On 6 june l944, the combined forces of the Allies landed along the coast of Normandy. In advance of the amphibious assault, Allied airborne troops were deployed inland to secure key strategic locations.
Many of those laid to rest in this cemetery belonged to the British 6th Airborne Division, landed by parachute and glider in the dark hours before dawn to silence German heavy guns and to secure bridges in support of the landings at Sword Beach.
Ranville was the first village to be liberated in France.
This is the final resting place of more than 2,200 Commonwealth servicemen, of whom 95 remain unidentified. It also holds the graves of some 320 German servicemen and several Belgian, French and Polish soldiers. The adjoining churchyard is the final resting place of one unknown German soldier and 47 British servicemen, all airborne troops, many of whom were buried by local people in the first days of Operation Overlord.
Those lost in the fighting in this part of Normandy who have no known grave are commemorated on the Bayeux Memorial.
