Gold Beach

Unit Force

Opposing Forces

• 352. Infantrie-Division
• 716. Infantrie-Division

Operation

Gold Beach is the codename for the central beach of the invasion area, spanning 8 kilometres between the villages of La Rivière to the west and Le Hamel to the east. The 50^th “Northumbrian” Infantry Division is tasked with landing on this beach.

German defences are concentrated at both ends of the beach. On the east flank, the 4^th Company of the 441^st (Ost Battalion) and the 7^th Company of the 736^th Infantry Regiment, part of the 716^th Infantry Division, are stationed. On the west flank, the 1^st Battalion of the 916^th Infantry Regiment, part of the 352^nd Infantry Division, mans the Widerstandsnesten bordering the sea. The central stretch of the beach is marshy and is defended only by the 3^rd Company of the 441^st Ost Battalion.

Crew-served weapons in this sector mainly consist of 50 millimetres guns in concrete emplacements and 75 millimetres guns inside pillboxes. Several artillery batteries positioned to the rear cover the beach, including those at Mont-Fleury, Ryes, Marefontaine, Creully, and Crepon.

The first wave comprises the 231^st and 69^th Infantry Brigades. Once the initial assault is completed and the beachhead established, the follow-up brigades, 56^th and 151^st, will push inland to the southwest towards RN 13, supported by the tanks of the 8^th Armoured Brigade.

To the west, the No. 47 Royal Marine Commando’s mission is to capture Port-en-Bessin and link up with U.S. forces landing on Omaha Beach. The 50^th Infantry Division is also tasked with making the junction with the Canadian troops advancing from Juno Beach.

The Attack

The assault on Gold Beach begins at 07:25 on the King sector. Men of the 6^th Green Howards land, supported by the Duplex Drive tanks of the 4^th/7^th Dragoons and the special tanks of the Westminster Dragoons. In this sector, the defence is weak, and the coastal strongpoints are easily reduced before the troops push inland to silence the German batteries.

On the Jig sector, the assault companies of the 1^st Hampshire land at 07:35 without the supporting tanks, which have been delayed. The attack on Le Hamel is halted, progress is slow, and losses are heavy. It takes the support of the 147^th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, to reduce the strongpoint, which falls at 16:00.

The 69^th Brigade then continues its advance south through Creully and Crépon. At 16:00, a German counter-attack is launched, shaking the British lines but failing to break through.

By the evening of June 6^th, 1944, almost all of the 50^th Infantry Division’s objectives have been reached, and the Gold Beach bridgehead is considered one of the strongest established.

To the east, the junction is made with the Canadian troops south of Tierceville, and the 69^th, 56^th, and 151^st Brigades dig in along a line between Vaux-sur-Aure and Coulombs. During the night, patrols of the 2^nd Gloucestershire reach the suburbs of Bayeux.

To the west, Arromanches is reached at 20:00 and cleared an hour later. However, the link-up with the American troops cannot be made.

Men of the No. 47 Royal Marine Commando, after a day-long progression through enemy territory, dig in on Hill 72 south of the Longues-sur-Mer battery.

By the end of the day, 25,000 British soldiers have landed on Gold Beach. 413 men have been killed or wounded on the beach, and 89 landing craft have been destroyed.

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