The battle for Normandy June-August 1944, launched on D-Day exactly 75 years ago, marked, after Stalingrad, the beginning of the end of Nazi Germany. It was a major battle. The Allies suffered 209,672 casualties of whom 36,796 were killed. Some 28,000 Allied airman were lost in the months preceding and during the campaign.
The German losses were catastrophic, 210,000 taken prisoner, 240,000 killed and injured, and massive equipment losses.
From early June the great natural anchorages along the south coast of England, Chichester, Portsmouth, South Hampton, Poole, Portland, Plymouth, and Falmouth were filling with warships and transports, a total of 6,483 ships including 4,000 landing craft, seven battleships, 23 cruisers, and 104 destroyers.The biggest invasion in history was preparing to cross the English Channel on June 4. A crucial weather report, however, from the late Ted Sweeney, the lighthouse keeper at Blacksod Point, Co Mayo, prompted the Allied Supreme Commander, and statesman, General Dwight D Eisenhower, to postpone operations for 24 hours.
It was lucky he did so. Ted Sweeney, who had been sending weather reports to London all during the war, as part of his duties, warned that a force 7 storm was on its way, and would hit the Channel on June 4. Had the invasion been launched as planned the storm would have created chaos among the invading armada. Low cloud would have hampered air support.
By the evening of June 5, however, Ted reported that the storm had lost its intensitity. The Allied command calculated that the invasion could proceed on the cusp of the storm. It would have the advantage of surprise, and should arrive off the French coast in calm waters.
The one and only time that London contacted Ted directly was to ask him to confirm that the storm was abating.
In before dawn
Twenty-five years ago I spoke to Ted Sweeney by phone, and interviewed a few Galwaymen who took part in those extraordinary few days.
I remember they were pleased to recall their experiences. They had shared in a unique event which has had no equal in military history.
There were not many people who approached the beaches in Normandy on June 6/7 1944 not once, or twice, or three times, but four times during the first crucial hours of D-Day. The job of Captain Michael Previté, Royal Marines, was to guide a flotilla of 12 landing craft onto the beach codenamed GOLD.
At his home at Oughterard Capt Previté had a vivid memory of that day. What struck him most was how very well organised the whole operation was. As he led the way towards the shore his first approach was in darkness, shortly before dawn. He recognised in silhouette the landscape before him. It coincided exactly with the intensive briefings he had received in the days prior to his departure.
The biggest problem was not, surprisingly, the shells from the enemy guns, it was disembarking the men from the ship HMS Glenroy, into the landcraft which had been lowered on to the sea. Although the storm of June 4/5 was calming there was at least a 12ft swell. It was not the calm waters that the planners had assumed.
“The trick was to unhook both ends of the boat at the same time. The men would scramble down the net ladders and although they had all taken their sea-sickness tablets some of them were fearfully sick.”
Once the 12 boats were filled they set off for the shore three miles away, Capt Previté leading. Previously frogmen had placed lights facing out to sea, to mark their course. Once past the last flashing light, the flotilla had to spread out to avoid a queue or a bottleneck on the beach.
Once the soldiers were safely ashore, Capt Previte backed out his boat and returned to the mothership for more troops.
D-Day plus one
On his second approach the Germans were awake and firing. “But quite honestly I was concentrating so hard on my job I really didn’t notice the fire.”
With the second load of men safely deposited the flotilla returned to the mothership, this time winched on board, and returned to Southampton to refill with men. The next day, June 7, Capt Previte repeated exactly