Portsmouth & D-Day

The Allied invasion of Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944, was one of the most dramatic events of the Second World War. Over the centuries Portsmouth Harbour has witnessed the preparation and departure of many military and naval expeditions. None has been on such a scale and required such concentrated effort as Operation Overlord in June 1944, the story of which is told at the award-winning D-Day Museum in Southsea.

Preparations for Operation Overlord entailed restrictions on the movement of the people of Portsmouth. In August, 1943, Southsea seafront was declared a restricted zone, and on April 1, 1944, Portsmouth was part of the coastal strip, from the Wash to Land's End, closed to all visitors. By the spring of 1944 southern England was fast becoming a huge armed camp, as men, vehicles, stores and ammunition moved to their marshalling areas. Portsmouth was the headquarters and main departure point for the military and naval units destined for Sword Beach on the Normandy coast. Taking advantage of the natural woodland cover, the troops camped to the north and east of Portsmouth.

Looking down from Portsdown Hill there were so many ships and landing craft to be seen that it seemed as though it would be possible to walk from Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight across their decks. The troops were sealed into their camps on May 26 so that the final briefings could begin. Then as D-Day approached, the men began to embark for the cross-channel assault from Southsea beach, Portsmouth Harbour, Stokes Bay and numerous other points along the south coast.

Southwick House, just to the north of Portsmouth, had been chosen as the headquarters for the Supreme Allied Commander, General Eisenhower. Terrible weather delayed D-Day by 24 hours, but then Eisenhower announced his decision to launch the invasion with the famous words - "OK, let's go." On the morning of June 6 the people of Portsmouth awoke to find the vast armada of ships had gone. The streets hitherto choked with military traffic were deserted. Simple messages had been chalked on the roads by the departing troops: "Thank you, Cowplain," "Thank you, Waterlooville." D-Day had come.

The nerve-centre of the whole operation in 1944, today Portsmouth is home to this country's only museum dedicated to the D-Day landings.