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Sword Beach: The Untold Story of D-Day’s Forgotten Victory
6th June 1944 saw the largest seaborne assault in human history: D-Day. The landings on the five Normandy beaches, Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword, will go down in legend as the first footsteps on the journey to end the war in northern Europe.
While much has been written about the operation as a whole, little detailed attention has been paid to the battle for Sword Beach itself, the easternmost of the amphibious attack areas. For the first time, historian and archaeologist Stephen Fisher puts the British landing under the spotlight and using previously unseen research, documents and personal testimonies pieces together the buildup, the day itself and its aftermath in such a way as to uniquely bring the operation to vivid life.
Following a massive air and naval bombardment that began before the sun had even risen, the stage was set for the first of tens of thousands of troops to come ashore on Sword that day. It was to be a day of triumph and tragedy as the Allies pushed forward to the key objective of Caen against German defenders who were, uniquely on D-Day, backed up by an armoured division.
Never before has this campaign been afforded such insightful and detailed scrutiny. Stephen Fisher brings his considerable knowledge and expertise to paint a thrilling picture of how the deep beachhead was established and pays tribute to the heroism and sacrifices that were made on that fateful day.
While much has been written about the operation as a whole, little detailed attention has been paid to the battle for Sword Beach itself, the easternmost of the amphibious attack areas. For the first time, historian and archaeologist Stephen Fisher puts the British landing under the spotlight and using previously unseen research, documents and personal testimonies pieces together the buildup, the day itself and its aftermath in such a way as to uniquely bring the operation to vivid life.
Following a massive air and naval bombardment that began before the sun had even risen, the stage was set for the first of tens of thousands of troops to come ashore on Sword that day. It was to be a day of triumph and tragedy as the Allies pushed forward to the key objective of Caen against German defenders who were, uniquely on D-Day, backed up by an armoured division.
Never before has this campaign been afforded such insightful and detailed scrutiny. Stephen Fisher brings his considerable knowledge and expertise to paint a thrilling picture of how the deep beachhead was established and pays tribute to the heroism and sacrifices that were made on that fateful day.
435 pages, Hardcover
First published May 2, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 21, 2025
In around two and a half hours, the Royal Navy and its allies (Canada, Norway, Poland) had delivered and supported Assault Group S3's 170 landing craft to deliver some 8500 men and 1200 vehicles onto Sword's Queen beach.
This huge achievement is central to the success of D-Day, and in this book the landings at Sword. It is also the key to the British Army, and Royal Marines [with a small Free French commando unit] opportunity to take and hold that beach and move to secure the wider area.
Stephen Fisher's book is one of the best I have read on operations Neptune and Overlord. Notably, through his research and expertise, he recounts with great detail and clarity what happened. The information on the naval operation to bring the landing formation, craft, men and equipment to the Normandy coast is superb. I learnt much on timings, movement/sailing order and individuals' experience on various craft. He then provides a lucid and extremely well-written account of the landing and how the naval crews brought the men and kit in on Sword's Queen and Roger beaches, and how the invasion troops disembarked and then fared once in the sea and on the beach.
This immediate phase is by its nature sizeable, complex, complicated and hugely important to D-Day. I was greatly impressed with how Mr Fisher ordered the assault involving the various German and British units. The level of and ferocity of the defenders' fire on the beach and then further inland (Morris, Hillman, Sole, Cod and other strongpoints) is thoroughly documented but all the time clear and easy to grasp.
Likewise, the assaulting troops move inland - to those strong points and further. The casualties are considerable in the first hours and not the easy assault and actions often suggested in films or some books.
Overall, the book is simply superb and does great justice to the men who were involved in Sword Beach on D-Day.
With superb photos, annotations, excellent maps, chapter notes and appendices this is a book to get into and learn from.
Mr Fisher has done the lads proud, and indeed can be proud himself of his skilled and excellent account.
This huge achievement is central to the success of D-Day, and in this book the landings at Sword. It is also the key to the British Army, and Royal Marines [with a small Free French commando unit] opportunity to take and hold that beach and move to secure the wider area.
Stephen Fisher's book is one of the best I have read on operations Neptune and Overlord. Notably, through his research and expertise, he recounts with great detail and clarity what happened. The information on the naval operation to bring the landing formation, craft, men and equipment to the Normandy coast is superb. I learnt much on timings, movement/sailing order and individuals' experience on various craft. He then provides a lucid and extremely well-written account of the landing and how the naval crews brought the men and kit in on Sword's Queen and Roger beaches, and how the invasion troops disembarked and then fared once in the sea and on the beach.
This immediate phase is by its nature sizeable, complex, complicated and hugely important to D-Day. I was greatly impressed with how Mr Fisher ordered the assault involving the various German and British units. The level of and ferocity of the defenders' fire on the beach and then further inland (Morris, Hillman, Sole, Cod and other strongpoints) is thoroughly documented but all the time clear and easy to grasp.
Likewise, the assaulting troops move inland - to those strong points and further. The casualties are considerable in the first hours and not the easy assault and actions often suggested in films or some books.
Overall, the book is simply superb and does great justice to the men who were involved in Sword Beach on D-Day.
With superb photos, annotations, excellent maps, chapter notes and appendices this is a book to get into and learn from.
Mr Fisher has done the lads proud, and indeed can be proud himself of his skilled and excellent account.
June 30, 2024
There's always one thing that proves to be the exception to the rule, and this one's it... although I think that you always need to take 6 June '44 as a whole rather than splitting it down to single beaches, this one's good enough to take on it's own.
It's a remarkably thorough treatment of the British experience on Sword Beach, at one keeping to the central theme of the easternmost beach while subsequently expanding as the British lodgement grows to take in operations along the Caen Canal, the holdup at Hillman and the initial clash with 21 Panzers. It is literally the whole day, from start.
The biggest bonus was the inclusion of the Royal Navy in the narrative - from the mission of the X-Craft in pathfinding to the experiences of the landing craft crews and ratings aboard the destroyers, cruisers and battleships nothing's left out. Remarkable.
There's also a lot of learning to be done, mainly in popping the Ryan bubble that the British faced no further difficulty than finding it hard to have a brew on their beach trip. Fisher argues that Sword was one of the hardest fought beaches of the day, with some authority, and we're left in no doubt that the success of operations on Sword contributed immensely to the ultimate victory in Normandy.
Oh, and there's word from the DD tank crews to. Pure gold. Buy it.
It's a remarkably thorough treatment of the British experience on Sword Beach, at one keeping to the central theme of the easternmost beach while subsequently expanding as the British lodgement grows to take in operations along the Caen Canal, the holdup at Hillman and the initial clash with 21 Panzers. It is literally the whole day, from start.
The biggest bonus was the inclusion of the Royal Navy in the narrative - from the mission of the X-Craft in pathfinding to the experiences of the landing craft crews and ratings aboard the destroyers, cruisers and battleships nothing's left out. Remarkable.
There's also a lot of learning to be done, mainly in popping the Ryan bubble that the British faced no further difficulty than finding it hard to have a brew on their beach trip. Fisher argues that Sword was one of the hardest fought beaches of the day, with some authority, and we're left in no doubt that the success of operations on Sword contributed immensely to the ultimate victory in Normandy.
Oh, and there's word from the DD tank crews to. Pure gold. Buy it.
June 28, 2024
Like most people my knowledge of Sword beach was limited to the actions that happened on its periphery, Pegasus Bridge and the French Commando action in Ouistreham; mainly due to the film ‘The Longest Day’. In this book Stephen Fisher breathes life to the heroic actions of all that took part on that fateful day, bringing the beach assault alive with visceral detail. A must read for anyone keen to dispel the myth that the only hard fighting done that day was miles to the west on Omaha beach.
February 7, 2025
I really enjoyed reading this book, principally because Fisher has achieved something very difficult to do: combine a compelling narrative account with comprehensive detail.
A theme throughout the book is that Fisher was clearly not willing to rely or blindly trust the entrenched historical narrative. That isn't to say he's re-written it all or providing a massive counterfactual, but that he was willing to really scrutinise contemporary and post-war accounts, war diaries, timings, schedules and memories to re-baseline the history of what happened in and around Sword Beach on D-Day and the days after.
For any students of history, this book highlights several great examples of how a source account can be misused in a history book, then repeated several times in other works such that the source bears little resemblance to what was written about it. In several footnotes, and in the appendices, Fisher not only identifies exactly what the source 'said', but how it changed at each re-telling. E.g. Ambrose citing a Spitfire pilot being buffeted by Warspite's guns, where in fact the pilot was no where near Warspite, and his account was not from D-Day at all, but Ambrose wrote that it was and several historians dutifully repeated it. This forensic level of investigation by Fisher gives it a great credibility and I felt as if I was being told the definitive story by someone who cared about the detail, rather than a re-telling of other historians work.
A theme throughout the book is that Fisher was clearly not willing to rely or blindly trust the entrenched historical narrative. That isn't to say he's re-written it all or providing a massive counterfactual, but that he was willing to really scrutinise contemporary and post-war accounts, war diaries, timings, schedules and memories to re-baseline the history of what happened in and around Sword Beach on D-Day and the days after.
For any students of history, this book highlights several great examples of how a source account can be misused in a history book, then repeated several times in other works such that the source bears little resemblance to what was written about it. In several footnotes, and in the appendices, Fisher not only identifies exactly what the source 'said', but how it changed at each re-telling. E.g. Ambrose citing a Spitfire pilot being buffeted by Warspite's guns, where in fact the pilot was no where near Warspite, and his account was not from D-Day at all, but Ambrose wrote that it was and several historians dutifully repeated it. This forensic level of investigation by Fisher gives it a great credibility and I felt as if I was being told the definitive story by someone who cared about the detail, rather than a re-telling of other historians work.
January 5, 2025
I went into this book not knowing much about Sword Beach (or, indeed, much of D-Day), but the detail in this book is incredible. From the logistics behind the landings to detailed accounts of the fighting, this is a brilliant book that I'd recommend to anyone with any interest in World War II in general, or D-Day in particular.
June 11, 2025
An extremely clear and well written account of what happened on Sword Beach on D-Day. A well-judged mixture of strategy ad personal accounts make it a very interesting read. I wonder what Stephe Fisher will tackle next? Highly recommended.
July 30, 2025
Although I enjoyed this book at times I found it heavy going.
Often described as the ‘British Omaha’ the level of detail is immense, in parts it is a minute by minute account.
It’s also interesting to get the perspective of both sides.
Often described as the ‘British Omaha’ the level of detail is immense, in parts it is a minute by minute account.
It’s also interesting to get the perspective of both sides.
June 17, 2024
A meticulously-research, in-depth and very well description of just one of the D-Day beaches.
August 3, 2024
Meticulously researched and compelling reading
December 22, 2024
Fantastic book with detailed timings and descriptions what happened that day naming individuals and the roles. Loved this book great to read about the british contribution to D Day.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews