BOOKSHELF - Glider Assault Secures Allied Landings - MAX-HASTINGS-SWORD-BEACH PART 1

JUNE 6 1944Max Hastings, author of Sword Beach: D-Day Baptism by Fire, Part One: On D-Day, June 6, 1944, British glider-borne troops commanded by Major John Howard executed a precise night attack to capture the crucial Orne River bridge. Allied planning expanded the landings across five assault beaches, assigning Sword Beach to the British 3rd Infantry Division. Despite chaotic airborne drops and troops scattered across coastal swamps, British forces secured vital flanks. Specialized armored vehicles known as "Hobart's Funnies"—including mine-flailing and swimming tanks—were deployed onto Sword Beach, providing essential support to suppress German defenses and clear exit lanes for infantry pushing inland. (1)