Sixth Beach

I heard once that there was a sixth landing beach.

 

There was a sixth beach named 'Band" East of the Orne apparently, but can't find much on it.
6th D Day landing beach and their code names - Band Beach etc.

 

Um, BAND, like UTAH, OMAHA, GOLD, JUNO, and SWORD were technically areas, not beaches.

The actual beaches were alphabetical, from east to west, repeating.

In UTAH there were TARE and UNCLE.
In OMAHA there were CHARLIE, DOG, EASY, and FOX.
In GOLD there were JIG and KING.
In JUNO there were MIKE and NAN.
In SWORD there was QUEEN and PETER.

 

The Band sector was not to be attacked from the sea, but the area inland between the Orne and Dives was assaulted from the air to protect the flank of the seaborne assault.

Not all beaches in other sectors were attacked. Not all were suitable for seaborne landings. Able and Baker on Omaha, Roger on Sword.

 

Okay I found some info: Band Beach was the attack on batteries at Houlgate and Benerville to protect the East flank of Sword. Scheduled for D+1, the attack by Royal Marines was cancelled because the batteries were largely dealt with by naval bombardment on D-Day.

 

Calais is the best place. Why waste the trip to Normandy?

 

It was not quite as cut and dried as that. On 6 June, 15. Armee consisted of 17 divisions, plus 2. Panzer Division, which fulfilled the same role of 21. Panzer in the 7. Armee zone (it was Heeresgruppe reserve). Of those 18 divisions:

346. Infanterie was ordered to Normandy on 6 June and was in action by 7 June.
2. Panzer was ordered to Normandy at 0300 9 June and was in action by 12 June near Villers-Bocage.
326. Infanterie was ordered to Normandy in mid-July and began crossing the Seine on 22 July.
331. Infanterie was ordered to Normandy on 28 July and was in the vicinity of L’Aigle-Gacé on 11 August.
84. Infanterie was ordered to Normandy on 29 July, with the first elements arriving 3 August.
85. Infanterie was ordered to Normandy on 29 July and elements were west of the Seine in the vicinity of Cleres and extending east of Neufchatel by 4 August. By 10 August the division was in action against First Canadian Army north of Falaise.

So one-third - and essentially all the mobile elements, which were the "main part" - of 15. Armee were eventually dispatched to Normandy. The importance of FORTITUDE was in slowing that movement, not preventing it.

 

Make it September and it sounds better. July is too early if Overlord was 6th June.

 

Re-read my last sentence please.

 

Nothing.

 

'Re-read' ? Like saying again I cannot English. Soon you need not say that and have a beer or five. Whatever. I can do better than re-read and try to forget how much people listen to me. Not a lot. Once I will delete all my postings. Not worth except rereading. OKF need not kick me out tomorrow I will be gone. I will not answer. Like Skipper and Martin. No love lost it seems

 

The Allied deception operations tended to reinforce what Hitler already believed. He thought that an invasion would come through the Pas de Calais because that's what he would have done (after all it was Sealion in reverse). The art of a good con is less convincing someone to believe something new than it is bolstering their existing preferences. We should also not just concentrate on Fortitude South. Fortitude North tied down German divisions in Norway and kept them there until the end of the war. It was believable because Churchill had favoured a Norwegian invasion as early as 1941. Similarly a bogus threat to the S of France died down considerable forces in Marseilles (and then acted as a cover for Dragoon) whilst a threat to invade the Italian armpit based on Fuller's strategy kept reserves in the Balkans.

 

Nothing.

 

When Victoria learnt English as a girl (her first language was German) amuse meant to fool or mislead coming from the same source as bemuse. When an Britsh sea captain said "now let us amuse the enemy " he didn't mean hornpipe dancing on the focsul. Victoria's "we are not amused" was in response to an attempt to report a British military disaster as a success and put in modern terms could be translated as "you aint foollin me". In these terms it is possible to say that Hitler was definitely amused in 1944

 

Nothing.

 

No, not at all. I was simply pointing out that I said it was the length of time rather than the failure to commit units that was important. No one is picking on you.

 

Kai-Petri
I agree Calais is the best. Besides it's nice to be expected when you visit a place.

 

Or just send a few LSTs over to Calais.
Could be "D-Day's Unforgettable 7th Beach"

 

Here’s a link to more information on your original inquiry, and before RichTO90 answers, yes they were called “Area’s” so this section of the Operation was known as BAND AREA, and the info below gives more information. On the Area, and the operations that were PLANNED for this area, but cancelled as they were not needed during the assault

Operation Neptune - BAND BEACH and Op FROG & DEER - WARTIMES.ca