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Country: France
Number: 2
Photo: Arromanches beach with remains of Mulberry Harbour
Season: Summer (June)
Did you know?
Natural harbors and ports were heavily fortified by the Germans in World War II. To avoid disaster like the attack on Dieppe, where fewer of a third of Canadian forces returned to England, the Allies were determined to take the port with us. The Allies decided to build artificial harbors. They also learned that the ability to ship supplies like food, munitions, reinforcements, and equipment were crucial for invading forces to succeed.
Arromanches was the sight of one of two Mulberry Harbors. Cement-filled block ships called Gooseberries, were used as breakwaters on all beaches. Great concrete boxes called caissons were sunk in side the ring of Gooseberries to form a solid wall, floating piers, and roadways which allowed for unloading of ships during any kind of tide condition. Prefabricated units were constructed in England and towed across the Channel. Assembly of the Mulberry Harbors at Arromanches and Omaha Beach began on June 9th. On June 18th a storm hit and raged for three days. The Mulberry at Omaha was completely destroyed and the Arromanches harbor was damaged severely. Repairs were made and troops welcomed the much needed supplies. Though the harbor was designed to last only 100 days, you can still see remains of it today on the beaches of Arromanches.
Additional Information:
The town of Arromanches was liberated on the afternoon of D-Day by the British of the 1st Battalion Royal Hampshire Regiment. They landed on GOLD Beach. There was very little damage to the buildings to the town during liberation and only six civilian deaths. The success of Arromanches liberation was partly due to the Germans preparation to defend the town from attackers from the sea. They blew up houses to improve fields of fire and machine guns were strategically placed to cover the beaches. But the British troops descended on German defenders from the heights of St. Come to the east.
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