Gold Beach

The two authors, both formerly senior professional soldiers, have compiled an easy-to-follow itinerary to the British landings on 6 June 1944 on Gold Beach and the ensuing bitter fighting. Covered in detail are the actions which earned CSM Hollis of the Green Howards his VC and other inspiring battle stories

The Normandy landings of 6 June 1944, across five sectors of the French coast - Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword - constituted the largest amphibious invasion in history. This study analyses in depth the preparations and implementation of the D-Day landing on Gold Beach by XXX Corps. Historians have tended to dismiss the landing on Gold Beach as straightforward but the evidence points to a different reality. Armour supported the infantry landing and prior bombing was intended to weaken German defences; however, the bulk of the bombing landed too far inland, and many craft foundered in difficult conditions at sea. It was the tenacity of the assault units and the flexibility of the follow up units which enabled the Gold landing to secure the right flank of the British Army in Normandy. Using detailed primary evidence from The National Archives and the Imperial War Museum, this volume provides a substantial assessment of the background to the landing on Gold, and analyses the events of D-Day in the wider context of the Normandy Campaign.

Curry County is made up of small communities, ranging from the county line between Langlois and Bandon to the state line. From the inception of Gold Beach, pioneers have survived in small communities scattered throughout Southern Curry County. Despite a lack of roads, these small towns and hamlets, from Humbug Mountain on down, have sprung up over the years, enduring with the help of neighbors and through the gift of self-sufficiency. Some of the former names of this area before Gold Beach included Elizabeth Town, Sebastopol, Hog Town or Logtown, and Whalesburg. Today, the small communities include Arizona Beach, Euchre Creek, Ophir, Cedar Valley, Nesika Beach, Wedderburn, Jerry's Flat, Hunter's Creek, Pistol River, Carpenterville, Whaleshead, Brookings, and Harbor. Though a small area, the people of the county are happy to say that they live where everyone knows his or her neighbors.