Editing Sword Beach (section)

==Background==
{{Further|Invasion of Normandy|Operation Overlord}}

Following the [[Fall of France]], British Prime Minister [[Winston Churchill]] vowed to return to continental Europe and liberate the Nazi German-occupied nations.<ref>D'Este, p. 21</ref> The Western Allies agreed to open a [[Second Front]] in northern Europe in 1942 to aid the [[Soviet Union]]. However, with resources for an invasion lacking, it was postponed<ref>Bauer, 44</ref> but planning was undertaken that in the event of the German position in western Europe becoming critically weakened or the Soviet Union's situation becoming dire, forces could be landed in France; [[Operation Sledgehammer]]. At the same time, planning was underway for a major landing in occupied France during 1943; [[Operation Roundup (1942)|Operation Roundup]].<ref>Ellis, p. 7</ref> In August 1942, Canadian and British forces attempted an abortive landing—[[Operation Jubilee]]—at the Calais port-town of [[Dieppe, Seine-Maritime|Dieppe]]; the landing was designed to test the feasibility of a cross-channel invasion. The attack was poorly planned and ended in disaster; 4,963 soldiers were killed, wounded or captured.<ref>Granatstein, p. 11</ref> The decision to prosecute the [[Battle of the Atlantic]] to its closure, the lack of landing craft,<ref name="Ellis, p. 9">Ellis, p. 9</ref> [[Operation Husky|invading Sicily in July 1943]], and [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italy in September]] following the defeat of Axis forces in North Africa in May 1943<ref>Granatstein, pp. 13–14</ref> resulted in the postponement of any assault on northern Europe till 1944.<ref name="Ellis, p. 9"/>

Having succeeded in opening up an offensive front in southern Europe, gaining valuable experience in amphibious assaults and inland fighting, Allied planners returned to the plans to invade Northern France.<ref>Zuehlke, p. 25</ref> Now scheduled for 5 June 1944,<ref>Ellis, p. 140</ref> the beaches of [[Normandy]] were selected as landing sites, with a zone of operations extending from the [[Cotentin Peninsula]] to [[Caen]].<ref name=granat18/> Operation Overlord called for the British [[Second Army (United Kingdom)|Second Army]] to assault between the [[River Orne]] and [[Port en Bessin]], capture the German-occupied city of Caen and form a front line from [[Caumont-l'Éventé]] to the south-east of Caen, in order to acquire airfields and protect the left flank of the [[United States First Army]] while it captured [[Cherbourg]].<ref>Ellis, p. 78</ref> Possession of Caen and its surroundings would give Second Army a suitable staging area for a push south to capture the city of [[Falaise, Calvados|Falaise]], which could then be used as a pivot for an<!--'a left right to' - no idea what this is supposed to mean--> advance on [[Argentan]], the [[Touques River]] and then towards the [[Seine River]].<ref>Ellis, p. 81</ref> Overlord would constitute the largest amphibious operation in military history.<ref name=granat18>Granatstein, p. 18</ref> After delays, due to both logistical difficulties and poor weather, the D-Day of Overlord was moved to 6 June 1944. Eisenhower and [[Bernard Montgomery]], commander of [[21st Army Group]], aimed to capture Caen within the first day, and liberate [[Paris]] within 90 days.<ref name=granat18/>