Vidéotheque débarquement Arromanches

Mulberry Harbour timeline

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The British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, charged the men of Tn5 to design "piers for flat beaches".
The Scottish village of Garlieston was chosen as the site for testing the prototypes on account of its tidal range and extreme weather conditions.
Mr SIMPSON's mission and that of the Royal Engineers was to tow the prototype Hippo all the way to Garlieston.
From his bedroom window, Mr DRYNEN watched with astonishment as men appeared to walk on deep water... he had just discovered the incredible Swiss Roll.
The prototypes were mauled by a violent storm. Only Mr BECKETT's floating roadway emerged unscathed.
Robert Lochner, a member of the DMWD, invented the Bombardon breakwater in his bath.
Due to the extremely short deadlines, work on the ports had to begin before the design of the various components had been finalized.
The private companies commissioned to build the Phoenix caissons had no idea what they were for and no inkling of their final destination.
Such was the size of the required workforce that workers were recruited not just throughout the country but also in Ireland, where Nazi Germany still had an legation.
There was considerable rivalry between the Army and Navy. The latter was extremely vexed that the former had been entrusted with the mission to construct the Mulberry Harbours.
When the prototypes of the artificial ports arrived in Wigtownshire, the entire county became a vast and highly confusing army camp.
The engineers had to find a way of stabilizing the floating roadways to make it easier for vehicles to drive along them.
There were two reconnaissance missions to Arromanches, the fishing village where Mulberry 'B' was to be assembled.
As the deadlines were extremely tight, the pierheads for unloading supplies were produced on an assembly line.
With so little time available, working conditions were extremely tough.
The construction workers were constantly trying to guess what the components were for, but none of them in their wildest dreams ever imagined they were building an artificial port.
The officer responsible for Mulberry 'B' left his briefcase behind one day after having lunch. This slip-up could have had serious consequences for the project and for him personally.
Nobody knew what the various structures were for, but some people proved to have a particularly vivid imagination.
Operation Fortitude was set up to deceive the enemy by creating a series of diversions.
When all the jigsaw pieces were fitted together, everyone realized that they had been participating in a most extraordinary venture.
The components of the future Mulberry Harbours should have been assembled by the 'finest, bravest and most highly skilled soldiers'...
The men had to be trained beforehand to carry out the perilous mission of assembling the ports, but with what and to do what? They would find out soon enough - on June 6, 1944.
The Americans took possession of their port and fitted the caissons out extremely comfortably, even running the risk of weakening their structure.
Mr LLOYD, officer of the 440th Aintiaircraft Artillery Battalion, was amazed at the sight of the gigantic Phoenix caissons.
When Mr HONOUR, the commander of an X20 midget submarine, surfaced in front of Arromanches just hours before the Landings, he noted that the German troops looked extremely relaxed.
When the sun rose on June 6, the horizon was chockablock with Allied vessels, a vision that filled eyewitnesses with both awe and dread.
The first to open fire when this invasion force came into view were the Germans manning the battery at Longues-sur-Mer... but the Allies swiftly retaliated.
Mme RENOUF watched as the very first British soldiers entered Arromanches to liberate the village.
British soldiers showed Arromanches residents English newspapers carrying the first reports of the Landings. French civilians feared a German counterattack.
It was at 5 pm on June 6 that the tug captains and the soldiers assigned to the Phoenix caissons read their instructions and discovered that their destination was Arromanches.
Mr Adock, a War Office engineer, explains how the Phoenix caissons have to be installed.
The construction teams found the assembly of the floating roadways far harder than they had envisaged.
Arromanches residents watched with fascination as the port was assembled opposite their fishing village.
On June 12, the Americans installed Mulberry 'A' opposite Omaha Beach, assembling the various components as they saw fit...
The amphibious vehicles known as DUKWs played a key logistics role. The troops had to be properly supplied if the advance was not to stall.
As it was vital to keep the frontline troops adequately supplied, the men had to work nonstop.
On June 19, a storm of unprecedent force struck the Normandy coast. Life for the men living on the Phoenix caissons became extremely tough.
As the storm did not abate, it was decided to evacuate the men living on the Phoenix caissons.
The storm continued to rage along the Normandy coastline, resulting in a trial of strength between Hickling, the naval officer in charge of Mulberry 'B', and Montgomery, who wanted the port to continue operating despite the storm, in order to get tanks and ammunition to his men.
As well as causing huge material damage, the storm also cost the lives of several soldiers.
Although the Mulberry Harbour at Arromanches was designed for unloading men and material, it subsequently also served as the embarkation port for German PoWs being sent to England.
The Germans soon realized the importance of the Mulberry Harbours and tried in vain to put them out of action.
Mr EDE, an officer of the Field Security Corps, had the job of protecting Mulberry 'B' and ensuring its security.
On June 12, 6 days after the Landings, Winston Churchill toured the Normandy beaches.
There was an constant round of supply convoys between Arromanches and Bayeux.
In preparation for autumn and winter, the decision was taken to give the port added protection by installing extra Phoenix caissons. Divers prepared the seabed and local fishermen's boats were requisitioned.
Work on dismantling the Mulberry Harbour commenced at the end of 1944. Local people felt very lonely after the long months of hustle and bustle in Arromanches.

Legend

     The idea      Design      Construction      Installation plans      Crossing the Channel
     Assembly      Life in the artificial ports      The storm of June 19-22 and its consequences
     What the Germans knew      How the Mulberry Harbours contributed to victory      D-Day

Interviewed veterans and eyewitnesses

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