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D-Day veteran tells GB News about moment he knew WW2 ended – two days before the King found out
D-Day veteran Bernard Morgan says he learnt that the war in Germany would end two days before the official announcement, in a coded message sent to his team. His account offers a glimpse of the secrecy surrounding the final days of the war and the burden carried by those who served.
Morgan landed on Gold Beach on 6 June 1944 and worked as a frontline codebreaker, decoding military messages with a Type-X machine. He recalls seeing British dead on the beach and says those who died, including three men from his team killed in Normandy, were the real heroes. A book written in his honour is being released, with profits going to the Royal British Legion.
In short
- Bernard Morgan says he received advance notice of Germany’s surrender.
- He landed on Gold Beach on D-Day in 1944.
- Profits from his tribute book will go to the Royal British Legion.
Explained simply
D-Day was the Allied landing in Normandy on 6 June 1944, which opened a major front against Nazi Germany in western Europe. British forces landed at Gold Beach, one of five landing areas, and faced heavy fighting as they moved inland.
Bernard Morgan served with the British forces and worked in a team decoding German military messages using a Type-X machine. Codebreakers helped commanders understand enemy plans, while their work was kept secret; the Normandy campaign also cost many lives among Allied troops and civilians.
The war in Europe ended in May 1945, after Germany’s surrender. Accounts from veterans can help explain how military service and secrecy shaped people’s experiences, and Morgan’s story is being marked by a book whose profits are to go to the Royal British Legion, a charity supporting the armed forces community.