Battle of Port-en-Bessin

Recent view of Port-en-Bessin.

Date	7–8 June 1944
Location	Normandy, France 49°20′42″N 00°45′14″W / 49.34500°N 0.75389°W / 49.34500; -0.75389Coordinates: 49°20′42″N 00°45′14″W / 49.34500°N 0.75389°W / 49.34500; -0.75389
Result	Allied victory

Belligerents

United Kingdom

Nazi Germany

Commanders and leaders

C. F. Phillips

Dietrich Kraiß

Strength

Elements of No. 47 Commando:
c. 420 men
328 during assault

Elements of 352nd Division
2 Flakships

Casualties and losses

136 casualties:
46 killed
70 wounded

300 prisoners (incomplete)

The Battle of Port-en-Bessin also known as Operation Aubery took place from 7–8 June 1944, at a small fishing harbour west of Arromanches during the Normandy landings of World War II. The village was between Omaha Beach to the west in the U.S. V Corps sector, and Gold Beach to the east in the British XXX Corps sector. An objective during Operation Overlord, the fortified port was captured by No. 47 (Royal Marine) Commando of the 4th Special Service Brigade.

The port lay between Omaha and Gold beaches and was close to Blay, the site of a prospective command post for General B. L. Montgomery, the Allied Ground Forces Commander. British petrol and oil storage depots were also to be established near the port and for American forces at St. Honorine 2 miles (3.2 km) west, under the code-name Tombola, to be filled from tankers offshore, using buoyed pipelines. The first pipeline into Port-en-Bessin opened on 25 June.

47 commando embarked on 3 June 1944 and left the Solent in two ships on 5 June. At 5:00 a.m. on 6 June, 8 miles (13 km) off the Normandy coast, they were loaded into 14 Landing Craft Assault (LCA), each carrying 30 marines and headed for Gold Beach. Soon the big guns at Le Hamel and at Longues had the range of the approaching LCAs. Far out from the shore, one LCA was hit and sank, twelve marines were killed or drowned, eleven were seriously injured but reached the shore. As the other LCAs moved in, they had to cross a wide band of Belgian Gates constructed from steel girders, many of which were tipped with mines. The tide just covered many of the obstacles as the 47th (RM) Commando LCAs passed over them, which prevented the obstacles from being removed and four LCAs were impaled and sunk by attached explosives. Some Marines swam ashore but 43 men and much of the unit wireless equipment were lost.

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Wikipedia