Gold Beach

Gold Beach. Liberation Pointe. , Gold Beach was in the center of the Allied landing beaches and was divided into four sectors: "How," "Item," "Jig," and "King." 25,000 soldiers from the British 50th Division and the No. 47 Royal Marine Commandoes assaulted Gold Beach. The objective was to establish a beachhead, and secure the town of Bayeux and the Caen-Bayeux Road to link with the Americans on Omaha and the Canadians on Juno Beaches., Successful air and naval bombardments softened the German defenses. By midnight, about 25,000 men landed with nearly 400 casualties. The British secured Bayeux and linked up with the Canadian forces from Juno, advancing some six miles inland. They captured the town of Arromanches and set up an artificial harbor for unloading Allied supplies.,

Gold Combatant Forces , Allied Units. British 50th Infantry Division . British 8th Armoured Brigade . British 56th Infantry Brigade . No. 47, Royal Marine Commando, Axis Units. 352nd Infantry Division . 716th Static Division, "Touching the dockside as I embarked, I wondered if I should ever touch 'English soil' again." , Bren Gunner Gordon Duffin, 19 , A Company, (No. 8 Platoon), 2nd Battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment

, Sergeant Major Stanley Hollis , 6th Battalion, Green Howards , Hollis led a detachment of the 6th Battalion, Green Howards onto Gold Beach under heavy fire and a smokescreen. As they moved inland, Hollis noticed an overlooked pillbox of German soldiers. Without hesitation, Hollis immediately threw a grenade into the pillbox. His actions are credited with saving the lives of many Gold Beach invaders. He is the recipient of the only Victoria Cross for D-Day., Corporal Al Pymm, 39 , No. 47 Royal Marine Commandos , On D-Day, Corporal Al Pymm's boat struck an underwater object, causing him and several others to be thrown overboard. Pymm managed to recover, saving another man who was wounded. Concerned for his comrades, he went back into the water and saved two more soldiers., Sergeant Neville Howell, 22 , 73rd Anti-Tank Regiment, British Army , Sergeant Neville Howell was part of an M-10 tank destroyer crew that was deployed on D-Day. Moments after landing, his tank destroyer narrowly escaped being destroyed by enemy fire. He and his tank destroyer continued to serve through the Normandy Campaign and throughout Europe., Gotta Get There Fast. During the invasion of Gold Beach, many soldiers carried folding bicycles. Once off the beach, the soldiers rode their bikes to various points to speed up the invasion times., [Caption:] , The greatest invasion in history relied on an intricate multipart attack. A prolonged aerial bombardment in the weeks leading up to D-day was followed by further air attacks on German positions in the early hours of June 6. Beginning around 0500 hours, Navy guns again hammered the Germans; the amphibious landings followed. In addition, some 24,000 men made airborne landings in Normandy, either by parachuting or landing in gliders.