EvanL
05-17-2004, 12:12 AM
Robin Rowland, CBC News Online | June 5, 2003
The sun was just coming up over the Normandy coast at about 5 a.m. on June 6, 1944 – D-Day.
The Allied navies – Canadian, British, American – had brought a huge invasion fleet from England to France in total darkness. For men on the ships, first light showed the black shapes of other nearby vessels. For the Germans on shore, the dawn revealed a vast armada poised to invade occupied France.
The military planners had given Canada a major role on D-Day: to take one of the five designated beaches where Allied forces were to land to begin the liberation of Europe from Nazi Germany. The Americans had Utah and Omaha beaches in the west, then came the British at Gold, then the Canadians at Juno Beach and finally the British at Sword on the east.
The greatest seaborne invasion in history was aimed at 80 kilometres of mostly flat, sandy beach along the Normandy coast, west of the Seine River, east of the jutting Cotentin Peninsula. Canada's objective was right in the middle.
There were about 155,000 soldiers, 5,000 ships and landing craft, 50,000 vehicles and 11,000 planes set for the coming battle. For Canada, 14,000 soldiers were to land on the beaches; another 450 were to drop behind enemy lines by parachute or glider. The Royal Canadian Navy supplied ships and about 10,000 sailors. Lancaster bombers and Spitfire fighters from the Royal Canadian Air Force supported the invasion.
The Canadians who landed on Juno Beach were part of Britain's Second Army, under the command of British Lt. General Miles Dempsey, who had served in North Africa and Italy with the overall British commander, Bernard Montgomery. The Canadian assault forces were the Third Canadian Infantry Division, commanded by Major General R. F. Keller and the Second Canadian Armoured Brigade, with Brigadier R.A. Wyman in charge.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/dday/gfx/map_dday.gif
The units were from across the country; from east to west, from the North Nova Scotia Highlanders, to the Canadian Scottish from Victoria.
The bombardment of the beaches began at 6 a.m. Within an hour the lead landing craft were away from the ships.
Two hours later, the German defences at Juno Beach had been shattered and Canada had established the beachhead.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/dday/gfx/map_juno.gif
QUICK FACTS:
1.1 million Canadians served in WWII, including 106,000 in the Royal Canadian Navy and 200,000 in the Royal Canadian Air Force
42,042 killed
54,414 wounded
14,000 Canadians landed on D-Day
450 jumped by parachute or landed by glider
10,000 sailors of the RCN were involved
340 killed
574 wounded
47 taken prisoner
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
During the first six days of the Normandy campaign, 1,017 Canadians died.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By the end of the Normandy campaign, about 5,020 Canadians had been killed. About 5,400 Canadians are buried in Normandy.
In the two and a half months of the Normandy campaign, Allied casualities (killed, wounded and captured) totalled 210,000.
Canadian casualties totalled more than 18,000, including more than 5,000 dead. German casualties were 450,000.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/dday/gfx/poster.jpg
1944 Year of Decision
by Harry Mayerovitch
Wartime Information Board, Ottawa
http://www.cbc.ca/news/dday/gfx/photo18.jpg
Canadian ships in formation on D-Day
http://www.cbc.ca/news/dday/gfx/photo23.jpg
Transport and warships, June 6, 1944
http://www.cbc.ca/news/dday/gfx/photo25.jpg
Transport and warships, June 6, 1944
http://www.cbc.ca/news/dday/gfx/photo29.jpg
St-Aubin, June 6, 1944
http://www.cbc.ca/news/dday/gfx/photo35.jpg
Hedgerow fighting
http://www.cbc.ca/news/dday/gfx/photo17.jpg
Warship in heavy seas June 6, 1944
Juno beach was five miles wide and stretched on either side of the small fishing port of Courseulles-sur-Mer, France. Two smaller villages, Bernières and St. Aubin, lay to the east of Courseulles. The coastline had been fortified by the occupying Germans and bristled with guns, concrete emplacements, pillboxes, fields of barbed wire and mines.
The 3rd Canadian Infantry Division reinforced by the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade landed in two brigade groups:
- 7th Brigade consisting of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, Regina Rifles, and Canadian Scottish regiments
- 8th Brigade consisting of the North Shore Regiment, Queen's Own Rifles, and Le Régiment de la Chaudière
Each Brigade group was comprised of 3 infantry battalions (regiments), and supported by an armoured regiment, 2 artillery field regiments, combat engineer companies and extra units such as Armoured Vehicles, Royal Engineers (AVRE's). The Fort Garry Horse tanks (10th Armoured Regiment) supported the 7th brigade landing on the left and the1st Hussars tanks (6th Armoured Regiment) supported the landing on the right.
The 9th Brigade consisting of the Highland Light Infantry, Stormont Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders, and North Nova Scotia Highlanders regiments landed later in the morning and advanced through the lead brigades. The Sherbrooke Fusiliers tanks (27th Armoured Regiment) provided tank support.
Although a total of 14,000 Canadians stormed Juno Beach on D-Day, there were not more than three thousand young Canadians in the first wave - all ranks. The initial assault was the responsibility of four regiments with two additional companies supporting the flanks:
- North Shore Regiment on the left at St. Aubin (Nan Red beach)
- Queen's Own Rifles in the centre at Bernières (Nan White beach)
- Regina Rifles at Courseulles (Nan Green beach)
- Royal Winnipeg Rifles on the western edge of Courseulles (Mike Red and Mike Green beaches)
- a company of the Canadian Scottish secured the right flank
- a company of the Royal Marine Commandos secured the left flank
The first wave of Canadian infantry was brought into shore by LCA's landing at 7:55. When the ramps lowered the troops disembarked and waded ashore. The soldiers hit the beaches and began the deadliest run of their lives. As they worked their way through the obstacles and minefields they came into the killing zones of the German gun positions. The assault troops raced across the beaches through the curtain of machine gun fire, rushed the pillboxes and eliminated the German strong-points with Sten-guns, small arms fire and grenades. The first wave took heavy casualties on the beaches. DD tanks arrived on the beaches and fired on the pillboxes, decimating the remaining strong-points. In bitter hand-to-hand fighting the Canadians cleared the enemy gun positions and fought their way into the towns.
All morning long the battle raged along the precious strip of coast. The Regina Rifles and Royal Winnipeg Rifles fought their way through Courseulles and Graye-sur-Mer. The North Shore Regiment captured St.Aubin while the Queen's Own Rifles took the town of Bernières. Tanks and infantry struck inland all that day and pressed on through villages, fields and groves of trees defended by determined Germans.
Facing formidable gun emplacements, machine gun nests and snipers, the brave Canadian soldiers did not hesitate in their advance. Determined officers led their well trained platoons to take out the enemy strongholds. Countless times the soldiers showed acts of valour by engaging the enemy in vicious close quarter fighting. Soldiers lost their close friends in the fighting and somehow found the courage to keep going. Through the terror of the battle the disciplined soldiers pushed on to overcome the enemy positions. The fierce battles were won by the bravery of the individual Canadian soldiers and the collective actions of their regimental units.
http://www.members.shaw.ca/junobeach/images/juno-4-0.1-LCT%20&%20Infantry%20tn.jpg
http://www.members.shaw.ca/junobeach/images/juno-4-0.2-North%20Shore%20landing%201.jpg
The sun was just coming up over the Normandy coast at about 5 a.m. on June 6, 1944 – D-Day.
The Allied navies – Canadian, British, American – had brought a huge invasion fleet from England to France in total darkness. For men on the ships, first light showed the black shapes of other nearby vessels. For the Germans on shore, the dawn revealed a vast armada poised to invade occupied France.
The military planners had given Canada a major role on D-Day: to take one of the five designated beaches where Allied forces were to land to begin the liberation of Europe from Nazi Germany. The Americans had Utah and Omaha beaches in the west, then came the British at Gold, then the Canadians at Juno Beach and finally the British at Sword on the east.
The greatest seaborne invasion in history was aimed at 80 kilometres of mostly flat, sandy beach along the Normandy coast, west of the Seine River, east of the jutting Cotentin Peninsula. Canada's objective was right in the middle.
There were about 155,000 soldiers, 5,000 ships and landing craft, 50,000 vehicles and 11,000 planes set for the coming battle. For Canada, 14,000 soldiers were to land on the beaches; another 450 were to drop behind enemy lines by parachute or glider. The Royal Canadian Navy supplied ships and about 10,000 sailors. Lancaster bombers and Spitfire fighters from the Royal Canadian Air Force supported the invasion.
The Canadians who landed on Juno Beach were part of Britain's Second Army, under the command of British Lt. General Miles Dempsey, who had served in North Africa and Italy with the overall British commander, Bernard Montgomery. The Canadian assault forces were the Third Canadian Infantry Division, commanded by Major General R. F. Keller and the Second Canadian Armoured Brigade, with Brigadier R.A. Wyman in charge.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/dday/gfx/map_dday.gif
The units were from across the country; from east to west, from the North Nova Scotia Highlanders, to the Canadian Scottish from Victoria.
The bombardment of the beaches began at 6 a.m. Within an hour the lead landing craft were away from the ships.
Two hours later, the German defences at Juno Beach had been shattered and Canada had established the beachhead.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/dday/gfx/map_juno.gif
QUICK FACTS:
1.1 million Canadians served in WWII, including 106,000 in the Royal Canadian Navy and 200,000 in the Royal Canadian Air Force
42,042 killed
54,414 wounded
14,000 Canadians landed on D-Day
450 jumped by parachute or landed by glider
10,000 sailors of the RCN were involved
340 killed
574 wounded
47 taken prisoner
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
During the first six days of the Normandy campaign, 1,017 Canadians died.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By the end of the Normandy campaign, about 5,020 Canadians had been killed. About 5,400 Canadians are buried in Normandy.
In the two and a half months of the Normandy campaign, Allied casualities (killed, wounded and captured) totalled 210,000.
Canadian casualties totalled more than 18,000, including more than 5,000 dead. German casualties were 450,000.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/dday/gfx/poster.jpg
1944 Year of Decision
by Harry Mayerovitch
Wartime Information Board, Ottawa
http://www.cbc.ca/news/dday/gfx/photo18.jpg
Canadian ships in formation on D-Day
http://www.cbc.ca/news/dday/gfx/photo23.jpg
Transport and warships, June 6, 1944
http://www.cbc.ca/news/dday/gfx/photo25.jpg
Transport and warships, June 6, 1944
http://www.cbc.ca/news/dday/gfx/photo29.jpg
St-Aubin, June 6, 1944
http://www.cbc.ca/news/dday/gfx/photo35.jpg
Hedgerow fighting
http://www.cbc.ca/news/dday/gfx/photo17.jpg
Warship in heavy seas June 6, 1944
Juno beach was five miles wide and stretched on either side of the small fishing port of Courseulles-sur-Mer, France. Two smaller villages, Bernières and St. Aubin, lay to the east of Courseulles. The coastline had been fortified by the occupying Germans and bristled with guns, concrete emplacements, pillboxes, fields of barbed wire and mines.
The 3rd Canadian Infantry Division reinforced by the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade landed in two brigade groups:
- 7th Brigade consisting of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, Regina Rifles, and Canadian Scottish regiments
- 8th Brigade consisting of the North Shore Regiment, Queen's Own Rifles, and Le Régiment de la Chaudière
Each Brigade group was comprised of 3 infantry battalions (regiments), and supported by an armoured regiment, 2 artillery field regiments, combat engineer companies and extra units such as Armoured Vehicles, Royal Engineers (AVRE's). The Fort Garry Horse tanks (10th Armoured Regiment) supported the 7th brigade landing on the left and the1st Hussars tanks (6th Armoured Regiment) supported the landing on the right.
The 9th Brigade consisting of the Highland Light Infantry, Stormont Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders, and North Nova Scotia Highlanders regiments landed later in the morning and advanced through the lead brigades. The Sherbrooke Fusiliers tanks (27th Armoured Regiment) provided tank support.
Although a total of 14,000 Canadians stormed Juno Beach on D-Day, there were not more than three thousand young Canadians in the first wave - all ranks. The initial assault was the responsibility of four regiments with two additional companies supporting the flanks:
- North Shore Regiment on the left at St. Aubin (Nan Red beach)
- Queen's Own Rifles in the centre at Bernières (Nan White beach)
- Regina Rifles at Courseulles (Nan Green beach)
- Royal Winnipeg Rifles on the western edge of Courseulles (Mike Red and Mike Green beaches)
- a company of the Canadian Scottish secured the right flank
- a company of the Royal Marine Commandos secured the left flank
The first wave of Canadian infantry was brought into shore by LCA's landing at 7:55. When the ramps lowered the troops disembarked and waded ashore. The soldiers hit the beaches and began the deadliest run of their lives. As they worked their way through the obstacles and minefields they came into the killing zones of the German gun positions. The assault troops raced across the beaches through the curtain of machine gun fire, rushed the pillboxes and eliminated the German strong-points with Sten-guns, small arms fire and grenades. The first wave took heavy casualties on the beaches. DD tanks arrived on the beaches and fired on the pillboxes, decimating the remaining strong-points. In bitter hand-to-hand fighting the Canadians cleared the enemy gun positions and fought their way into the towns.
All morning long the battle raged along the precious strip of coast. The Regina Rifles and Royal Winnipeg Rifles fought their way through Courseulles and Graye-sur-Mer. The North Shore Regiment captured St.Aubin while the Queen's Own Rifles took the town of Bernières. Tanks and infantry struck inland all that day and pressed on through villages, fields and groves of trees defended by determined Germans.
Facing formidable gun emplacements, machine gun nests and snipers, the brave Canadian soldiers did not hesitate in their advance. Determined officers led their well trained platoons to take out the enemy strongholds. Countless times the soldiers showed acts of valour by engaging the enemy in vicious close quarter fighting. Soldiers lost their close friends in the fighting and somehow found the courage to keep going. Through the terror of the battle the disciplined soldiers pushed on to overcome the enemy positions. The fierce battles were won by the bravery of the individual Canadian soldiers and the collective actions of their regimental units.
http://www.members.shaw.ca/junobeach/images/juno-4-0.1-LCT%20&%20Infantry%20tn.jpg
http://www.members.shaw.ca/junobeach/images/juno-4-0.2-North%20Shore%20landing%201.jpg