As the sun rose over Gold Beach on D-Day, a maelstrom of bullets, bombs, and mortar fire tore open the morning skies. Amidst the frenzied bedlam of battle, Company Sergeant Major Stanley Hollis led D Company of the 6th Green Howards storming forward beyond the beachhead towards their target, the fearsome German heavy naval artillery up ahead.

The area was supposed to have already been cleared of enemy troops, but suddenly, D Company found themselves unexpectedly facing machine gun fire from a pair of pillboxes that had somehow been missed.

Without blinking an eye, Hollis bravely sprinted over thirty yards towards the first, skilfully dodging the flurry of ammunition flying towards him as he hurriedly dashed across the dangerous open ground. Miraculously making it to the pillbox unscathed, he then wedged his trusty Sten gun through the slit and let rip, emptying his magazine on the Nazi soldiers hiding out inside.

Out of ammunition, quick-thinking Hollis rapidly jumped atop the pillbox, lying prone as he threw a grenade through the door before rushing in to take any survivors prisoner. It was undoubtedly a heroic act, but the so-called “longest day” was just beginning, and Hollis and his men would have to pull out all the stops to make it out alive…



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