Just outside the seaside town of Grandcamp-Maisy, the discovery of a huge German gun battery is rewriting the story of the American assault on Omaha Beach in June 1944 - an event depicted in Stephen Spielberg's hard-hitting movie Saving Private Ryan.

Invisible both from the beach and the main road, the Maisy Battery covers a vast site of 102 acres, hidden until recently by top soil and vegetation. Now however, visitors can see the bunkers and ammunition stores, the radar room and hospital unit excavated by British militaria dealer Gary Sterne.

‘As a collector of World War II memorabilia, I already owned a holiday house nearby, but had no idea what was on my doorstep,' says Gary, who had long felt uneasy about official accounts of the American assault on nearby Pointe du Hoc.

‘There were too many things about the positions of the guns that didn't add up, but it was only when official reports and photographs became available after 60 years that I started to look more closely,' says Gary.

Gary gradually bought up one-third of the site from local farmers, personally excavating a network of trenches and buildings, along with significant artefacts. Together they form a battery far more significant than the one at     

Pointe du Hoc and now Gary is determined to tell the story behind it.

‘You only have to visit local cemeteries to see what previous generations gave up for our freedom,' he says. ‘I can't walk along Omaha Beach without thinking about those brave men. Had the 5th Ranger battalion not silenced the guns at Maisy, the landings at Omaha could have had an even more tragic outcome, perhaps redrawing the whole of the Normandy campaign.

‘What they did here should never be forgotten and if I can play a small part in telling their story, I will be happy.'