D-Day 80th Anniversary
On land, by sea and in the air
Allied warplanes helped pave the way for the Normandy landings.
They undertook countless missions attacking coastal defences and lines of transport in occupied Europe in the months leading up to Operation Overlord.
Despite questionable weather conditions, the Allied high command made the decision to attack on June 6, 1944
a date that has become known in history as “D-Day.” A massive Allied force would cross the English Channel,
heading for an 80-kilometre stretch of the Normandy coast.
There were five landing zones assigned to the forces of different nations: Juno Beach (Canada); Gold Beach (United Kingdom);
Sword Beach (United Kingdom and France); and Utah Beach and Omaha Beach (United States).
Some 7,000 naval vessels of all types, including 284 major combat ships, took part in Operation Neptune
(as the sea-borne assault phase of the D-Day offensive was codenamed).
Destroyers and supporting craft of the Royal Canadian Navy shelled German positions onshore and cleared sea mines
in the approaches to the French beaches.
Many Royal Canadian Air Force planes were among the some 4,000 Allied bombers and 3,700 fighters/fighter bombers
that relentlessly struck at shoreline defences, inland targets and enemy squadrons that day.
More than 450 members of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion jumped inland before dawn on June 6
and were the first of our soldiers to engage the enemy on D-Day.
A few hours later, some 14,000 Canadian troops from the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division and the
2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade—composed of military units from coast to coast—would begin to come ashore at Juno Beach.
Their mission was to brave heavy fire to establish a foothold along an eight-kilometre stretch of coastline fronting the
villages of Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer, Bernières-sur-Mer, Courseulles-sur-Mer, and Graye-sur-Mer.
Our soldiers would then push inland towards the city of Caen, an important communications and transport centre.
For more information see the links below :
https://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibitions/chrono/1931d_day_e.html
https://www.junobeach.org/canada-in-wwii/articles/d-day/
https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/get-involved/d-day-80
