The 2nd & 3rd Battalions of the Irish Guards landed in Normandy in June 1944, fighting as part of the Guards Armoured Division until the end of the war. The unit would be remembered by many for their attack over the Meuse-Escaut Canal during their advance from the River Seine near Paris to Nijmegen in the Netherlands. The exploits of the unit & their commander, Lt. Col. JOE Vandeleur during this attack are recreated in the film.