Destruction of the Merville Battery

E437700

The Destruction of the Merville Battery was a critical D-Day assault in June 1944, when British airborne forces neutralized a heavily fortified German coastal gun position threatening the Normandy landings.

All labels observed (3)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf World War II battle ⓘ
military operation ⓘ
alsoKnownAs Assault on the Merville Battery ⓘ
armamentTargeted German coastal artillery guns ⓘ
associatedOperation Operation Neptune ⓘ
Operation Overlord ⓘ
associatedPlace Orne estuary ⓘ
linked to: Orne River estuary

Sword Beach ⓘ
belligerent British Army ⓘ
German Army ⓘ
campaign Battle of Normandy ⓘ
casualties heavy British casualties ⓘ
commandedBy Lieutenant Colonel Terence Otway ⓘ
commemoratedAt Merville Battery site in Normandy ⓘ
commemoratedBy Merville Battery Museum ⓘ
conductedBy 6th Airborne Division (United Kingdom) ⓘ
9th Parachute Battalion (United Kingdom) ⓘ
conflict Second World War ⓘ
linked to: World War II
countryInvolved Nazi Germany ⓘ
United Kingdom ⓘ
date 6 June 1944 ⓘ
defensiveWorks barbed wire entanglements ⓘ
concrete casemates ⓘ
machine-gun positions ⓘ
minefields ⓘ
followedBy advance to link up with seaborne forces from Sword Beach ⓘ
forceType airborne assault ⓘ
parachute infantry ⓘ
location Merville-Franceville-Plage, Calvados, Normandy, France ⓘ
objective neutralize the Merville coastal artillery battery ⓘ
prevent German guns from firing on Sword Beach landings ⓘ
opposedBy German coastal artillery garrison at Merville ⓘ
linked to: Merville Battery
partOf Normandy landings ⓘ
linked to: Battle of Normandy

Operation Tonga ⓘ
precededBy airborne drop of 6th Airborne Division ⓘ
preparation extensive pre-invasion planning and rehearsal ⓘ
relatedEvent capture of Pegasus Bridge ⓘ
relatedUnit 3rd Parachute Brigade (United Kingdom) ⓘ
result Allied tactical victory ⓘ
Merville Battery guns neutralized ⓘ
reduced German artillery threat to Sword Beach ⓘ
strategicImportance threatened British landings on Sword Beach ⓘ
supportType glider-borne troops ⓘ
tacticalFeature assault under-strength due to scattered parachute drop ⓘ
use of Bangalore torpedoes to breach wire ⓘ
theatre Western Front of World War II ⓘ
timeOfDay early hours of D-Day ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

British 6th Airborne Division → notableEngagement → Destruction of the Merville Battery ⓘ
Operation Tonga → notableEngagement → assault on Merville Battery ⓘ
linked to: Destruction of the Merville Battery
Destruction of the Merville Battery → alsoKnownAs → Assault on the Merville Battery ⓘ
linked to: Destruction of the Merville Battery