D-Day Memorial Stories
in honor of
Maj. Norman K. Arvidson

Chapter 10
Normandy Tour — 2002
Page 2 of 4

Gold Beach

In the company of our French guide, GeGe, we headed for the D-Day
beaches, museums, memorials and cemeteries. Our first destination was
Beyeux, France. Beyeux is located inland from what was known during
the invasion as “Gold Beach,” and along the main road leading to the
community of Caen, about 25 km distant and further inland from
the “Juno” and “Sword Beach” landing areas.


Editor’s Note: In order to flesh out the story and photos provided by
Ronn Niewohner and his wife, Jan Stay, I have added selected
paragraphs and occasional photos taken from the Memorial
Publication, “Routes of Discovery, The Beaches of the D-Day
Landings,” publication by Normandie Terre-Liberte,
Editions, Quest-France. These notations and photos
will be obvious to the viewer.
Right: A view of the
Bayeux community.
At 7:05 a.m., on the 3 miles of beaches between Ver-sur-Mer and Asnelles, 25,000 men landed from the 50th Northumbrian Infantry Division, accompanied by the 8th Armoured Division. General D. .A. H. Graham was assigned the task of installing himself on the cliffs overlooking Arromanches and quickly taking the town of Bayeux.
Left:
View of “Gold Beach,”
near Arromanches,
France, location of
the Landing Museum.
In the Gold sector, the British used “funnies” tanks with chain whips in front which could blow up the mines on the beaches, while others could destroy the pillboxes or were equipped with an anti-sinking system. The tank-dozer removed the obstacles placed on the beach whereas the “crocodile” was the most frightening with its flame-thrower.
Right: View of
“Gold Beach”
from Landing
Museum grounds.
Landing at Ver-sur-Mer

The landing took place at 7:25 a.m. in the Riviere hamlet without any great problems, so much so that an hour later, the British troops had advanced half mile inland and the site was cleaned in the following hours. The 5th East Yorshire Fusiliers then went on to the Mont Fleury battery 1/2 mile away.

Right:
Landing at
Ver-sur-Mer.

Left: The
Mont Fleury
battery
remains.
This battery had four Russian cannons of 122 mm, two in pillboxes and two in the open. The range of this battery was 9 miles. To the southeast was the Mare Fontaine battery equipped with four Czech 105 mm cannons installed in cube-shaped pillboxes. These two batteries, which could cover the whole of Gold Beach with their fire, were destroyed by bombing from the air and by fire from the cruisers Orion and Belfast, and mopping up operations were carried out in the morning of June 6th by soldiers of the 6th and 7th Green Howards.
“Gold Beach”
view from access
ramp to
Landing Museum.

The 1st Hampshire Regiment of the 231st Brigade landed on this beach, but throughout the whole of June 6th it met fierce opposition from German defenses installed in small fortifications in Hamel.

Below:

“Gold Beach” vista from
Bomb Crater memorial area.
The rest of the 231st Brigade landed further east and met with less resistance. Thanks to their “funnies” the British soldiers cleared the terrain, reached Meuvaines and occupied the strongholds overlooking Arromanches. The coast road crosses the village of Meuvaines, where the German artillery command post for shore defenses was installed.
Remains of
Artificial Harbor
components.

“Mulberry Floating
Harbor”
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