D-Day & Gold Beach

The 50th anniversary of D-Day in 1994 saw this commemorative issue, showing Allied commandos landing on Gold Beach.

In six years of global conflict, D-Day is arguably the most significant day. Since the invasion of Russia in 1941, the Allies had been promising the Soviet command that a second front would be opened up in Western Europe. There was disagreement on the best option. Churchill favoured attacking the peripheries of the continent with special forces, whilst preparing for a main Allied thrust into south Germany from the Mediterranean. This thinking was influenced by a desire to form a barrier to later Soviet advances, but also to avoid the head-on collision of the First World War trenches. 

However, American commanders felt strongly that the only logical option was to attack from the strongest power base, over the shortest distance: across the channel, from England. American thinking prevailed, and units from twelve Allied nations took part in 'Operation Overlord'. 

The attack began at night with paratrooper and glider landings accompanied by naval and aerial bombardment. The massive amphibious assault came on the morning June 6, 1944. The Battle of Normandy raged for two months, as the Allied forces struggled to establish and expand their beachheads against the entrenched German troops.

Gold Beach was the codename for the central invasion beach. It was an 8km stretch sited between Omaha Beach and Juno Beach. The grim task of invading Gold Beach was given to the British 50th (Northumbrian) Division, the 2nd Army under Lieutenant General Miles Dempsey and their supporting units. Casualties were heavy, but the final total of 500 was dwarfed by the awful losses of 2400 on Omaha Beach. 

By the end of 6 June, some 25,000 British soldiers had been landed on Gold Beach, and had advanced six miles into occupied France. They managed to meet up with the successful Canadians from Juno beach, but failed to reach the Caen-Bayeux road. Nevertheless, the beachhead was firmly established and the foundation was laid to progress further in Europe.

The 50th anniversary stamp issue was designed by K Bassford from contemporary photographs. Other stamps featured groundcrew replacing smoke canisters on Douglas Boston of 88 Squadron, HMS Warspite shelling enemy positions, and infantry regrouping on Sword Beach.

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