4/8/2024 0 Comments War beachMr Instance added: “‘We would urge people not to swim near to the door at Durdle Door as the area is prone to stronger currents as the tide moves faster funnelling through the arch. On a good day, the waters can be very calm and inviting but like many other beaches, conditions can take a drastic turn too. ![]() Steve Instance, RNLI Regional Water Safety Lead told Dorset Live: “Durdle Door is a very attractive location and while it's very tempting to swim there, all visitors must be aware that there is no lifeguard service at either Durdle Door or Lulworth Cove.” While it may seem as though Durdle Door would have slightly quieter waters being enclosed in a cove, people are advised against swimming there by the RNLI, since there are no lifeguards on the beach. ![]() Troops setting foot on French soil here met with relatively little resistance.Durdle Door is popular with swimmers (Image: PA Wire) Most memorably, John Steele’s parachute got stuck on the tower at Sainte-Mère-Église while fighting took place around the church. Extensive marshes separate Utah Beach from the other D-Day beaches, which caused havoc as American airborne troops parachuted down into the area behind the coast during the night. Utah Beach: The most westerly landing sector on D-Day, Utah Beach lies on the Cotentin Peninsula stretching from beyond the village of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont north to the beach by Quinéville. At the end of the day, the forces that landed here suffered 3,000 casualties, of whom around a third died. The infantry coming ashore were decimated by German fire, but despite heavy losses, small groups of Americans made it up the slopes and took German positions from behind, so some gains were made, if at heavy human cost. Omaha Beach: The American troops who landed at Omaha Beach suffered the worst on D-Day, due to ineffective bombardments and amphibious tank failure. By the end of the day, the Allied forces here had practically met the objectives set for them, closing in on the town of Bayeux. West at Asnelles, German resistance was stronger. Before the troops landed, bombardments successfully knocked out some of the strongest German defences and advances were generally rapid. Gold Beach: This area stretched east from the port of Arromanches (External link). Of 14,000 Canadian troops that landed here, 340 were killed and 600 wounded. Juno Beach: Under Canadian leadership, Canadian and British forces took on this stretch of coast west of Courseulles-sur-Mer – and although there were no major defensive batteries along this stretch, the mines, guns and vicious obstacles set up by the Germans along the beaches caused many fatalities. ![]() The bulk of the forces that landed on Sword Beach were British, although some French naval forces also took part. There were major obstacles to troops in this area: reefs at Lion-sur-Mer and Luc-sur-Mer, and strong German defences around the port. ![]() Sword Beach: The most easterly of the D-Day beaches, stretching west of the Orne River Estuary from Ouistreham. If you follow the Normandy coast from above Caen in the east to close to Sainte-Mère-Eglise in the west, you can learn all about this most daring and world-changing of naval operations. British, American, Canadian and other troops landed on Normandy’s beaches (External link) on 6 June 1944 to begin the liberation of Europe from years of Nazi occupation – and the planners of this crucial event codenamed it ‘ D-Day’.
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