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British Virgin Islands
2004 British Virgin Islands D-Day Coins
60th Anniversary of D-Day Commemoratives
The British Virgin Islands Government has approved the
release of a series of three stunning coins which commemorate the 60th
Anniversary of D-Day.
During the first part of 1944, land, naval and air
forces were brought together to prepare for Operation Overlord, the
assault on Hitler’s forces in Europe. While the Soviet Union tied down a
large portion of the enemy’s forces, the Allies marshalled their
resources, trained their forces and fine tuned the invasion plans. On 5th
June 1944, the French Resistance were notified that the invasion was
imminent, signalling the underground to start dynamiting the railways and
before midnight, Allied planes began bombing the Normandy coast.
The invasion itself consisted mainly of ground forces
but air and sea components also had major roles. Allied air forces
protected the force as it crossed the English Channel and attacked targets
before and after the landing in support. More than 5,000 ships escorted
and landed the assault force along the Normandy coast. Once the force was
landed, naval gunfire provided support for the soldiers as the fought
their way across the beaches. Allied forces landed on Gold, Juno, Sword,
Utah and Omaha beaches and as the Allies came ashore, they took the first
steps on the final road to victory in Europe.
The three superb coins each represent one of the three
forces – land, naval and air and show the diversity of the men from all
parts of the world who took part in this glorious assault:
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The first coin shows an image of an Occidental Sailor
above a tableau of two landing craft carrying some of the assault force.
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The second coin in the series carries a portrait of a
Soldier from the Asian Sub-Continent with a tank and two jeeps shown
below.
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The final coin portrays a West Indian Airman above a
tableau depicting a Spitfire flying above a flotilla.
The coins are available in Cupro Nickel,
Sterling Silver and Fine 999.9 Gold.
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