Royal Navy troops storm Rame Peninsula beach while tourists play football

Royal Navy troops stormed a beach in Cornwall as stunned tourists continued their football game. The 47 Royal Marines Commando (Raiding Group) were pictured on Tregantle Beach on the Rame Peninsula.

During a beach landing training exercise, the unit, based at HMNB Devonport’s RM Tamar, used modern landing craft in scenes reminiscent of the events of D-Day. Marines were seen practicing raiding exercises at Tregantle Fort, near Torpoint.

The training exercise was designed to re-enact a Second World War raid and comes just weeks before the unit lands on Normandy’s Gold Beach to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day .

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Members of the Raiding Group are Royal Navy experts in amphibious warfare, providing landing craft, amphibious assault and maritime training capabilities. Despite the impressive scenes, a group of men on the beach continued to kick their football.

There are plans for 181 British paratroopers to jump into Normandy as part of the 80th anniversary of D-Day next month. It was earlier feared plans could be scaled back due to a lack of available RAF transport aircraft, but Defense Secretary James Cartlidge has since confirmed two A400s will take part.

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He told the Commons: “The truth about the D-Day position, we will have two A400Ms available for June 5. The number of people who will be dropped is 181 and there is a very good reason for that.

“It’s 181 because that’s the number of paratroopers who, at 16 minutes past midnight, on D-Day itself, landed and took the bridge we called Pegasus.”

Scroll down to see eleven pictures of the training exercise as it happened.

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