Brittany FerriesBAI Bretagne Angleterre Irlande S.A.trading asBrittany Ferries is a French shipping company based in Roscoff, France. Founded in 1973 by Alexis Gourvennec, it operates passenger and freight services between the Channel Islands, France, Ireland, Spain and the United Kingdom. HistoryBAI (Bretagne Angleterre Irlande) S.A. was founded by Alexis Gourvennec.
Poole HarbourPoole Harbour is a large natural harbour in Dorset, southern England, with the town of Poole on its shores. The harbour is a drowned valley (ria) formed at the end of the last ice age and is the estuary of several rivers, the largest being the Frome. The harbour has a long history of human settlement stretching to pre-Roman times. The harbour is extremely shallow (average depth 48 cm [19 in]), with one main dredged channel through the harbour, from the mouth to Holes Bay.
PooleCoastal town in Dorset, EnglandTown in EnglandPoole ( ) is a coastal town, seaport on the south coast of England and civil parish in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area in Dorset, England. The town is 21 miles (34 km) east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. The town had an estimated population of 143,418 in 2024, making it the second-largest town in the ceremonial county of Dorset.
CherbourgCherbourg 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 February 2000, which was merged into the new commune of Cherbourg-en-Cotentin on 1 January 2016.
Weymouth Harbour, DorsetWeymouth Harbour (or the Old Harbour) is a harbour at the seaside town of Weymouth in Dorset, southern England. It has a 17th-century waterfront.Channel PortsThe Channel Ports are seaports in southern England and northern France, which allow for short crossings of the English Channel. There is no formal definition, but there is a general understanding of the term. Some ferry companies divide their routes into "short" and "long" crossings. The broadest definition might be from Plymouth east to Kent and from Roscoff to Zeebrugge although a tighter definition would exclude ports west of Newhaven and Dieppe.
English ChannelThe English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busiest shipping area in the world. It is about 560 kilometres (300 nautical miles; 350 statute miles) long and varies in width from 240 km (130 nmi; 150 mi) at its widest to 34 km (18 nmi; 21 mi) at its narrowest in the Strait of Dover.
DorsetCounty of EnglandCeremonial county in EnglandDorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south-east, the English Channel to the south, and Devon to the west. The largest settlement is Bournemouth.
Normandy landingsBelligerentsAllies:United KingdomUnited StatesCanadaFranceAustraliaCzechoslovakiaPolandNetherlandsNorwayNew ZealandGreeceSouth AfricaSouthern RhodesiaGermanyCommanders and leadersDwight D. EisenhowerBernard MontgomeryBertram RamsayOmar BradleyMiles DempseyGerd von RundstedtErwin RommelLeo v. SchweppenburgFriedrich DollmannUnits involved1st ArmyOmaha Beach: V Corps1st Infantry Division29th Infantry DivisionUtah Beach: VII Corps4th Infantry Division82nd Airborne Division90th Infantry Division101st Airborne Division2nd ArmyGold Beach: XXX Corps50th Infantry DivisionJuno Beach: I Corps3rd Canadian Infantry DivisionSword Beach: I Corps3rd Infantry Division6th Airborne Division5th Pzr ArmySouth of Caen:21st Panzer Division7th ArmyOmaha Beach:352nd Infantry DivisionUtah Beach:709th Static DivisionGold, Juno, and Sword Beaches:716th Static DivisionStrength 156,000 soldiers195,700 naval personnel 50,350+170 coastal artillery gunsCasualties and losses 10,000+ casualties; 4,414 confirmed killed185 M4 Sherman tanks 4,000–9,000 killed, wounded, missing, or capturedThe Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War.
World War IIGlobal conflict from 1939 to 1945BelligerentsAlliesAxisCommanders and leadersMain Allied leaders: Joseph StalinFranklin D. RooseveltWinston ChurchillChiang Kai-shekMain Axis leaders: Adolf HitlerHirohitoBenito MussoliniCasualties and losses 60–75 million deaths (military and civilian) World War II, or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945), was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers.
South West EnglandRegion of EnglandRegion in EnglandSouth West England, or the South West of England, is one of the nine official regions of England in the United Kingdom. Additionally, it is one of four regions that altogether make up Southern England. South West England consists of the counties of Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Dorset, Devon, Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.