BROADMAYNE D5
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Who are we?
Broadmayne WWII Society was set up by local residents with a specific interest in WWII, especially in relation to Broadmayne and surrounds.
Broadmayne's little known role in the run up to D-Day gave it a small part in one of the Second World War's most famous invasions, the largest amphibious invasion in history.
Now, with the help of Heritage Lottery funding, we are connecting Broadmayne's heritage with the community. A weekend of Living History re-enactment, a 1940s village fete, 1940s dance and vintage cinema evening will take place between the 20th and 22nd of June 2014, turning Broadmayne back into camp D5 for one weekend. Alongside this, we have commissioned two short educational films from locally based Bright Button Productions, which will be distributed for free to interested parties and made available on this site. We've also made a WWII village trail with local artist Peter Lightfoot to ensure that locals and visitors can find and learn about our D-Day heritage for years to come.
QUICK FACTS
During 1944, Broadmayne and West Knighton were the site of camp 'D5'​
American soldiers were stationed here prior to embarking at Weymouth for the beaches of Normandy in Operation Overlord, also known as D-Day.
The regiments based in Broadmayne landed on Omaha Beach
One of the bloodiest and hardest won battles of D-Day took place on Omaha before the German guns were taken out and a beachead was finally established. A smaller group stationed at Broadmayne also headed for Point du Hoc, the highest point between Utah and Omaha beaches, to capture the gun emplacement there.
​From the beaches, the soldiers advanced through Normandy to capture key defensive towns
After D-Day, there was a 77 day long invasion campaign in Normandy by the Allies. Eventually, this led to the liberation of France and Belgium. It was an important turning point in the war.