Brittany Ferry’s Mont St Michel has departed Portsmouth Harbour bound for Normandy, France. Onboard are British veterans to mark the 80th Anniversary of D-Day.
At a moving service off the coast of Normandy on board the Mont St Michel ferry, the British veterans gathered to pay tribute to the fallen of D Day 6th June 1944.
Two veterans placed a wreath in the waters, in commemoration to those who took part in the largest amphibious operation in history during World War II.
The ferry was escorted by HMS Medusa, a World War 2 era Harbour Defence Motor Launch, HSL 102 and Motor Gun Boat, MGB 81, 2x P2000’s HMS Trumpeter and HMS Dasher, Sea Cadet Training Ship TS Royalist, HMS Cattistock, a Hunt Class Mine Countermeasure vessel and followed by two tugs.
The 6th June 2024 sees the UK commemorate the 80th Anniversary of D-Day. The Ministry of Defence will host the UK’s national commemorative event for the 80th anniversary on Southsea Common in Portsmouth.
HM The King, the Prime Minister, special guests, members of the public and hundreds of local schoolchildren will attend the spectacular cultural commemoration which will be broadcast live on TV.
The Normandy Landings were the largest amphibious invasion in the history of warfare. The invasion, codenamed Operation Neptune, was a combined naval, land and air assault on Nazi-occupied France.
With Germany occupying large parts of Europe, the UK, USA and their allies were required to open a major front in the West as Russia fought Nazi Germany in the East. The Allies hoped the second front would force Germany to split its resources over two fronts. The Allies identified suitable beaches on the Normandy coast, chosen because they could support the weight of the tanks, trucks and equipment that would be required.
The beaches were given codenames: Sword – between Ouistreham and Lion-sur-Mer Juno – between St Aubin and Ver-sur-Mer Gold – between Ver-sur-Mer and Port-en-Bessin, around Arromanches Omaha – between Port-en-Bessin and Isigny Utah – Between Quinelle and Isigny.
In the UK, thousands of men and vehicles and tonnes of equipment were assembled in southern England. Troops from the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, France, Poland, Norway and the Netherlands launched the initial invasion of Normandy with naval and air support from all Commonwealth countries, Czechoslovakia and Greece.
On D-Day alone, 132,815 men were landed. In the month that followed, more than 1 million men were brought to Normandy.
Despite the success of the operation and its importance in liberating France, more than 10,000 personnel were killed, wounded or went missing on D-Day.
Fighting in Normandy continued until August 1944, and Paris was successfully liberated on 25 August. The Second World War would be won within a year
