This rubber model shows the town of Dives-sur-Mer, East of Ouistreham and North East of Caen, at the Eastern end of Sword Beach, Normandy.

Very detailed terrain models were built from aerial photographs and reproduced by means of a moulding process to produce a rubberised model durable enough to be taken into the field. The models were used to plan operations in the theatre of war.

Terrain models of the Normandy beaches were extensively produced during the preparations for the 'D-Day' landings. The models had to show the landscape exactly as it would appear on the morning of the 6th June 1944. It was to be a low tide, therefore, the dimensions and gradients of the beaches had to be measured and reproduced accordingly. As the maps were getting developed, the model-makers had to continually adapt their work to reflect ongoing coastal erosion or changes to the beaches' fortifications.