Training under a barrage of live ammunition at the Commando Battle School, 1944

Photograph, World War Two, 1944.

Army Commandos, using only single ropes, scale a 100 foot cliff, wearing necessary battle equipment - steel helmets, packs, rifles and ammunition. Skilled marksmen were employed as defenders to ensure that the live fire went overhead or fell short to avoid casualties. Such exercises were essential in the weeks and months leading up to D-Day in order to prepare soldiers for the conditions they would face when landing.

One of 37 British official photographs.