![]() The Re-enactment Group’s objective was to remember the 154 killed and wounded suffered by the Battalion in one of their fiercest engagements during the ultimately unsuccessful attack on the town and wood of Lebisey on June 7, 1944. One of main objectives for the troops landing on Sword Beach was to take the strategic city of Caen. On D-Day, the 2nd Battalion landed on the easternmost landing beach, namely Sword Beach, in the Queen-White sub-sector. From then until June 1944, the unit underwent heavy training and recruitment to get ready to return to France for Operation Overlord. Back in the UK, the Battalion was reorganized, re-equipped and transferred to 185th Infantry Brigade as part of the British 3rd Infantry Division. The Battalion continued to serve in France before being given the task of keeping open the main supply route to Dunkirk prior to their own evacuation from the continent (Read our earlier article – The “Miracle of Dunkirk”). The culprits were never brought to trial and their victims are buried in Wormhoudt Communal Cemetery around 12 miles / 20 km south of Dunkirk. The 15 survivors of the massacre were taken prisoner later by the regular German army. The SS threw in grenades and opened fire with machine guns. About 70 of the 2nd Warwicks prisoners were herded into a barn. On May 27, 1940, near the town of Wormhoudt, the SS had overrun their positions. The regimental badge of the Royal Warwicks representing their mascot “Bobby”, a blackbuck antelope (Photo: )ĭuring the Second World War, the 2nd Battalion was part of the British Expeditionary Force in France and Belgium. During the First World War, in addition to the Western Front, the Regiment saw action at Gallipoli in 1915-1916, in Mesopotamia in 1916-1917 and Persia in 1916-1919 and in Italy in 1917-1918. This is part of an already rich military career of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, spanning three centuries dating back to 1685. In Normandy, the men of the Regiment were amongst the first waves of soldiers who came ashore on D-Day. The group is dedicated to re-enacting the Royal Warwickshire Regiment (specifically its 2nd Battalion and its involvement in the Normandy landings in June 1944) and paying respect to the memory of the men who served, some making the ultimate sacrifice. ![]() Recently, we have been approached by the Royal Warwickshire Regiment Re-enactment Group and were informed about their successful crowdfunding campaign to erect a commemorative plaque for the men of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment on the outskirts of Caen in Normandy. Even in these challenging times, there are enthusiastic and committed groups of people also who spare no effort to bring new initiatives to fruition in order to ensure that all generations coming to France are aware of the sacrifices made for the liberation for Normandy during World War II. Over the last couple of months, we introduced you to some sites and museums in Normandy to show you how they strive to survive the COVID-19 pandemic. Representatives of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment Re-enactment Group, the town council and the veterans’ association at the memorial to be inaugurated on J(Photo: Jason Woods) ![]()
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