50 Pence - Charles III D-Day - Merville Battery

The Merville Battery, captured by the 9th Parachute Battalion in the early hours of 6 June 1944, was one of the most audacious operations of the entire Normandy campaign. The battalion lost over half its strength taking the position, and the men who assaulted it had no way of knowing the guns inside were 75mm field pieces rather than the heavy coastal artillery that had made the battery such a priority target.

Jersey's D-Day commemorative program for the 80th anniversary spans multiple 50 pence pieces, each tied to a specific action. The Merville Battery sits in British airborne history rather than Jersey's direct occupation story — the island itself remained under German control until May 1945.