CRE: Lieutenant-Colonel J.H. Boyd ** 84th Field Company, RE ** 91st Field Company, RE ** 8th & 9th Stores Sections, RE ** 50th Mechanical Equipment Section, RE ** 205th Works Section, RE ** 654th & 722nd Artisan Works Companies, RE ** Two Advanced Park Sections of 176th Workshop and Park Company, RE ** 49th Bomb Disposal Section, RE ** 999th & 1028th Port Operating Companies, RE ** 940 Inland Water Transport Company, RE ** Five Companies, Pioneer Corps * Beach groups#No.6 Beach Group, No. 6 Beach Group (in reserve) ** 1st Buckinghamshire Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry

D-Day at Sword

British assault

The assault on Sword began at about 03:00 with the aerial and naval bombardment of German coastal defences and artillery sites. The landing was to be concentrated on Queen Red and Queen White in front of Hermanville-sur-Mer, other approaches having proven impassable due to shoals. At 07:25, the first units set off for the beach. These were the amphibious DD tanks of the 13th/18th Hussars; they were followed closely by the 8th Infantry Brigade, and by Royal Engineers in AVREs and the various odd-looking, specialized vehicles that had been nicknamed 'Hobart's funnies'. The engineers set to work clearing mines and obstacles under a steady hail of small arms fire and artillery fire from Périers Ridge just south of Hermanville.Ford and Gerrard, p. 13. Resistance on the beach was initially fairly strong, with wrecked vehicles piling up and casualties mounting; however, with most of their armoured vehicles successfully landed, the British were able to quickly secure the immediate area. By 09:30 the engineers had cleared seven of the eight exits from the beach, allowing the inland advance to begin. British and French commandos encountered tough resistance in the seaside town of

, on Sword's eastern extremity, but were able to clear it of enemy strongpoints. By 13:00, the 1st Special Service Brigade had reached the bridges on the

and the Canal de Caen à la Mer, Caen Canal, linking up with paratroops of the 6th Airborne Division, who were holding the bridges, after earlier disabling German gun batteries in a fierce night-time battle at Merville Gun Battery, Merville. On the western flank of Sword, commandos of the 4th Special Service Brigade advanced to secure Lion-sur-Mer and meet Canadian forces at Juno Beach but encountered strong resistance and were pinned down by heavy fire for several hours. Around the main landing area, the men of the 3rd Infantry Division had secured Hermanville-sur-Mer by 10:00, but were finding tougher going as they slowly fought their way up Périers Ridge and moved inland. Congestion as more men, vehicles and equipment arrived on the beach further complicated matters. It was gradually becoming apparent that the British would not be able to meet the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, to protect the right flank in an immediate assault on Caen. Troops of the King's Shropshire Light Infantry continued down the Hermanville-Caen road, reaching Biéville-Beuville, close to Caen but were supported by only a few self-propelled guns, their flanks exposed. During the afternoon, the 21st Panzer Division, based around Caen, launched the only major German counterattack of D-Day.

German counter-attacks

D-day - British Forces during the Invasion of Normandy 6 June 1944 B5079

The 21st Panzer Division, with its formidable inventory of some 127 Panzer IV tanks, was intended for use as a rapid response force; on the morning of 6 June but its commander, ''Generalmajor''

, was in Paris, and Rommel was in Germany. The division was unable to finalize orders and preparations for a counterattack until late in the day. At about 17:00, two thrusts were launched, east and west of the River Orne. The eastern attack, carried out by II Battalion and supporting units, under Major Hans von Luck, was intended to destroy the 6th Airborne Division's Orne bridgehead but was soon stopped in its tracks by intense Allied air attacks and naval gunfire. To the west, a larger armoured group initially fared somewhat better. Taking advantage of the gap between the Sword and Juno sectors, elements of the 192nd Panzergrenadier Regiment were able to reach the coast at

by 20:00. With few flak units and very little support from the ''Luftwaffe'', they too suffered losses to Allied aircraft. When 250 gliders of the British 6th Airlanding Brigade (United Kingdom), 6th Airlanding Brigade overflew their positions, on their way to reinforce the Orne bridgehead in Operation Mallard, the Germans, believing they were about to be cut off, retired. The ''Luftwaffe'' was particularly weak in this sector but tried to support the attack with a few of the rare daylight appearances it made on D-Day. ''Generalfeldmarschall'' Hugo Sperrle, commanding ''Luftflotte 3'' (Air Fleet 3) was responsible for the air defence of Normandy and ordered all available forces to attack the beachhead. Junkers Ju 88s from ''Kampfgeschwader 54'' (KG 54: Bomber Wing 54) attacked British positions with Butterfly Bombs. III./KG 54 struck

while I./KG 54 bombed shipping at the mouth of the Orne (river), Orne. No. 145 Wing RAF, 145 Wing intercepted and shot down five German aircraft.

Aftermath

Analysis

By the end of D-Day, 28,845 men of I Corps had come ashore across Sword. The British Official Historian, Lionel Ellis, L. F. Ellis, wrote that "in spite of the

over 156,000 men had been landed in France on the first day of the campaign." British losses in the Sword area amounted to 683 men. The British and Canadians were able to link up and resume the drive on Caen the following day, but three days into the invasion, the advance was halted. On 7 June, Operation Perch, a pincer attack by the 51st (Highland) Division, 51st (Highland) Infantry Division and XXX Corps (United Kingdom), XXX Corps was launched to encircle Caen from the east and west flanks.Ellis, p. 250 The 21st Panzer Division (Wehrmacht), 21st Panzer Division halted the 51st Division advance and the XXX Corps attack resulted in the Battle of Villers-Bocage and the withdrawal of the leading elements of the 7th Armoured Division (United Kingdom), 7th Armoured Division soon after.Van der Vat, p. 139 The next offensive, codenamed Operation Epsom, was launched by VIII Corps (United Kingdom), VIII Corps on 26 June, to envelope Caen from the west. German forces managed to contain the offensive but to do so, they were obliged to commit all their available strength. On 27 June, the 3rd Infantry Division and its supporting tanks launched Operation ''Mitten''. The objective was to seize two German-occupied châteaux, la Londe and le Landel. The initial evening assault was repulsed but the following morning, attacks gained the objectives and destroyed several German tanks. Operation ''Mitten'' cost at least three British tanks and 268 men.Fortin, p. 30Copp (2004), p. 113 In 2003 Copp wrote that fighting for these châteaux made the area the "bloodiest square mile in Normandy". Scarfe wrote in 1947 that, had the operation gone more smoothly, further elements of the division and elements of the 3rd Canadian Division would have launched Operation Aberlour, an ambitious plan to capture several villages north of Caen but the attack was cancelled by Lieutenant-General John Crocker.Scarfe, pp. 68–69 Several days later I Corps launched a new offensive, codenamed Operation Charnwood, to gain possession of Caen. In a frontal assault, the northern half of the city was captured,Williams, p. 131 but German forces retained possession of the city south of the River Orne. The southern half of Caen was only captured 12 days later by Canadian infantry during Operation Atlantic.Trew, p. 102

Notes

;Footnotes ;Citations

References

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Col L.F. Morling, ''Sussex Sappers: A History of the Sussex Volunteer and Territorial Army Royal Engineer Units from 1890 to 1967'', Seaford: 208th Field Co, RE/Christians–W.J. Offord, 1972. * Maj-Gen R.P. Pakenham-Walsh, ''History of the Corps of Royal Engineers'', Vol IX, ''1938–1948'', Chatham: Institution of Royal Engineers, 1958. * * Brig N.W. Routledge, ''History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery: Anti-Aircraft Artillery 1914–55'', London: Royal Artillery Institution/Brassey's, 1994, * * Stewart, Andrew. '' Caen Controversy: The Battle for Sword Beach 1944'' (2014
online review
* Graham E. Watson & Richard A. Rinaldi, ''The Corps of Royal Engineers: Organization and Units 1889–2018'', Tiger Lily Books, 2018, . * * * * * * *

External links

D-Day-Overlord Sword Beach

Photos de Sword Beach

United Kingdom Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), Ministry of Defence
D-Day : Etat des Lieux : Sword Beach
{{coord, 49, 18, 23, N, 0, 19, 16, W, type:event_source:dewiki, display=title Operation Overlord Operation Neptune Battle for Caen Battles of World War II involving Germany Battles of World War II involving France Battles of World War II involving the United Kingdom Beaches of Metropolitan France Landforms of Normandy

Background

Plans

Allied

German

Order of battle

3rd Division group

D-Day at Sword

British assault

German counter-attacks

Aftermath

Analysis

See also

Notes

References

External links