From the beach to the countryside

D-DAY, JUNE 6, 1944

FROM THE BEACH TO THE COUNTRYSIDE

EXPERIENCING COMBAT

In the early morning, the Canadian Army arrived at Juno Beach to a furious welcome from the German fortifications. While the Allies’ air and sea bombardments were able to cover the advance of the landing ships, the enemy defences were unyielding. On the beach, the Canadians encountered unrelenting machine-gun fire from the Germans and contended with land mines that caused great destruction. Many ships were damaged during the landings, and the soldiers were forced to swim to shore with all of their equipment.

“That's the farthest point inland that anybody got that night, I think it was seven miles in.”
- Frederick Rogers, signalman, Veterans Affairs Canada

After capturing the coastline, the Canadians moved to Courseulles-sur-Mer, which overlooked the beach, and secured the town and surrounding villages. Despite the high casualties, the landing was a great success thanks to the sustained assaults and the soldiers’ resolve.

Members of the North Nova Scotia Highlanders and the Highland Light Infantry of Canada prepare to land in Normandy, June 6, 1944 (source: Library and Archives Canada).
Members of the Highland Light Infantry of Canada prepare to land on June 6, 1944 (source: Library and Archives Canada).
Source: Library and Archives Canada.
“You didn’t have time to think about anything, nothing. You just did your thing best you could.”
- John Hall, radio operator, Veterans Affairs Canada
Commando “W” approaches Mike Beach, July 8, 1944.
“You know, it’s a terrible thing to hold someone in your arms, you know, when he’s dying.”
- Harold Hague, member of the Royal Canadian Navy, Veterans Affairs Canada
Canadian soldiers await orders to advance further on Juno Beach, June 6, 1944 (source: Library and Archives Canada).
“But there was wounded everywhere and screaming and hollering. People in the water floating and oh, everything.”
- John Hall, radio operator, Veterans Affairs Canada
Soldiers examine the wreckage of the ship they used to reach Normandy (source: Library and Archives Canada).

Francis Godon (1924-2019)

Lloyd Turner (1923-2002)

Source: Black Canadians Veterans.
Source: Black Canadians Veterans.

Born in Toronto, Sergeant Turner joined the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada, with whom he fought in France, Belgium and Germany until the end of the war.

“As soon as the door dropped, we started running for the retaining wall. The Germans were firing by that time. I looked back and saw some of these guys lying on the beach, and others lying half in the water and the tide was taking them. [...] “What the hell am I doing here?” I said “They’re trying to kill us!””
- Lloyd Turner, Sergeant for the Queen’s Own Rifles, The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada Regimental Museum and Archive
Private R. A. Marshall, Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada, shows a bullet hole on his helmet caused by a sniper during the landing (source: Library and Archives Canada).
Wounded Canadians on the beach waiting to be sent to a clinic, June 6, 1944 (source: Library and Archives Canada).

THE CANADIAN SOLDIER AT THE FRONTLINE

Everett Cromwell (1921-2019)

Cromwell_E_1 (1 sur 1) (1)
Courtesy of Historica Canada.
“We had thirty truck loads of ammunition, we had thirty truck loads of jerry tins, gas, and we had thirty truck loads of combo packs and we kept moving up off where we go and then we’d stop and then we’d off load, get settled, emptied everything off off our trucks and then stack them up [...] and then we’d go back down to the beach where they had the big depots and then load up and then take it up through supply the units as we go along [...].”
- Everett Cromwell, member of the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps, Veterans Affairs Canada

LÉO MAJOR

THE CAPTURES OF NORMANDY

Private Léo Major landed in Normandy on June 6, 1944, with Le Régiment de la Chaudière. He and his unit neutralized the first German bunker and captured a dozen German soldiers. This exploit saved the lives of many members of the Queen’s Own Rifles who were trapped on the beach. That same afternoon, Léo Major and a fellow soldier repeated their feat by capturing a German armoured vehicle.

Corporal Victor Deblois of Le Régiment de la Chaudière guarding German prisoners on Juno Beach, June 6, 1944.
Source: Library and Archives Canada.
THE
WORLD
AT WAR
THE
INVASION
OF FRANCE
THE
LANDINGS
FROM THE BEACH
TO THE COUNTRYSIDE
BEYOND
LIBERATION
FIGHTING TILL
THE END