80 years ago today, 160,000 troops from Britain, Canada, USA, —along with a dozen other nations— stormed five sandy beaches along the Normandy Coast, intending to liberate France and mainland Europe from Adolf Hitler’s tyranny.
The Canadian Encyclopedia says »
Juno Beach was the Allied code name for a 10 km stretch of French coastline assaulted by Canadian soldiers on D-Day, 6 June 1944, during the Second World War. The Canadian Army’s 3rd Infantry Division and 2nd Armoured Brigade seized the beach and its seaside villages while under intense fire from German defenders — an extraordinary example of military skill, reinforced by countless acts of personal courage. The 3rd Infantry Division took heavy casualties in its first wave of attack but took control of the beach by the end of the day. More than 14,000 Canadian soldiers landed or parachuted into France on D-Day. The Royal Canadian Navy contributed 110 warships and 10,000 sailors and the RCAF contributed 15 fighter and fighter-bomber squadrons to the assault. There were 1,074 Canadian casualties, including 359 killed.
Footage
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- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s remarks commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy
- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attends and delivers remarks at the Canadian National Ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy held at Juno Beach Centre in Normandy, France.
- PM Trudeau’s written statement
- Globe and Mail » French locals roll their pant legs up and cast flowers into English Channel to honour Canadians who liberated them
- BBC » In pictures: Events commemorate 80th anniversary of D-Day
- BBC » 10 things you might not know about the Normandy invasion