The ferry from Portsmouth to Caen is the most atmospheric way to visit the D-Day battlefields, if not always the most comfortable. As the Normandy coast emerges from the haze, the sand and shingle of Sword beach stretch away to starboard. This was the easternmost of five landing areas assaulted on 6 June 1944 with nearly 30,000 soldiers landed there that day. Over the port bow, on the far side of the River Orne, looms a ridge. Here the British 6th Airborne Division parachuted in by night to neutralise enemy artillery and guard the eastern flank. Out of sight ahead, some eight miles inland past the Pegasus Bridge, lies Caen, the largest city in the area and a strategic road junction.
General Montgomery’s D-Day plan called for the British 3rd Division to land on Sword, clear the beaches and race to capture Caen before the German panzers, known to be in the area, had a chance to react. How well that plan played out in this small corner of Normandy over what has become known as ‘the longest day’ is the subject of Max Hastings’s latest book. His is one of the most reliable brands in popular history and Sword meets his usual standards. We all know someone who will enjoy it.
There are at least three fascinating ways to explore the history of D-Day. The first is to focus on the awe-inspiring scale and complexity of the operation. The Allies managed to ship 150,000 troops across the Channel in total secrecy, storm Hitler’s vaunted Atlantic Wall and defeat the army which had terrorised Europe for five years.
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