Tommies in France 1944 :~

It is often believed that , once ashore at D-Day , the Allied Armies then had a clear run to liberate France.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The fighting in Normandy, and after,  equalled in intensity and casualties anything experienced during the Great War. The losses in Infantry in particular were such that by the Autumn , the British Army were scraping the barrel to find enough men to keep their Divisions up to strength.

Here are some of my collection of figures from that campaign :~

4 Commando, D-Day :

Battledress, the famous green beret , and a great deal of equipment supposed to make him self-sufficient for three days , including a Bergen rucksack and a 2" mortar. He's armed with a Browning pistol , his chief job being to operate the mortar .The lifebelt will be discarded at the first opportunity.