Categories: World War II

D-Day Landing at Sword Beach

Tanks and bulldozers land. A flair burns on shore.

 

Commandos sail towards a crowded beach

 

British commandos exit the landing craft. Directly in front of the camera is bagpiper Bill Millin. In the water to the right of the column is the unit’s commander – Brigadier the Lord Lovat.

 

British troops wait for orders to advance up the beach

 

The wounded being cared for

 

Sword Beach soon fills with vehicles and men
Royal Marine Commandos move inland
Commandos clear Ouistreham in house to house fighting
Tanks pass through Lion sur Mer
Joshua Horn

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  • Great pictures!

    In the third picture, Bill Millin and Lord Lovat were the first 'official' people across the captured Pegasus Bridge five miles inland. I am going to be visiting Pegasus Bridge in a few weeks, and am looking forward to being in the same spot where these events happened.

    William M.

    • William,
      I didn't remember that, thanks for the comment.

      We had the chance to go to Normandy a few years back, but we only had part of a day there so we couldn't go beyond the main American sites - Utah, Omaha, Point Du Hoc, etc. Of the places we went, I would say Point Du Hoc was the best. There's a great story behind it, and plenty of German bunkers and guns left as well as craters from the Allied attack.

      Johsua

  • Hey Josh, do you have any other 0hotos of the beach landing . My pop was a British commando and is in one of these photos. His name was Harry burnham. I'm just doing some googling into him and stumbled across this I also have the names of most of the people in the photo aswell.

    • That is really amazing. I don't personally have more photos of the landing, these I just found readily available online. I wouldn't be surprised if there are others that show people you recognize if there was a photographer with that unit on that day.

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