GOLD BEACH: THE MULBERRY HARBOUR
Where human ingenuity faced the sea for freedom: today, iron and concrete structures rise from the waters like silent sentinels, monuments to human determination. An artificial harbor that tells stories of when courage was greater than fear.
While young people dance freely on these sands, the waves whisper the names of those who turned a battlefield into a stage for freedom.
MULBERRY HARBOUR: HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Mulberry Port represents one of the greatest feats of military engineering of the Second World War. Conceived as a vital part of Operation Overlord, this artificial harbor was crucial to the success of D-Day and the subsequent liberation of Europe.
Designated 'Mulberry B' or 'Port Winston', the structure installed in Arromanches (Gold Beach) allowed the landing of more than 2.5 million men, 500,000 vehicles and 4 million tons of material in the first 100 days after D-Day. This engineering feat consisted of huge concrete caissons (Phoenix caissons), floating breakwaters (Bombardons) and steel pontoons, creating a functional port in just 12 days.
Today, 80 years later, the remains of this monumental structure still emerge from the waters of Normandy. The Phoenix piers, weighing up to 6,000 tons each, stand like silent sentinels, iron and concrete witnesses to one of the most decisive moments in modern history.
Mulberry Port in Arromanches was not just a masterpiece of military engineering - it was the physical manifestation of human determination to overcome seemingly impossible obstacles in the quest for freedom.
Find out more about this extraordinary structure:
Arromanches Landing Museum [https://www.musee-arromanches.fr/Explore the complete history of Port Mulberry through models, films and original artifacts.
Caen Memorial - Normandy [https://www.memorial-caen.fr/] One of the most comprehensive museums on the Second World War, with extensive documentation on Operation Overlord.