D-Day heroes wiped off the map by the French: Veterans' fury after tourism chiefs ignore Sword Beach in promotional campaign 69 years ago today courageous UK forces went ashore at Sword Beach D-day was a turning point in the defeat of the Nazi forces But landing zone has been erased from a historical tourism map by French It was the scene of some of D-Day's fiercest fighting, where almost 700 brave British troops were killed or wounded. Exactly 69 years ago today - June 6 1944 - courageous UK forces went ashore at Sword Beach into a ferocious barrage from German guns. But on the anniversary of the Normandy landings, as thousands congregate on the coast to remember the selfless Allied sacrifice, veterans are furious their role in history is being airbrushed by money-grabbing French tourism chiefs. Exactly 69 years ago today - June 6 1944 - courageous UK forces went ashore at Sword Beach into a ferocious barrage from German guns A new promotional campaign to highlight the "secteur mythique" - or "mythical sector" where the invasion took place - has wiped the legendary landing zone off the map. D-Day was a key turning point in the destruction of the Nazis. But the tourist trail, designed to appeal to visitors from all over the world, covers only four of the five main areas of Allied assault. It stretches from Utah and Omaha in the west, where US troops landed, to Gold and Juno beaches, where British and Canadian servicemen respectively attacked occupied Northern Europe. But under controversial proposals it stops short of Sword, the eastern-most flank of Operation Overlord, the largest seaborne invasion in military history. It also excludes drop zones inland where British paratroopers and glider pilots from Army's 6th Airborne Division landed to secure fabled Pegasus Bridge, the strategically-vital crossing over the Caen Canal. The successful taking of the bridge played an important role in limiting the effectiveness of a German counter-attack in the days and weeks following the invasion. Six tourist boards along the Normandy coast said they wanted the "mythical sector" to concentrate on the American sectors - featured in the Hollywood blockbuster Saving Private Ryan - which attract 85 per cent of the 4.5 million visitors each year. But veterans and local people have accused officials of being motivated by greed rather than honouring the sacrifices made on Sword Beach. George Batts, 88, the honorary secretary general of the Normandy Veterans" Association, said: "I'm astounded. I can't see how you can do the story of Normandy without including all the beaches. During the ten weeks of the Normandy campaign the British accounted for almost half of those killed. Surely this has to be covered. A couple of my good mates were on Sword Beach and they went through hell. To ignore it is disrespect to those who were killed, injured or fought there. Mr Batts, who served in the Royal Engineers on D-Day, said that were he alive today the British commander in chief General Sir Bernard Montgomery "would be absolutely livid." David Churchcroft, 92, a former British infantryman who landed on nearby Gold Beach, said: "Leaving places like Sword and Pegasus out of a D-Day tourist trail is disgraceful - there can be no good reason for it, except to perpetuate the myth that the Americans did all the fighting. A new promotional campaign to highlight the 'secteur mythique' - or 'mythical sector' where the invasion took place - has wiped the legendary landing zone off the map This kind of nonsense has been going on for too long. The sacrifice our troops made should never be forgotten. French historian Marc Laurenceau, who runs the Battle of Normandy website D-Day Overlord, criticised the decision by local tourism officials. He said: "What they consider is money. Instead of making an effort on Sword Beach and the Commonwealth drop zones, these tourist offices just care about the most popular areas. What will British and French veterans who landed at La Brèche-d'Hermanville on D-Day think? What will be the thoughts of those who were parachuted northeast of Ranville? "What about their fallen comrades, killed to free a piece of land that is not considered "mythical" enough according to these six tourist offices?" Admiral Christian Brac de la Perriere, head of Normandy Memoire, which organises D-Day commemorations in France, said Sword was a "sacred" sector, and that the initiative was driven by money-spinning tourist concerns. "There should be a rethink," he said. A protest petition calling for the scrapping of the "disrespectful" project has attracted more than 3,000 signatures. On June 6 some 135,000 Allied soldiers landed on the five beaches. By the end of the ferocious fighting on what was immortalised in film as the Longest Day, around 4,000 Allied troops had been killed - but the invaders had secured a foothold in Nazi Europe. Sword Beach stretches roughly five miles from Ouistreham to Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer. The Allied forces most heavily involved in the assault there were the British 3rd Infantry Division. This was where Brigadier Lord Lovat landed with a brigade of Special Forces soldiers who later linked up with troops holding Pegasus Bridge. Symbolically, the British were accompanied by a small unit of Free French commandoes, led by Gallic war hero Philippe Kieffer. The French lost 177 men on Sword Beach. Léon Gautier, president of the Kieffer Commandos Association, said: "Is the sweat, the blood shed by the British and French commandoes of less value?" The "mythical sector" campaign is designed to promote the area ahead of next year's 70th anniversary, and is the theme for this month's D-Day Festival, organised by the tourist boards. Loïc Jamin, mayor of Bayeux, and a tourist chief supporting the six local boards" decision, said: "I don't understand the controversy. The draft mythical sector and its scope are still under consideration. We have not committed to anything.