From the magazine

When ordinary men did extraordinary things – D-Day revisited

The transporting of 150,000 troops across the Channel in total secrecy and the feats they did that day is a story we never tire of – and Max Hastings tells it exceedingly well

Jonathan Boff
British troops take positions on Sword Beach during D-Day.  Getty Images
EXPLORE THE ISSUE 10 May 2025
issue 10 May 2025

The ferry from Portsmouth to Caen is the most atmospheric way to visit the D-Day battlefields, if not always the most comfortable. As the Normandy coast emerges from the haze, the sand and shingle of Sword beach stretch away to starboard. This was the easternmost of five landing areas assaulted on 6 June 1944 with nearly 30,000 soldiers landed there that day.

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