Merville Battery

Merville-Franceville-Plage, FR

A reinforced German coastal battery 1 km from Sword Beach, armed with four **100mm artillery pieces** capable of enfilading the eastern D-Day beaches. On the night of June 5–6, 1944, approximately 150 men of the British **9th Parachute Battalion** — less than a quarter of the planned assault force — captured the battery after close-quarters fighting through the casemates, completing the mission before the sea landings began. The original concrete casemates are preserved on site.