Stories from Normandy

Personal accounts from the beaches that changed the world
For those who walked these shores, and those who remember

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Sword Beach

The 16-Year-Old Who Fought at the Commandos Side

Sergeant Major Pat Porteous of No. 4 Commando described a "small, scrappy French boy" who emerged from the seawall at Sword Beach, carrying a rifle nearly as tall as himself. The boy, whose name was r...

June 6, 1944 Gaston (last name unknown), Sergeant Major Pat Por...
Sword Beach

The 16-Year-Old Who Fought at the Commandos Side

Sergeant Major Pat Porteous of No. 4 Commando described a "small, scrappy French boy" who emerged from the seawall at Sword Beach, carrying a rifle nearly as tall as himself. The boy, whose name was r...

June 6, 1944 Gaston (last name unknown), Sergeant Major Pat Por...
Sword Beach

The British Officer Who Captured a Bridge With a Bicycle

Major John "Jack" Churchill, "Mad Jack," was famous for carrying a longbow, bagpipes, and a Scottish broadsword into battle. On D-Day, he was attached to the Commandos at Sword Beach. After landing un...

June 6, 1944 Major John "Mad Jack" Churchill...