by: Alistair Weaver Driving on the sands of time Assume the crab position Others on display A survivor's memory

It's a little before 7am and Gold Beach is quiet. A handful of people are taking a daybreak stroll and admiring the quaint French villas that overlook the sea. Were it not for the Mulberrys perched beyond the shoreline, this could be any other beach. These Mulberrys (artificial harbours) were laid by the allies on D-Day so that men and supplies could be brought ashore. Today, exactly sixty years on, they stand as a relic of that fearful day.

I had travelled to Normandy, not only to pay my respects to those who didn't make it back, but also to learn more about the vehicles that carried the soldiers into battle and, in some cases, carried them out again. It seems incredible to think that the 200,000 seamen and 185,000 soldiers that set sail for France, were accompanied by 20,000 vehicles.

Alistair takes 'Elaine' for a spin

Joining me on the trip is a Willys Jeep called Elusive Elaine. Built in 1941 as the American Army's light reconnaissance vehicle, the Jeep became an icon of WWII. By 1945, more than 600,000 had been built by a combination of Willys-Overland, Ford and Bantam. They were used across the world as ambulances, weapons carriers and battlefield taxis. The US General George C. Marshall even described them as "America's greatest contribution to modern warfare".

Elaine is painted in the colours of the 505th Parachute Regiment of the US 82nd 'All American' Airborne Division and the letters - C24 - on the rear, indicate that she was a radio car and the 24th vehicle of C Company. It's likely that Elaine saw service in Europe in 1944-45, but with so many produced, tracing the history of individual vehicles can prove difficult. If only the old girl could talk.