prospect of facing the shot and shell of the enemy seemed nothing compared with the terrible nausea
brought on by the heaving seas.
Then Eisenhower's meteorological experts told him there would be a temporary improvement in
the weather around June 6. Conditions would be far from perfect, but it was the only chance on
offer - any further delay could mean Overlord being aborted, with unimaginable consequences. After
a final conference with his senior officers near Portsmouth on the evening of June 4, the grim-faced
Supreme Commander took his momentous decision: 'We go'.
As the historic order went out to the task force, the bearded skipper of the 92nd's lead LCT,
number 405, Lieutenant J F Pointon - a New Zealander known as Kiwi - assembled the gunners for
a briefing. He grimly assured them that when they reached the coast of France, he would get them as
far up the beach as possible - particularly if the Germans set the sea on fire. He ended his address
by reciting to the men the prayer that Nelson had written before the Battle of Trafalgar:
'May the Great God whom I worship grant to my country and to the benefit of Europe in general a
great and glorious victory! And may no misconduct in anyone tarnish it! And may humanity
after victory be the predominant feature in the British fleet. For myself individually, I commit
my life to Him who made me - and may His blessing light upon my endeavours for serving my
country faithfully. To Him I resign myself and the just cause which is entrusted me to defend.
Amen. Amen. Amen.'
With such stirring sentiments, the men of F Troop set sail at 6pm on the evening of June 5. And this
time, there would be no turning back. From the coves of Cornwall to the Thames estuary, the great
grey armada of the invasion fleet got under way. Off the coasts of Hampshire and Dorset, the
vessels of Task Force S slipped their moorings and steamed slowly towards their assembly areas
below the Isle of Wight.
Then, in the gathering darkness, they turned south for the Normandy beaches.
SWORD BEACH AND THE BENOUVILLE BRIDGES
June 6, 1944
'As we approached the beach, we quickly came under fire from a large gun
to the east. The first shell landed on the port side, with the noise as if we
had been hit on the underside by a giant hammer.'
ABOARD LCT 405, there was immediate drama. 'A submarine had been detected and destroyers
began racing up and down the convoy dropping depth-charges,' George Baker recalled. `As they
exploded, the landing craft almost jumped out of the water with the blast.'
In choppy seas, the massive convoy - in the 3rd Division assault force alone, there were 350
vessels, including 132 tank landing craft - steamed through the short summer night. On board,
apprehension was growing. 'But the main feeling was that we wanted to get on with it,' said George.
'We still didn't realise what we were going into, but there was no turning back.'
On LCT 408, the crew of Gun F3, despite their desperate seasickness, made a pledge among
themselves. When the rum issue was handed out during the crossing, none of them drank it. Instead,
they poured each individual portion into a jug and put it to one side aboard the gun for safe keeping.
The rum would not be drunk, they vowed, until they could use it to toast the end of the war.
France. At 16 minutes after midnight, a specially-trained company of the Ox and Bucks commanded
by Major John Howard landed by glider almost on the Benouville bridges. In a swift and dramatic
attack - easily the most successful operation of D-Day - they captured both crossings from German
soldiers who were stunned by the unexpectedness of the assault.
The canal crossing was later renamed Pegasus Bridge in honour of the winged horse symbol of the
Airborne forces and the river crossing was dubbed Horsa Bridge, after the gliders which carried the
men to war.
Control of the bridges, and keeping them intact, was vital to the success of the invasion. It meant
the Germans could not use them for a flank attack on the seaborne assault troops, while Allied
forces could cross them and form a defensive shield east of the Orne. F Troop's D-Day mission was
to race to the bridges, deploy its guns around them, and stop enemy planes destroying them or
ground forces recapturing them. As the grey dawn of June 6 broke in the Channel, a sight unfolded
that would forever be imprinted on the memories of the men who saw it. More than 6,000 vessels
covered the sea from horizon to horizon, the greatest seaborne force ever assembled, carrying
150,000 troops of the spearhead divisions to France.
The air shook with a deafening barrage of noise. Waves of bombers and fighters blasted German
positions, battleships sent massive shells roaring overhead towards the shore and rocket-firing
vessels recoiled violently as they unleashed their deadly cargoes `It was incredible,' said George
Baker. `You would never believe how it could have been done - the organisation it must have taken
to land so many men and all their vehicles and equipment in such a short time.'
At 7.25am, preceded by amphibious Sherman tanks of the 13th / 18th Hussars, the assault infantry
of 3rd Division's 8 Brigade began landing on Queen sector of Sword Beach between Lion sur Mer
and La Breche and started fighting their way inland. On their left, a Commando force under Lord
Lovat, memorably accompanied by Piper Bill Millin, headed for the Benouville bridges to reinforce
Howard's hard-pressed Airborne troops.
Next to land would be 185 Brigade, followed by 9 Brigade - to whose convoy the 92nd's two
LCTs were attached. However, the first men ashore from the 92nd were the CO Captain Reid, and
a sergeant - both of whom went ahead in a separate landing craft to reconnoitre by motorcycle and
to be ready to receive the main body of the troop.