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When British 3rd Infantry Division landed on Sword Beach in Normandy on D-Day, it was the most powerful to date, comprising infantry, armor, commandos, self propelled artillery and anti-tank guns, specialist assault armor and a host of support units. Covered by a tactical air force and supported by the offshore guns of the Royal Navy, the division assaulted Sword Beach with a force that was unstoppable. Within hours of the first touchdown tanks and infantry were ashore, fanning out across the countryside to enlarge the lodgement and sending an armored thrust towards their first objective, Caen, just seven miles away. Then it all went wrong. Sword was the only Allied beachhead to suffer armored counterattack by a German panzer division on D-Day and from then on the invaders struggled to make any progress. Advances that should have been measured in miles were reduced to a few hedgerows, or a field here and a wood there. Caen was not captured for seven more weeks. Covering both the triumph of the Sword Beach landings and the disappointment of the failure to capitalize on that early success, the first seven days that British troops were back on the soil of mainland Europe make a fascinating story. Ken Ford allows the reader to stand on the spot where momentous decisions were made, see how and why the battle lost its momentum and understand why the Caen attack slowed almost to stalemate.

On 6 June 1944 British, American, Canadian and French troops landed in Normandy by air and sea. This was one of the key moments of the Second World War, a long-anticipated invasion which would, ultimately, lead to the defeat of Nazi Germany. By the day’s end a lodgment had been effected and Operation OVERLORD was being hailed as a success. In reality the assault had produced mixed results and at certain points along the French coastline the position was still far from certain. The key Allied objectives had also not been captured during the first day of the fighting and this failure would have long-term consequences. Of the priority targets, the city of Caen was a vital logistical hub with its road and rail networks plus it would also act as a critical axis for launching the anticipated follow-on attacks against the German defenders. As a result an entire brigade of British troops was tasked with attempting its capture but their advance culminated a few miles short. This new book examines this significant element of the wider D-Day operation and provides a narrative account of the operations conducted by 3 British Infantry Division. It examines in some detail the planning, preparation and the landings that were made on the beaches of Sword sector. To do this it considers the previously published material and also draws upon archival sources many of which have been previously overlooked to identify key factors behind the failure to capture the city. Its publication coincides with the 70th anniversary of the Allied liberation of France.

The third title in Osprey's survey of the D-Day landings of World War II (1939-1945). At 0016hrs on 6 June 1944 a Horsa glider ground to a halt a mere 60 yards from the Orne Canal bridge at Bénouville in Normandy. A small group of British paratroopers burst from it and stormed the bridge within minutes. The Allied liberation of Nazi-occupied Europe had begun. Within a few hours landing craft would swarm towards Ouistreham as British 3rd Division stormed ashore at Sword Beach. The battle would then begin to break through to relieve the paratroopers. In the third of the D-Day volumes Ken Ford details the assault by British 6th Airborne Division and the British landings on Sword Beach that secured the vital left flank of the invasion.

This is a guide book to the D-Day landing sites and the surrounding area. It covers the infanty assaults during Operation Neptune. It also covers the actions of the American and British Airborne units. The main German gun batteries are discussed and explained. Information about the local American, British, and German cemeteries is also provided. There are suggestions about sites and museums to visits. A thourough history about the background of Operation Neptune and the events of 6 June 1944 are also presented. 

Saving Private Ryan has brought home to a new generation just how harrowing the landing at Omaha Beach was on D-Day. Located in between the other American objective of Utah Beach and the British and Canadian beaches Sword, Gold and Juno, failure to secure Omaha Beach would have resulted in the failure of the entire invasion. Operational oversights and the fortunes of war left a larger number of German defenses intact on this crucial beach, making for the most difficult of all the battles on June 6, 1944. Americans on Omaha Beach sustained about 60% of all casualties on D-Day. All of the units, events and personalities of the Omaha landing are covered in full detail, backed up with numerous photographs, maps, suggestions for further reading and a guide to touring the battlefield sites as they are today.

As the left most inland flank of the D-Day landings, Sword Beach was thought most likely to receive the first German counterattacks. The British troops selected for the assault had the tasks of securing the beach and advancing on the heavily defended medieval town of Caen. The troops also were determined to link up with British paratroopers and glider units who had landed the night before on special missions and were not equipped to withstand an armored counterattack alone.Backed up by an impressive array of modified armored vehicles, the veteran 3rd Division, spearheaded by No. 4 Army Commando and 41 Royal Marine Commando, stormed ashore and secured its objectives with moderate casualties. No. 4 Commando also reached the airborne troops before they could be overwhelmed by German armor. However, the British failed to secure the key town of Caen on schedule.The action on this Normandy beach is now covered in all the detail that has become standard with the Battleground Europe series.

Hardcover. When the amphibious Duplex Drive (DD) Sherman tanks of the 13th/18th Royal Hussars (QMO) touched down on the sand of Sword Beach as the vanguard of the D-Day invasion, ahead of the infantry and Commandos, it was the culmination of an evolution spanning several years. Switching roles from a mounted regiment in India, into a mechanised, armoured cavalry regiment, they fought in France in 1940, then faced an uncertain future, after evacuating through Dunkirk. However, the 13th/18th would subsequently be selected to spearhead the assault on Sword Beach in new, top secret amphibious tanks. Having successfully secured the beach on D-Day, the Regiment became heavily engaged in the battle for Normandy, earning themselves an excellent reputation with the infantry brigades which they supported, before pushing north into the Fatherland. Their casualties from D-Day onwards amounted to 142 Hussars lost, 236 wounded, with many gallantry awards received. In addition to recording the Regiment's achievements during World War II, the story includes the personal testimonies of many of the Regiment's soldiers and officers throughout the war, along with many previously unpublished photographs. AUTHOR: Andrew May was born in Reading, Berkshire, where he lives today with his wife Fiona and two sons, Adam and Glenn. Throughout a career in the technology industry, Andrew has maintained an enthusiastic interest in military history, researching his Great Grandfather's experiences in the First World War and subsequent death at The Somme, and both his Grandfather's and Great Uncle's service in North Africa, Sicily and Italy during the Second World War. It was perhaps inevitable that the compelling story of the 13th/18th Royal Hussars (QMO) would captivate him to such an extent that it resulted in the creation of this book. 105 b/w illustrations Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.