Canadian Battlefields & Memorials in Normandy
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Canadian Battlefields & Memorials in Normandy As you tour the Canadian battlefields you will obtain some which we possess today. No one knew what the outcome of impression of the challenges faced by these volunteer citizen- individual battles would be or how long the campaign in soldiers who helped to win the Battle of Normandy. As armchair Normandy might last. And no one knew exactly what was generals you will no doubt have your own views on how the required of them. Which actions were courageous and which battles should have been planned. Remember that the men were foolish? Should attacks be pressed when things were going who actually fought the battles lacked the 20-20 hindsight badly or should they be called off? Discipline and courage could keep men going, but at what point did the price become too war or to human misery, but it did destroy a “monstrous tyranny high? There were no easy answers in 1944 and there are none never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human today. What we do know is that Canadian soldiers, sailors and crime” and offered the world the opportunity to build a new airmen made a vital contribution to the defeat of Hitler and and more rational social order. the liberation of Europe. The victory did not bring an end to Above: The Canadian Memorial Garden, Le Mémorial, Caen. Left: The Canadian War Cemetery at Beny-sur-Mer. GOLD JUNO Anglo-Canadian 3RD CDN DIV 50TH BR DIV Assault Area LOVE JIG KING 6 June 1944 MIKE low tide NAN SWORD Airborne dropzones high tide la Rivière CSR RWR RR 3RD BR DIV CSR - Canadian Scottish Regiment Asnelles- Mont QOR RWR - Royal Winnipeg Rifles sur-Mer Fleury NSR OBOE RR - Regina Rifles Vaux 52 QOR - Queen’s Own Rifles NSR - North Shore Regiment Ver-sur- Graye- Meuvaines sur-Mer Courseulles- R.de la Chaud - Régiment de la Chaudière Mer Bernières- PETER CSR sur-Mer St.Aubin- NNHS - North Nova Scotia Highlanders sur-Mer sur-Mer Crépon R.de la 1½0 1 2 RWR NSR Langrune- km Ste. Croix- RR CHAUD sur-Mer QUEEN sur-Mer Seulles Banville Luc- Villiers- RWR Tailleville sur- ROGER le-Sec Tierceville Reviers Mer Lion-sur- Beny-sur Mer Colombiers- RR Mer Douvres low tide sur-Seulles la Délivrande Hermanville- la Brèche Creully Fontaine sur-Mer Franceville-Plage CSR high tide Henry Basly St. Gabriel Ouistreham Front Line “ELM” QOR Brécy midnight Colleville- 6-7 June le Fresne- sur-Orne Périers-sur- Merville Camilly Colomby- Anguerny le Dan 61 St.Aubin- sur-Thaon Sallenelles Coulombs Thaon d’Arquenay Varaville NNHS Anisy Front Linemidnight Villons-les- 6-7 June V Buissons Beuville le Plein Bénouville Secqueville- Cambes Ste.Croix- Mue N Bréville en-Bessin Biéville Grand-Tonne les Buissons Blainville Ranville Galmanche Robehomme Bretteville- Buron le Mesnil l’Orgueilleuse Hérouvillette Brouay Lebisey Longueval Putot-en- St.Contest Counterattack Escoville Bessin 21st Panzer Orne Cristot Authie Division Ste.Honorine “OAK” 64 Colombelles la Chardonnerette Dives Norrey- afternoon 6 June le en-Bessin Bures Mesnil-Patry Canal de Caen St.Manvieu Carpiquet CAEN K Touffreville Fontenay- Cuverville le-Pesnel Airfield Sannerville Demouville Troarn le Haut du 100 Bosq Faubourg Odon de Vaucelles height 80 Rauray in 60 Verson metres 40 Cormelles 20 The Canadian Battlefields Foundation viewing area at Point 67 on Verrières Ridge. The memorial to the Toronto Scottish Regiment is on the right and the plaque to the Black Watch on the left. This photo looks south over the Orne River valley and the towns of St. André and St. Martin. Above: The view from the Canadian Battlefields Foundation belvedere at St. Lambert-sur-Dives. Left: Another view of the belvedere. The material in this brochure is adapted from Terry Copp and Mike Bechthold, The Canadian Battlefields in Normandy: A Visitor’s Guide, (2004) available from the Canadian Military History website. For further information: Canadian Military History Wilfrid Laurier University www.canadianmilitaryhistory.com The Canadian Battlefields Foundation www.canadianbattlefieldsfoundation.ca The Juno Beach Centre www.junobeach.org.