Battle of Merville Gun Battery
| Battle of Merville Gun Battery | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Operation Tonga | |||||||
 Overhead view of the battery, showing the damage caused by a bombing raid in May 1944 |
|||||||
|
|||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United Kingdom
|
 Germany
|
||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Terence Otway
|
Raimund Steiner
|
||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| 9th Parachute Battalion, 3rd Parachute Brigade | 1st Battery, Artillery Regiment 1716, 716th Infantry Division | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 600 but only 150 for the assault |
130 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 75 during the assault phase | 22 dead 22 prisoners |
||||||
| ~ 450 men failed to arrive at the battalion assembly area following the parachute landing | |||||||
Coordinates: 49°16′12″N 0°11′47″W / 49.27000°N 0.19639°W
The Battle of Merville Gun Battery occurred on 6 June 1944, as part of Operation Tonga, part of the Normandy landings, during the Second World War. Allied intelligence believed the Merville Gun Battery was composed of heavy-calibre guns that could threaten the British landings at Sword Beach, only 8 miles (13 km) away.
The 9th Parachute Battalion, part of the 3rd Parachute Brigade attached to 6th Airborne Division, was given the objective of destroying the battery. However, when the battalion arrived over Normandy, their parachute descent was dispersed over a large area, so instead of over 600 men, only 150 with no heavy weapons or equipment arrived at the battalion assembly point. Regardless, they pressed home their attack and succeeded in capturing the battery, only to discover that the guns were of a lower caliber than expected [Czech-manufacture 100mm]. However, these still had the range (over 8000 metres) to hit targets on Sword Beach and in Ouistreham. Using what explosives they had been able to recover, the surviving 75 men tried to disable the guns.
When the British paratroopers had withdrawn, two of the guns were put back into action by the Germans. Another attack the next day by British Commandos failed to recapture the battery, which remained under German control until 17 August, when the German Army started to withdraw from the area.
...
Wikipedia