The 'Great Gale' hits Normandy
19th June 1944: The Allies are dealt a serious blow as one Mulberry Harbour is destroyed - and the munitions build-up is badly disrupted

In building their 'Atlantic Wall' the Germans had anticipated that any landing on the continent of Europe would have to quickly capture a port. Only a full-sized port could sustain the level of supplies that an invasion force needed. So naturally the most concentrated Atlantic wall defences had been built around the ports of northern France and Belgium.
The Allies had neatly sidestepped this problem by taking the 'Mulberry harbours' with them. Two ports, one in the American sector and one in the British, were brought across the Channel. The fully functioning ports, capable of berthing large supply ships and providing direct road access along piers to the beaches, had been established on June 17th.



Then disaster struck on the 19th.
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