Troops 'echo history' with exercise on D-Day beach

An amphibious warfare exercise involving UK and French troops is taking place on a Devon beach that was used to train soldiers for D-Day.

Exercise Catamaran is a two-week training operation spilt between north Devon and the Bay of Biscay, involving 11 warships, aircraft and about 3,000 troops.

Troops from the two nations are being launched ashore on Devon's Saunton Sands beach, which was used to train soldiers for the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944.

The Royal Navy's Maj Gen Rich Cantrill said the "highly complex" amphibious operations require regular practice and the joint exercise is "echoing our history" from World War Two.

The Royal Navy and Marine Nationale task group is operating under the control of the joint French and British Combined Joint Expeditionary Force, along with Spanish troops.

Seaborne and helicopter commando raids are taking place on the beaches in North Devon before moving to the Bay of Biscay on Saturday.

The Royal Navy said the purpose of the exercise was to test the ability of allied nations to operate effectively together in a wartime scenario.

Maj Gen Cantrill said the Royal Navy was delighted to participate in the French-led exercise and host its initial phase off the Devon coast.

"Amphibious operations are highly complex and so require regular practice," he said.

"We must stand united as allies, echoing our history from WWII and maintaining our ability to project power from sea to land.

He added: "As warfare evolves, as we've seen with Ukraine, we have to adapt, and the Royal Navy is significantly transforming its Commando Force and the way it delivers operations in the littoral."

The D-Day landings involved the simultaneous landing of tens of thousands of troops on five separate beaches in Normandy.

The Royal Navy said the exercises taking place on the anniversary of D-Day reflected the "continued relevance" of these operations 81 years since the largest amphibious landing in history.

French commander of naval operations, Vice Adm Emmanuel Slaars, said the amphibious operations were "demanding".

"You have to deal with the sea state and the weather, he said.

"We know when we look back to history that is was an essential parameter of the decision to launch D-Day."

The second phase of the exercise from Saturday until 15 June will will see training carried out in the Bay of Biscay.

Royal Marines will operate from French Navy ships and air assaults will be launched from Royal Navy Air Station Yeovilton in Somerset onto the French coastline.

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