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Why did the 9th Battalion attack on the Merville battery begin with far fewer men than planned?
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Sword Beach
Injured and exhausted assault troops being helped ashore at Sword Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944.
The 9th Battalion's attack on the Merville battery began with only 150 of its 750 men because the unit experienced a "bad drop" during the airborne operation on D-Day.1
While the 6th Airborne Division's mission was to secure key areas, including the battery that threatened Sword Beach, many paratroopers were scattered during the nighttime descent. Despite being significantly undermanned, the remaining force successfully captured the battery, though at the cost of half of the 150 men who participated in the assault.1