The plan called for heavy naval and air attacks to knock out German defences so Allied troops could then cross the English Channel and land along 80 kilometres of Normandy coastline in France. British troops landed on beaches code named Sword and Gold to the east while Americans landed in the west at Omaha and Utah. Canadian troops landed between the two British thrusts at a beach code named Juno.
About 15, Canadians from the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, supported by ships of the Royal Canadian and Royal Navies, attacked Nazi strongholds along a stretch of about eight kilometres of French coastline, code named Juno Beach. Paratroopers, including the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, jumped from aircraft or landed in gliders at key German defence points.
They destroyed important enemy installations at Merville and bridges over the Dives River while capturing the strategic bridges over the Orne River and the Caen Canal to prevent Nazi troops from reaching the invasion area. However, most German gun positions were not knocked out by the bombing or ongoing naval gunfire. The Nazi defenders made the Allied attackers pay for every inch of territory they claimed, producing heavy casualties. Despite those losses, the tactics and bravery of Allied Troops on that Longest Day, secured the Allied success, and they had their foothold in Europe.
The Allies poured huge amounts of men and materiel across the Channel, first to secure their foothold, and next to begin the arduous task of pushing the Germans back to Germany and ultimately into history. In the absence of a port facility a pontoon wharf known as a Mulberry Harbour was erected to get men and material into France to secure the beachhead. Canada suffered 1, casualties including dead on D-Day. Heavy as these losses were, they were far less than planners had feared.
I was pleasantly surprised to be included in the detailed list of Veterans to attend the 60th Anniversary commemoration of D-Day in France in June Of course when the full weight of the recommendation hit home, that I would be one of only 60 Veterans invited to comprise the Official Delegation, and only five would represent the Royal Canadian Air Force, I was both deeply proud and humbled.
