Gold Beach – Four assault sectors
Gold Beach stretched for 8 km, from Hamel-Asnelles to La Rivière, and was assigned to the British 50th Northumbrian Infantry Division, commanded by Major general Douglas A. Graham, with support of the 8th Armoured Brigade.
Under the command of the British 2nd Army, led by Lieutenant General Miles Dempsey, Gold Beach was divided into three assault sectors: Item, Jig and King, from west to east. The fourth sector, How, was not used for the landing operations.
The 69th Infantry Brigade was tasked with landing on King at La Rivière-Ver-sur-Mer, while the 231st Infantry Brigade was charged with the assault on Jig at Hamel-Asnelles.
No. 47 Royal Marines Commando, attached to the 50th Division for the landing, was designated to land on Item.
Gold Beach – The objectives
The objective of the 231st and 69th Infantry Brigades was to establish a bridgehead between Arromanches and Ver-sur-Mer, and then to join the Canadian forces that had landed on Juno Beach. The port of Arromanches, located to the left of Gold Beach, was of particular importance as it was essential to the future development of the artificial Mulberry Harbour. After securing Gold Beach, the 56th and 151st Infantry Brigades, supported by tanks from the 8th Armoured Division, were to advance inland and seize the Bayeux-Caen road.
Gold Beach – The German defence
The German coastal defences, concentrated mainly at Jig-le-Hamel-Asnelles (to the west) and King-la-Rivière-Ver-sur-Mer (to the east), suffered significant damage during the early morning naval bombardments.
As a result, their infantry forces were weakened, allowing British troops to land with relatively limited losses.
Although the Germans had installed some artillery batteries in the dunes, the most significant threat came from the Longues-sur-Mer battery, west of Arromanches.
The landing of the 101st Airborne Division above the Vire estuary, between Omaha and Utah beaches, caused great concern among the Germans. In response, they diverted troops from Bayeux to the paratrooper drop zones.
However, once their mistake was realised, it was too late to redirect these troops to Gold Beach, about 30 km away, to launch an effective counter-attack.
Landing on Gold Beach
The width of the beach allowed the simultaneous landing of two brigades. Scheduled for 7:25 AM, the landing on Gold Beach took place 50 minutes after those on Omaha and Utah beaches, strategically programmed to coincide with the rising tide, which flowed from west to east.
Gold Beach – King Sector: La Rivière-Ver-sur-Mer
The bad weather, exacerbated by a strong northwesterly wind, whipped up the sea.
As a result, the tide rose, submerging the anti-tank obstacles and mines that the Germans had laid on the beach to hinder the landing. The British engineers, who embarked on the first LCAs that landed at 7:25 AM, encountered significant difficulties in reaching and neutralising these submerged obstacles, all while under direct enemy fire, alongside soldiers of the Hampshire Regiment and No. 47 Commando.
The initial moments of the assault were perilous, as the anti-tank obstacles proved particularly efficient. It was decided to abandon the launching of the amphibious tanks from their LCTs and to land them directly on the beach. Tragically, this change of strategy resulted in twenty LCTs sliding onto mines.
However, once the first amphibious tanks reached the beach, the dynamics of the landing changed significantly, as the absence of German armour in this sector favoured inland progression.
Gold Beach – Jig Sector: Le Hamel / Asnelles
Jig-Le Hamel, although considered a less fortified sector, put up fierce resistance against the Germans, considerably slowing the advance of the assault troops.
The infantry units came under heavy fire from German batteries and mortars positioned inland, resulting in tragically high losses.
However, the arrival of special vehicles from the 79th Armoured Division, notably the Hobart’s Funnies, reinforced the British troops’ effort. Thanks to their support, the coastal defences were neutralised, and the village of Hamel was taken around 4:00 PM.
Despite the difficulties, the skillful work of the English miners secured four of the six breaches opened in the beaches and dunes, thus facilitating the advance of the tanks towards Arromanches.
Gold Beach – Item Sector: East of Le Hamel
The area of operation was entrusted to the commandos of the 47th Royal Marine.
Their mission was to advance rapidly inland towards Arromanches, an objective achieved at 9:00 PM on D-Day. Their next objective was to destroy the Longues Battery before reaching Port-en-Bessin to establish contact with the American forces that had landed on Omaha Beach.
Port-en-Bessin, although small, was of considerable strategic importance, as it could serve as a crucial supply point for essential provisions, including fuel transported via underwater pipelines from anchored tankers.
The naval bombardment preceding the landing had effectively neutralised the Longues battery, thus facilitating the advance of the commandos. They then took up positions south of Longues and fortified Hill 72. Port-en-Bessin fell under their control on June 8 after another intense engagement.
The outcome of the landing of Gold Beach
By midnight on D-Day, approximately 25,000 soldiers from the British 50th Infantry Division, Northumberland, had successfully landed.
They secured a bridgehead extending over 10 kilometres of coastline and penetrated 10 kilometres inland.
Their efforts included establishing links with Canadian forces that landed on Juno Beach and advancing to the outskirts of Port-en-Bessin.
Despite the success of the landing and a relatively low number of losses, around 400 men, crucial objectives such as capturing the Bayeux-Caen road and establishing links with American forces at Omaha Beach remained unachieved.
War Memorials:
Juno Beach: Bernieres-sur-mer – Corseulles-sur-mer – Graye-sur-mer – Douvres-la-Delivrande
Gold Beach: Arromanches – Ver-sur-mer
Sword Beach: Ouistreham-Riva Bella
Landing Beaches:
Sword – Gold – Juno – Omaha – Utah
Rediscover the landing beaches during the 75th Anniversary Commemorations and Standing with Giants art installation (2024)
Le Hamel – Asnelles: Lat 49.341768 – Long -0.587131
La Rivière: Lat 49.344220 – Long -0.506240
Photos via Wikimedia Commons – Vestiges of Mulberry Harbour by Shritwod Public domain – Cromwell pursuit tank by Laing (Sgt), No5 Army Film & Photographic Unit Public domain – Universal carriers by Midgley (Sgt), No 5 Army Film & Photographic Unit Public domain – Crusader by Harrison (Sgt), No 5 Army Film & Photographic Unit Public domain – Troops moving inland towards St Gabriel by Sergeant Parkinson No 5 Army Film & Photographic Unit Public domain– Troops and tanks moving inland by Sergeant Christie No 5 Army Film & Photographic Unit Public domain
