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23 minutes ago<\/time><\/p>\n\n
Chris Andrews,<\/span>BBC News NI<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
Alamy<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\nSoldiers from 2nd Battalion Royal Ulster Rifles in Hermanville-sur-mer on D-Day<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n\n
Eighty years ago soldiers from across Ireland were bracing themselves for D-Day.<\/p>\n
By air and by sea they joined the 150,000-strong Allied advance on France in June 1944.<\/p>\n
After years of aerial bombing raids, rations and hard factory work at home, the mission of Operation Overlord was to seize a foothold in France and turn the tide of the war against Nazi Germany.<\/p>\n
In Northern Ireland, conscription was not imposed due to its political divisions, however, citizens from both unionist and nationalist backgrounds signed up for the war effort.<\/p>\n
In the Irish Free State, which adopted a policy of neutrality, some 70,000 soldiers would join the British Army as it added Normandy to its other frontlines in Italy and north Africa.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
What was D-Day?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n\n\n
Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\nThe British Army focused on the eastern assault zones<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n\n
For months, the Allies planned how they would re-enter Nazi-occupied France, four years after the evacuation from Dunkirk.<\/p>\n
Under tight secrecy and to surprise Germany, Normandy was chosen rather than the shorter crossing point at Calais.<\/p>\n
Shortly after midnight on 6 June 1944, a small number of troops landed on gliders with the mission of seizing key locations such as bridges over the Caen Canal and River Orne.<\/p>\n
They were to be relieved by the world\u2019s largest amphibious invasion force which reached Normandy’s beaches from 06:30.<\/p>\n
The US 1st Army was tasked with attacking the Utah and Omaha assault zones to the west.<\/p>\n
To the east, British and Canadian forces focused on Gold, Juno and Sword.<\/p>\n
About 12,000 Allied aircraft and several thousand sea vessels formed part of Operation Overlord.<\/p>\n
Met by mortar shells, machine gun fire and snipers, the Allied objective was to breach the enemy\u2019s coastal defences and push towards key cities such as Bayeux and Caen.<\/p>\n
The eventual aim would be the liberation of France.<\/p>\n
More than 4,000 allied troops were killed on D-Day and thousands of others were wounded.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Where did the Royal Ulster Rifles serve on D-Day?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n\n
The Royal Ulster Rifles (RUR) was the only British regiment to have its full strength of two battalions deployed on D-Day.<\/p>\n
Many soldiers from the Ireland and Great Britain would also form part of its ranks.<\/p>\n
At midday, a few hours after the initial wave of the invasion on 6 June 1944, 2nd Battalion RUR landed at Queen Red beach, part of the Sword assault zone. <\/p>\n
Their aim was to advance inland towards a battle for the city of Caen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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The battalion’s war diary states some of the soldiers were small in size and had difficulty getting ashore from the landing craft, carrying equipment, weapons and a fold-up bicycle – although many of those were thrown overboard to be recovered later.<\/p>\n
There were some initial casualties due to mortar and shell fire.<\/p>\n
However, there were no beach fatalities for the RUR and the war diary states they were met by the sight of surrendering German soldiers.<\/p>\n
The 2nd Battalion’s initial objective was to assemble at nearby Lion-sur-mer and they dug in for the night at P\u00e9riers-sur-le-dan. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
Alamy<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n1st Battalion Royal Ulster Rifles pictured aboard a jeep beside a crashed Horsa glider on 6 June 1944<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n\n
The 1st (Airborne) Battalion of the RUR meanwhile was preparing to land by Horsa glider a few miles to the south near Ranville.<\/p>\n
They established a base at Le Bas de Ranville by the evening of 6 June, preparing for assaults on the villages of Longueval and Sainte-Honorine.<\/p>\n
In the days and weeks that followed, the RUR would suffer heavy losses during an intense battle in the wood at Cambes-en-Plaine and around the city of Caen.<\/p>\n
In July 1944, they were given the Battle Honour Caen, meaning the RUR would lead the 3rd Infantry Division’s advance on the heavily-bombed city, which was one of the first to be liberated.<\/p>\n
Almost 200 RUR soldiers died between D-Day and the end of August 1944.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n