Editing Sword Beach (section)

===Allied===
The coastline of Normandy was divided into seventeen sectors, with codenames using a [[spelling alphabet]]—from Able, west of [[Omaha Beach|Omaha]], to Roger on the east flank of Sword. Eight further sectors were added when the invasion was extended to include [[Utah Beach|Utah]] on the Cotentin Peninsula. Sectors were further subdivided into beaches identified by the colours Green, Red, and White.{{sfn|Buckingham|2005|p=88}}

The Anglo-Canadian assault landings on D-Day were to be carried out by the [[British Second Army]], under Lieutenant General [[Miles Dempsey]]. The Second Army's [[I Corps (United Kingdom)|I Corps]], commanded by Lieutenant General [[John Crocker]], was assigned to take Sword. To Major General Tom Rennie's [[3rd Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|3rd Infantry Division]] fell the task of assaulting the beaches and seizing the main British objective on D-Day, the historic Norman city of [[Caen]].<ref>Williams, p. 24</ref><ref name="Wilmot273">Wilmot, p. 273</ref> Attached to the 3rd Infantry Division for the assault were the [[27th Armoured Brigade (United Kingdom)|27th Independent Armoured Brigade]], the [[1st Special Service Brigade]] (which also contained [[Free French]] Commandos), [[No. 41 (Royal Marine) Commando]] of the [[4th Special Service Brigade]], Royal Marine armoured support, additional artillery and engineers, and elements of the [[79th Armoured Division (United Kingdom)|79th Armoured Division]].<ref>Ford, pp. 28–29, 42</ref> [[6th Beach Group]] was deployed to assist the troops and landing craft landing on Sword and to develop the beach maintenance area.

The 3rd Infantry Division was ordered to advance on Caen, {{convert|7.5|mi|km}} from Sword,<ref>Ford, p. 17</ref> with the [[3rd Canadian Infantry Division]] advancing on its western flank to secure [[Carpiquet]] airfield, {{convert|11|mi|km}} from Juno Beach, on the outskirts of the city.<ref name="Wilmot273"/> The 3rd Infantry was also ordered to relieve the elements of the [[6th Airborne Division]] that had secured the bridges over the River Orne and Caen Canal during [[Operation Tonga]], secure the high ground north of Caen, and "if possible Caen itself".<ref>Scarfe, p. 18</ref> The last point was further reinforced when I Corps' commander, General Crocker, instructed the division, prior to the invasion, that by nightfall the city must be either captured or "effectively masked" with troops based north-west of the city and [[Bénouville, Calvados|Bénouville]].<ref name="Wilmot, p. 274">Wilmot, p. 274</ref>

[[File:Queen sector Sword Beach.jpg|thumb|Queen beach, dated 16 August 1943]]

Sword stretched about {{convert|5|mi|km}} from [[Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer, Calvados|Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer]] in the west to the mouth of the River Orne in the east. It was further sub-divided into four landing sectors; from west to east these sectors were 'Oboe' (from Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer to [[Luc-sur-Mer]]), 'Peter' (from Luc-sur-Mer to [[Lion-sur-Mer]]), 'Queen' (from Lion-sur-Mer to La Brèche d'Hermanville), and finally 'Roger' (from La Brèche d'Hermanville to [[Ouistreham]]). Each sector was also divided into multiple beaches.<ref name="Fordbeaches">Ford, pp. 36–37, 40–41</ref> The sector chosen for the assault was the {{convert|1.8|mi|km}} wide 'White' and 'Red' beaches of 'Queen' sector, as shallow reefs blocked access to the other sectors.<ref>Ford, p. 37</ref> Two infantry battalions supported by [[DD tank]]s would lead the assault followed up by the commandos and the rest of the division;<ref>Ford, pp. 37, 42</ref> the landing was due to start at 07:25 hours.<ref>Ford, p. 47</ref>