The story
Coast of Normandy Diadem served on the Arctic convoys and covered carrier raids against the German battleship Tirpitz in the early months of 1944, then became part of Force G off Juno Beach during the invasion of Normandy in June.
The weakest of the three British Bombarding Forces, "E", was that attached to Force "J". It consisted of the cruisers Belfast and Diadem, which were (rightly, as it proved) considered sufficient to deal with the weak batteries in the Canadian divisional sector. The only batteries actually scheduled for bombardment by Bombarding Force "E" before H Hour were those at Ver-sur-Mer and Beny-sur-Mer, which were duly engaged by Belfast and Diadem respectively, beginning at 5:30 and 5:52 a.m. The destroyer Kempenfelt fired at an inland battery midway between Courseulles and Bernieres at 6:19 a.m.
There's more to discover
You have arrived at just one small part of Back to Normandy — a personal project dedicated to preserving stories, images, music and memories of the Second World War.
Every record is a doorway to a larger story. Explore Back to Normandy to discover more, or visit Fred Vogels' personal website to learn about the person and the projects behind it.