June 2024 marked the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, a infamous day when - on 6th June 1944 - the largest amphibious invasion in history took place as part of the first stage of Operation Overlord. The statistics of D-Day and the stories of those involved are staggering. In total the Allies used a flotilla of over 5,000 ships and landing craft to deploy more than 130,000 troops onto the beaches of Northwestern France codenamed Gold, Sword, Juno, Omaha and Utah as part of the efforts to restrict and push back enemy advances across the continent.
As part of the D-Day commemorations, 19 keen cyclists from the Maritime C5ISR Support Unit (MCSU) embarked on an epic crossing of the English Channel, to retrace the route of those brave Servicemen and women in honour of their sacrifice. MCSU has a very specific connection of D-Day, with it’s base at the top of Portsdown Hill featuring a glorious view over the Southern Downs and specifically of Southwick House. In 1944, in the months leading up to D-Day, the base became the headquarters of the main allied commanders, including Allied Supreme Commander General Eisenhower, Naval Commander-in-Chief Admiral Ramsay and Army Commander-in-Chief General Montgomery.
The MCSU peloton was made up of a wholeforce mix of military, civil service and industry personnel, which was fitting given the herculean efforts that were required both on the front line and on the home front to ensure the success of the D-Day landings, without doubt one of the biggest and most important events in World War Two. In all, the peloton covered some 270km on a journey that was not only created as a chance to mark the occasion and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice, but also to allow time for the brave service personnel to connect and reset as a team.
Carbon60 are proud to be avid supporters of the military and its people. We congratulate Team MCSU for completing their memorable journey and, as always, thank them for their service.
