Some 80 years ago 66 US Naval Vessels and 6 Royal Navy escort ships departed from Salcombe Harbour in South Devon heading towards Normandy as part of the invasion force Neptune, this was the amphibious phase of Operation Overlord. Their task was to land the 4th Division V11 Corps US Army on Utah Beach on Normandy.
The US Amphibious Force had arrived in Salcombe some 7 months before in 1943 swelling the population of Salcombe by some 2,000 US Personnel.
Many hotels were requisitioned and hutted camps were built. The town became a hive of activity with preparations for the invasion of German Occupied Europe.
With thanks to Roger Barrett for reference to his excellent book 'A History of Salcombe and its Surroundings' Further information can be found at Salcombe Maritime Museum. https://salcombemuseum.org.uk/