text: Before 6 June 1944 the peaceful stretch of coast west of Cabourg , from Ouistreham to the Cotentin peninsula , was known simply as the Cete du Calvados , a flat , undramatic shoreline broken by a few unspectacular chalk cliffs and sand dunes .
  
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  The Cete du Calvados was historically a bustling area , with a number of busy seaside towns along the coast .