D-day’s secret weapon: how wetland science stopped the Normandy landings from getting bogged down

By Christian Dunn, Bangor University

Beneath the roar of gunfire and the chaos of D-day, an unlikely hero played a vital role — wetland science. Often overlooked amid military strategies and troop movements, the study of mud proved critical to the success of the largest amphibious invasion in history.

Much has been written about the events of June 6 1944 and the extensive planning that led up to Operation Overlord on that pivotal day. The success of the Normandy landings involved expertise from a vast array of military, espionage, engineering and communication groups. My new report explains how scientists with knowledge of sediments and substrate formation, such as peat found in bogs and fens, were also instrumental in the planning and execution of D-day.

Following the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk during Operation Dynamo in 1940, Britain and its allies began meticulously planning for the invasion of mainland Europe. Gathering intelligence about the French coast and where the invasion would probably occur, was a vital component of these preparations.

The allies concluded that any landing site needed to be within range of their fighter aircraft, sheltered from harsh weather, and near a port to facilitate the landing of additional troops and equipment. These criteria led to the selection of the coast north of Caen in Normandy, France.

However, initial intelligence had raised concerns about whether the beaches were suitable for a successful invasion. Geological maps smuggled out of Paris by the French Resistance suggested that the beaches might be underlain by peat, which could destabilise the landing. Staggeringly, one of these maps is believed to have dated back to Roman times, when they surveyed the entire empire for peat, as it was used as a fuel source.

Peat, a semi-decomposed organic matter that accumulates over millennia in wetland habitats, can be soft and unstable.

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