HISTORY

King George VI visited the Normandy beachhead in June 1944. His visit marked the first time in 4 centuries that a reigning sovereign of England set foot on Norman soil to watch his armies fighting there.

His Majesty the King crossed the English Channel on British Cruiser HMS Arethusa and landed on a beach just west of Courselles from an amphibious “duck”. It was the first time during the Second World War that the King witnessed actual firing on the enemy front line. He sent this message to allied supreme commander General Eisenhower:

“Today I have visited the beaches of Normandy, which will be forever famous. All that I saw on the journey and on the soil of France has moved me deeply. I have come home feeling an intense admiration for all those who planned and organised so vast a project, and for the gallant and successful execution of it in all its varied phases, by every one of those now engaged in this great battle.”

This was the beginning of the Liberation of Europe, starting with this breach of the Atlantic Wall on the northern coast of France and finishing less than a year later in Berlin, the heart of Nazi Germany.

It is impossible to overstate the importance of the Allied Operation. It was the springboard for the end of the Second World War, laying the foundations for victory over the AXIS Powers and subsequent establishment of the United Nations.

Operation Overlord Allied Commanders... who's who?