A British soldier with a submachine gun is on the ground and pointing towards the enemy. June 1944. After the initial landings on Sword Beach; British troops moved off the beach and pushed inland towards Caen. Sword was the most easterly of the landing beaches. British troops also landed at beaches codenamed Juno and Gold near Arromanches and Courseulles. The Battle for Caen lasted from June - August 1944. Caen; Normandy; France.