D-Day: Commonwealth Sectors
D-Day: Commonwealth Sectors
This tour highlights the British and Canadian sectors of Operation Overlord, the D-Day invasion. A second tour covers the American sections of the Normandy invasion, to the west. To protect its western front, Nazi Germany constructed a massive defensive line, the Atlantic Wall. The battle zone stretched from Norway all the way through to the Spanish border and was fortified with gun emplacements, machine-gun nests and anti-tank pillboxes all aimed at thwarting the soldiers progress up the beaches. There were miles of barbed wire fencing, over six million mines and an array of traps and obstructions designed to prevent craft from reaching the shore. Low lying river estuaries were kept flooded and deep underground command bunkers were constructed to coordinate operations. The renowned commander of the North Afrika Corps, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, took charge of the Atlantic Wall in early 1944. He felt the defenses were inadequate and set about improving them even further. While addressing his generals about the possibility of invasion, Rommel said, "When they come, and they will come, it will be the longest day". Counter propaganda and deceptions had been spread to reinforce the belief that any invasion would come across the English Channel at Calais. However, the real battle plans were to land on five beaches in Normandy and create a beachhead from where the retaking of Western Europe could begin.
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- Zero Hour
- The Commonwealth Sector
- Pegasus and Horsa Bridges
- Glider Landing Zone
- Cafe Gondree
- Musee Pegasus
- Ranville War Cemetery
- Musee de la Batterie de Mervil
- "Firm Point"
- Main Gate Diversion Attack
- Assault glider landing
- Calvary Cross Junction
- The Vauban Redoute
- Bridges across the Dives
- Grand Chateau de Varavill
- River Divette Bridge
- Bridge at Robehomme
- Two Bridges of Bures
- Troarn Bridge
- Sword Beach
- Ouistreham
- Casino de Ouistreham
- Tanks Obstacles
- Flak Tower
- Grand Bunker
- Lock Gates
- Daimler WN12
- Chateau d'eau
- Hermanville-sur-Mer
- Hotel de la Breche
- Centaur IV Tank
- Cod Casemate WN20
- British War Cemetery
- Lion-sur-Mer
- Trout Casemate WN21
- Hillman Casemate WN17
- Juno Beach
- Langrune-sur-Mer
- St Aubin-sur-Mer
- Casemate WN27
- Casemate WN28
- Maison des Canadiens
- Courseulles-sur-Mar
- Casemate WN29
- Sherman Tank
- Juno Beach Centre
- Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Ceme
- Tailleville
- Radar Museum
- British War Cemetery
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