How much German resistance did the British forces encounter during the initial Sword Beach landings?

When British forces landed at Sword Beach at 0725 hours on June 6, 1944, they were greeted with moderate fire.1

The German defenses in this sector were relatively light, consisting of beach obstacles, mines, antitank ditches, and fortified emplacements in the sand dunes and nearby villas, which were manned by elements of the 716th Infantry Division. This division was composed of conscripts and older soldiers with no prior combat experience, allowing them to mount only limited effective resistance during the initial landing.12

Prior to the seaborne assault, the British 6th Airborne Division had already neutralized key artillery threats, including the battery at Merville, which helped secure the left flank of the landing area. While the British forces faced a more serious counterattack later in the day from the 21st Panzer Division, the initial landing phase was successful, and by 0800 hours, the fighting had largely moved inland.1