Gold Beach

To the east of the sector, in front of Ver-sur-Mer, the 69th Brigade is making more rapid progress. The primary obstacle, formed by the fortifications of the coastal hamlet of La Rivière, is overcome by mid-morning following the destruction of an 88 mm gun positioned in a blockhouse on the sea wall, which had been holding the attackers at bay. The two heavy batteries located within the commune, at Mont-Fleury and Marefontaine, rendered impotent by aerial and naval bombardments, are quickly taken out of action. Meanwhile, in the centre, a unit composed of Russians incorporated into the Wehrmacht is overwhelmed without mercy and collapses; this facilitates the British breakthrough through the marshes, where breaches are opened in the minefields by the “flail” tanks. From there, General Graham’s troops, reinforced by the reserve brigade of the division, push inland with little resistance encountered.

By the evening of 6 June, the British have landed 25,000 men at Gold and control an area of approximately 10 kilometres by 10 kilometres. Essentially, the day’s objectives have been achieved. The forward elements of the 50th Division have reached the RN 13 and are at the gates of Bayeux. On the left flank, a junction has been made with the Canadians who landed at Juno Beach. However, on the right, while Arromanches was captured late in the afternoon, Port-en-Bessin remains in German hands, and contact with the Americans could not be established due to the severe difficulties faced by them at Omaha Beach.

The 50th British Division, landed at Gold, soon finds itself at the gates of Bayeux and captures it on the morning of the 7th. Its objective is also to take the commune of Arromanches in preparation for the establishment of the future artificial harbour (Mulberry) and to link up with the Canadian troops that landed at Juno. This mission will be accomplished by the evening of the 6th.

The Artificial Harbour of Arromanches

With the Germans having transformed all the ports of the English Channel into fortresses, it was out of the question for the Allies to capture them head-on. However, they needed port facilities to land the enormous quantities of men, equipment, and munitions necessary for the success of Operation “Overlord.” Thus arose the idea, proposed by Winston Churchill himself, to utilise artificial ports, the various components of which would be manufactured in England and then towed across the Channel before being assembled off the Normandy coast.

In addition to the development of floating platforms for offloading at sea and floating roads to ensure connections with the mainland, the most spectacular aspect of the “Mulberry” project was undoubtedly the construction of enormous hollow concrete blocks, the Phoenix caissons, intended to form the harbour’s basin. Their empty tonnage ranged from 1,600 to 6,000 tonnes, and the largest measured 60 metres in length and 17 metres in width, with the height of a five-storey building.

In 100 days, 400,000 soldiers, 4 million tonnes of equipment, and 500,000 vehicles are landed at “Port Winston.”