Armoured vehicles helped to breach the Atlantic Wall, but many were hit by enemy mortars. ‘There was a flash and sixty tons of metal disappeared in front of our eyes,’ wrote one British trooper.
The exact time of H-Hour, the moment at which Allied troops were to land, varied for each beach: this was due to tidal variations on the Normandy coast. The Utah landing had been at 6.30 a.m. On Sword Beach, the most easterly, it was scheduled for 7.25 a.m.
The survival rate for troops coming ashore would depend, in part, on training and combat experience. American Rangers and British commandos were motivated and highly capable. Uniquely, Canada’s D-Day soldiers on Juno Beach were all volunteers. It was less clear how young and inexperienced conscripts would fare when under fire.
French forces were to play a small but important role in the Sword Beach landings. The 177 men of the 1er Bataillon de Fusiliers Marins commandos were tasked with capturing the vast German bunker complex inside the Riva Bella casino.
Rommel had invested much in the construction of the Atlantic Wall, but rather less in training the soldiers manning it. Many were young conscripts or Osttruppen, and their resilience – especially in service of the Nazis – would be tested under a sustained attack.
Armoured vehicles helped to breach the Atlantic Wall, but many were hit by enemy mortars. ‘There was a flash and sixty tons of metal disappeared in front of our eyes,’ wrote one British trooper.