The D-Day Landing on Gold Beach: 6 June 1944

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Description

The Normandy landings of 6 June 1944, across five sectors of the French coast - Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword - constituted the largest amphibious invasion in history. This study analyses in depth the preparations and implementation of the D-Day landing on Gold Beach by XXX Corps. Historians have tended to dismiss the landing on Gold Beach as straightforward but the evidence points to a different reality. Armour supported the infantry landing and prior bombing was intended to weaken German defences; however, the bulk of the bombing landed too far inland, and many craft foundered in difficult conditions at sea. It was the tenacity of the assault units and the flexibility of the follow up units which enabled the Gold landing to secure the right flank of the British Army in Normandy. Using detailed primary evidence from The National Archives and the Imperial War Museum, this volume provides a substantial assessment of the background to the landing on Gold, and analyses the events of D-Day in the wider context of the Normandy Campaign.

Reviews

Holborn's wonderfully researched monograph illustrates the extent to which the story of the British and Canadian landings on D-Day has been overshadowed by the tragedy of Omaha Beach, and that our understanding of the Normandy landings has to be re-evaluated as a series of separate combats on five very different beaches. Holborn's book is a must for scholars of D-Day and amphibious warfare. * G. H. Bennett, Plymouth University, UK *
Holborn offers a fresh and detailed account of the landing on Gold Beach. His well-researched study adds a new dimension to our understanding of one of the most important campaigns of the Second World War. * Robert von Maier, Editor-in-Chief, Global War Studies *
Andy Holborns study of the Allied landings on Gold Beach makes an important contribution to Second World War historiography. By shining the light on Gold Beach and the 50th Infantry Division, he provides a detailed examination, from planning to execution, of the operation, which adds another layer to our understanding of the Normandy landings. Integrating firsthand accounts with documentary evidence, Dr Holborn presents an interesting, engaging narrative that is a must read for D-Day scholars and all those interested in the Allied landings in Normandy. * M. Kathryn Barbier, Mississippi State University, USA *

Author Bio

Andrew Holborn is an independent scholar and the author of The 56th Infantry Brigade and D-Day (2012)