: SIXTY YEARS LATER YV Introduction

To supplement their air-reconnaissance • Concrete pillboxes, fortified houses, Focus photographs of the coast of , deep trenches, and machine-gun This News in Re- Allied planners asked citizens to mail in emplacements would shoot down view story focuses on ’s contri- any postcards they had purchased while soldiers who made it to the beach. bution to the vacationing in France. They hoped that • Landmines, concrete barriers, and largest military the photographs of the coastal land- barbed wire placed all along the beach invasion in his- scape on these postcards would give would keep Allied troops on the tory—the Allied them a better idea of the terrain. beach, where they could be shot. assault on Nor- On the first day 30 000 postcards mandy. The dia- How to breach the walls of Fortress mond anniversary arrived. In the next few weeks, Europe? By blasting through it with so of this critical 10 million more came flooding through much firepower and so many attackers battle was recently the post. Everyone wanted to do some- that some soldiers would make it celebrated, in June thing—anything—to help their sons, 2004. through. D-Day would be the largest fathers, husbands, friends, and sweet- military invasion force in history. hearts succeed in what they were soon The Allies gathered together 156 000 Definition to face. fighting men to invade 80-kilometres of D-Day and H-Hour The big day that everyone dreaded— coast. Of these, 14 500 were Canadian are military terms D-Day—was coming soon. The Allied troops, in 14 and regiments. that stand for the forces had been preparing for this day A further 27 000 Canadians took part as day and hour when for more than four years. On D-Day, members of the , a military campaign Canadian, British, and U.S. forces will begin. Troops Air Force, and Army, in support roles. would invade mainland Europe, a aren’t told the Thousands more participated as mem- exact time of the continent occupied by the Axis powers bers of Britain’s and Air attack until the last of Germany and . First, they would Force. All these Canadians had been minute, and some- get a foothold on the beaches of times D-Day and training in England for this day since , France. Then they would they had first signed up at the beginning H-Hour change fight their way across the continent to drastically, as of the war. occurred in 1944. the heart of . At Daybreak Fortress Europe On the morning of June 6, German YV Sections That first step—getting a foothold on soldiers peered out from their coastal marked with this the beaches of Normandy—would be symbol indicate bunkers to see a vast flotilla of 7 000 difficult. Hitler had turned Europe into ships and 4 000 emerge content suitable for a fortress. There were 210 000 German younger viewers. from the morning mist. There were so troops spread along the coast, and the many ships, the soldiers would say, that German army had barricaded the whole you could have lined them up end to Atlantic shoreline to prevent just such end and skipped back to England. But an attack from England. these ships carried men set on a deadly • Barricades and mines in the water mission: to attack Fortress Europe, to would prevent easy landings. create a foothold in Normandy, and to • Placements of 88-millimetre cannons fight for freedom. These young soldiers and naval guns would fire on ships 20 were frightened, they were seasick, and kilometres out to sea. many just wanted to go home. But they

CBC News in Review • October 2004 • Page 44 stayed and did what had to be done. hours after H-Hour, Canadian troops The Combatants The 3rd Canadian had pushed 13 kilometres inland to the Allied countries: and the 2nd Canadian Armoured Bri- outer defences of the town of . Australia, Canada, China, Great Brit- gade together were assigned a stretch of This action secured success in the ain, New Zealand, beach code-named Juno. British divi- British-Canadian sector. A beachhead South Africa, Soviet sions were assigned Sword and Gold had been secured, the Western Front Union, and United Beaches, and U.S. divisions were had been opened, and the battle for States assigned Utah and Omaha Beaches. Europe could begin. Countries occupied It was a long and bloody day. But 10 by the Axis powers that had resistance movements: Bel- To Consider gium, Czechoslova- 1. Put yourself in a soldier’s position. How would you feel as you travelled kia, France, Greece, across the channel and were informed that this was not an exercise but Luxembourg, the real thing? , , , and Yugoslavia Axis countries: Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Man- 2. What defences did the Canadians have to face when they reached the churia, and Roma- coast of France? nia

Did you know . . . The 2004 diamond anniversary (60 years) celebrations 3. How might the success of Canada’s soldiers on D-day affect Canadians’ of D-Day represent sense of national identity? probably the last major celebration of the June 6, 1944, landings? Most of the participants are either dead or in their late 70s and 4. What can young Canadians today do to ensure that the memory of this 80s. From now on, important event is never lost? it will be up to younger Canadians to keep alive the memories of that momentous day.

CBC News in Review • October 2004 • Page 45 JUNO BEACH: SIXTY YEARS LATER YV Video Review Part I Complete the During the Second World War, Adolph Hitler and Germany attacked and occu- questions in Part I pied much of continental Europe, including France. The allies attacked France of this exercise while reviewing the on D-Day with the long-term goal of recapturing all of Europe from the Ger- video. Later you man armies. can attempt the second part of the 1. What did the Allies do on June 6, 1944? exercise.

2. This day is commonly known as ______

3. Juno Beach is located in ______

4. Identify at least three ways the Germans tried to make it difficult to land on the beaches of France.

5. What was the name of the famous German general who was leading the German defence? ______

6. Which countries fought beside Canada that day?

7. How many Canadians were killed or wounded on that first day? ______

8. How far inland did the Canadians reach on the first day? ______

9. How many Canadians were killed or wounded before they could fight their way beyond Normandy? ______

10. Why do the French still come out to applaud the actions of men from so many years ago?

11. According to Governor General , why did the Canadians invade Europe?

12. How old was Gérard Doré of Roberval, Quebec, when he died in Normandy?______

CBC News in Review • October 2004 • Page 46 13. Why did the Queen say thank you?

14. One invitation to the celebrations was a controversial one. Who was the person invited and why was this so controversial?

15. How many Germans died in the Normandy campaign? ______

16. What is the purpose of the ?

Part II – Crossword Complete this crossword on Juno Beach using the words at the bottom to help you answer the questions.

Across 2. One of the two beaches where the British attacked 3. One of the two beaches where the U.S. attacked 4. Month when D-Day occurred 5. Country that was occupying France at the time 7. Name of the war in which D-Day occurred

Down 1. Country where the Allies launched D-Day 2. Years that have passed since D-Day (at the time of filing) 3. Code name for the D-Day operation 4. The beach where the Canadians attacked 5. One of the two beaches where the British attacked 6. One of the two beaches where the U.S. attacked 1

2 3

4

5 Words to choose from: France

6 Germany Gold 7 June Juno Omaha Overlord Sixty Sword Utah World War Two

CBC News in Review • October 2004 • Page 47 JUNO BEACH: SIXTY YEARS LATER YV Canadians in the Second World War

Background to War that war could be avoided, it appeared Note: This very The Second World War began when that the violent regime in Germany could brief account focuses on the two nations began stretching their not be contained. European front in military muscle and started invading the Second World independent neighbouring countries. Canada Goes to War War. The war in the In Italy, Benito Mussolini ruled his In August 1939, Germany invaded Pacific is yet an- country with an iron fist. His Fascist Poland. Great Britain sided with Poland other story. regime embraced a totalitarian doctrine and signed a mutual protection treaty. that combined nationalistic and elitist After Germany attacked on August 30, ideas. He invaded Ethiopia in 1935, Britain and France declared war on ignoring world opinion. His success Germany, on September 3. encouraged the future aggression of Should Canada go to war? Canadians of Germany. well remember how many of their young Germany was humiliated after the men had died in Europe during the First First World War, when it was stripped World War, but they could not deny that of its colonies and had to compensate Hitler had to be stopped. On September the victors of the war, as laid out by the 10, Canada joined the war effort. Treaty of Versailles (1919). Economic Canada’s military was not in great depression further destabilized Ger- shape, so the first task of Mackenzie many, making it possible for the charis- King’s government was to prepare. matic leader Adolph Hitler to come to Volunteers were welcomed into the power in 1933. His party, the National army, navy, and air force. Industry and Socialist Party of German Workers agriculture were diverted for war pur- (National-Sozialistische Deutsche poses, such as building ships and manu- Arbeiterpartei, or NSDAP), otherwise facturing munitions. Canada became a known as the Nazi Party, promised that training centre for pilots from all over Germany would rise to greatness once the Commonwealth. more, both economically and militarily. In the meantime, Germany invaded Through violence and intimidation and conquered many of the countries of Hitler eliminated his political opposi- . Britain braced itself for tion. attack. In 1935, Hitler enacted the Nuremberg Racial Laws, which denied Some Key Events Jewish German citizens their rights. On —On July 10, 1940, the night of November 9, 1938, mem- Hitler attacked Britain. British and bers of Nazi youth organizations at- Canadian forces responded by bombing tacked Jewish neighbourhoods. They and then beat off German raids in burned down synagogues, vandalized the skies over London. After heavy 7 500 stores, and arrested 26 000 Jews, losses, Hitler postponed his invasion of whom they began to send to concentra- Britain. tion camps. Germany annexed Austria Germany invades the — In in 1938, and then seized Czechoslova- June 1941, Hitler made probably his kia in 1939. Although Canadians hoped biggest mistake of the war when he

CBC News in Review • October 2004 • Page 48 invaded the giant to the East. He under- Sicily in southern Italy. Over the next Definition estimated the Soviet Union’s determi- months they slowly fought their way Conscript refers to nation to fend him off, and the Eastern north through Italy. a soldier forced to Front continued to rage until the end of enlist and fight D-Day—On June 6, 1944, after years of the war. This battlefront bled Germany rather than a training, the build-up of military hard- volunteer who white. freely chooses to ware, and strategic planning, the day for enlist and do Attack on Pearl Harbour—On Decem- the Allied counterattack to recapture battle. Conscription ber 7, 1941, Japan, an ally of Germany, Europe from German forces had come. in both world wars attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, Though a small nation, Canada played a seriously divided thereby crippling the U.S. Navy in the key role. The fight for Normandy lasted Canadians. Pacific and bringing the about 11 weeks. into the war against Japan, Germany, Clearing the Coast—While other Allied and Italy. Did you know. . . troops headed for Germany, the Canadi- Over the six years Attack at Hong Kong—Canadian ans fought their way up the coast, of the Second defenders were unable to thwart Japa- freeing up key port cities so that Allied World War, more than one million nese aggression on this British colony supplies could be provided to inland Canadians (includ- in December 1941. At the end of the troops. The Battle of the , in the ing 50 000 women), battle, 286 Canadians were dead. A -Netherlands border area, was or one-tenth of the further 266 died in concentration camps. particularly fierce. population, went into uniform to Battle of —On August 19, 1942, The Rhine —On February 8, fight for freedom? a Canadian force of 5 000 soldiers, with after conscripted Canadian troops Unlike the armies about 1 000 British soldiers, attacked arrived to bolster the weakened volun- of our Allies, the well-defended port of Dieppe on the teer troops, Canadians launched an virtually all of our soldiers were coast of France. The raid was intended assault to capture an area along the volunteers, fighting to test the German defences and distract border of Germany and the Nether- to free the world of the German army from the Eastern lands. British and U.S. troops attacked tyranny. Of these Front, where Soviet soldiers were being Germany from farther south. men and women, slaughtered. The experiment was a 45 000 lost their Liberation of the Netherlands—In disaster. Almost 1 000 Canadians died lives, and many April, after crossing the Rhine, Cana- and 500 were injured. Of the 5 000 more suffered dian troops freed the Netherlands, permanent injuries. Canadians, 2 752 remained at the bringing disaster relief to a starving beach, either dead or taken prisoner. population. Lessons learned at Dieppe were to save lives when D-Day was launched two Germany surrenders, May 4, 1945—In years later. the following weeks, the Allies discov- ered the full horror of the war as they Invasion of Italy—On July 10, 1943, entered the death camps where almost Allied forces, including a large contin- two-thirds of Europe’s Jews had been gent of Canadians, invaded the island of killed. Activities 1. Make a timeline of the events leading up to war and the main events of the war. On your own, find three more key events of the Second World War to add to your timeline.

2. Which event of the Second World War do you think was a turning point, that is, an event that changed the course of history? Explain your thinking.

CBC News in Review • October 2004 • Page 49 JUNO BEACH: SIXTY YEARS LATER YV Through Soldiers’ Eyes

Read the following reminiscences of There were snipers firing at us from this Further Research four soldiers involved in the D-Day big, old house right at the edge of the Since June 2004 assault. beach. There must have been half a represented the diamond anniver- dozen guys dead on the beach when I sary of D-Day, a Kelvin Mactier, , , went in. As I ran up the beach, I was number of new joined the at the loaded up pretty heavily with my books have been age of 21. He was one of the first to packsack, wireless set, a Sten gun, six published, includ- land on D-Day. rounds of ammunition and six hand ing Juno by Ted grenades. One of the British comman- Barris, Thomas We landed around 7 or 7:30 in the dos was running faster than me, prob- Allen Publishers; morning near Courseulles-sur-Mer. ably because I was weighed down. He Juno Beach by Tim There was all kinds of gunfire coming Sauders, McGill- crossed in front of me and the moment towards us and everyone was shooting Queen’s University he did he got hit. He went down and I as they were running. I only got in Press; and Juno tripped over him. I always said that Beach: Canada in about 20 or 30 feet [6 to 9 metres] bullet was meant for me instead of him. World War II, a when I was hit on the left side of the (In Luke Fisher, D’Arcy Jenish, and multimedia pack- face by a bullet. There must have been a age including a CD- Barbara Wickens, “Tale of War,” ROM, book and sniper in a church steeple to the left of Maclean’s, June 6, 1994) Web site, by Pierre us. Landry, Jack It was just like getting hit on the head German soldier Franz Gockel defended MacFadden and with a sledgehammer. It knocked me the Normandy Coast on D-Day. Angus Scully, right down and I did a couple of somer- Penguin Canada. In the beginnings, the ships lay at 20 saults. The bullet knocked out four kilometres, but the range slowly de- teeth, went through my tongue and creased. With unbelieving eyes we broke my jaw. I lay on the beach all day could recognize individual landing and kept passing out and coming to. craft. The hail of shells falling upon us What I remember most was men run- grew heavier, sending fountains of sand ning by me the rest of the day. A lot of and debris into the air. The mined troops came in behind us. I didn’t have obstacles in the water were partly any fear of the being destroyed. . . . overrun or that we were going to lose. I Suddenly the rain of shells ceased, knew we were in and that was it. . . . but only for a very short time. Again it I fully recovered and was back with came. Slowly the wall of explosions my regiment by September. (In Luke Fisher, D’Arcy Jenish, and approached, metre by metre, worse Barbara Wickens, “Tale of War,” than before—a deafening torrent— Maclean’s, June 6, 1994) cracking, screaming, whistling, and sizzling, destroying everything in its Mervin Wolfe, Brandon, Manitoba, path. There was no escape, and I joined the Canadian army at the age of crouched helplessly behind my weapon. 19. At Juno he served as a forward I prayed for survival and my fear operating observer with the 19th Army passed. Suddenly it was silent again. Field Regiment, an artillery unit. There were six of us in the position, and still no one was wounded. A com-

CBC News in Review • October 2004 • Page 50 rade stumbled out of the smoke and dust 15 or 16 wounded. I lost one of the kids into my position and screamed, “Franz, I went to school with. He was killed on watch out! They’re coming.” the beach along with another guy in his (Reprinted materials from Voices of D- . Day: The Story of the Allied Invasion Was I frightened? Continually. There Told by Those Who Were There, by were times when you hit the deck. But Ronald J. Drez. Baton Rouge, LA: Louisi- ana State University Press, 1994, as they you’re so busy you don’t have time to appeared on www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/ reflect. I think war is a foolish thing to dday/sfeature/sf_voices.html) start with, but what are you going to do when you have the Germans running George Frederick Johnson, Lance over smaller countries? And it looked corporal with like they would come across the Chan- Regiment, participated in the second nel into England and take that country. wave on Juno Beach. That was when everybody said enough is enough. When I reached the that first I was no hero. I just landed with the night, I saw some of the wounded rest of them and went along with it. coming back. We lost about 12, 13 guys (Mark Zuehlke, “Canada’s Triumph at from my regiment—killed on the beach Juno,” Time Canada, May 31, 2004) that day. And I think there were another

Recreating the Past 1. In groups of four, each person can read out loud one of the quotations. Try to capture some of the drama and reality of the words.

2. Next, summarize, in your own words, what your soldier talks about.

3. Compare each man’s experience and how he viewed his experiences on June 6, 1944.

4. Write a personal response to one of the accounts of your own choosing.

CBC News in Review • October 2004 • Page 51 JUNO BEACH: SIXTY YEARS LATER YV D-Day: Beginning of the End

The secrecy of the D-Day mission was The Americans Quote of utmost importance. Many troops The Canadians at Juno lost more men “The first 24 hours didn’t even know for sure that their trip on that first day than anyone but the of the invasion will be decisive . . . the to sea was not an exercise until they Americans at . Omaha fate of Germany were out on the water. To confuse the was a complete disaster because only depends on the enemy, General George S. Patton had two of the assigned 29 tanks made it to outcome . . . for the created a fake preparation force near the beach, and they only lasted a few Allies, as well as Dover, to make it look like the Allies minutes. High cliffs overlooking the Germany, it will be intended to invade Pas de Calais. the longest day.” beach provided an excellent defensive —, Movie-set builders created huge army position for the Germans, and the the distinguished encampments with thousands of Americans paid a heavy price. German field wooden tanks. Days after the attack in On , the soldiers had less marshall in charge Normandy, the Germans were still trouble on the beach but instead faced of the defence of convinced that the real attack hadn’t yet greater obstacles inland from rough and Normandy occurred. flooded terrain. On the evening of June 5, a code was broadcast over the BBC for the mem- The British Definition bers of the underground in France. On The British at were to Mulberries were floating artificial hearing “The dice are on the table,” secure the site for a mulberry emplace- harbours made in 5 000 fighters went ment. They were also supposed to Great Britain in into action, disabling electrical and bridge the gap between the Americans parts, transported telephone communication lines, and to the south, and the Canadians to the across the channel, blowing up railway lines. north. Their success on the beach was and then put Paratroopers (soldiers who use para- together off the largely due to their use of military coast of Normandy. chutes) went in first, at around mid- vehicles designed specifically to clear Each one was night. They flew in on tiny the way through minefields and other connected to shore Albermarles, twin-engine bombers barriers. with 10-kilometres converted to carry troops. The choice of The British at , farthest of flexible steel plane was crucial. If the Germans north, did not make their objective roadways. Over the next eight weeks, spotted the bomber planes, they would because of fierce fighting inland from the mulberries think that they were just over Europe on German Panzer (Tank) Divisions. allowed the Allies another bombing raid. to disembark the In the meantime, the Allied forces The Canadians 1.5 million soldiers were crossing the channel from The Canadians were older and a little and 1.6 million Southampton, Portsmouth, and Gosport tonnes of supplies less gung-ho than the soldiers from required to sustain toward Normandy. Bad weather Britain and the United States. Not only an invasion. plagued the mission, even delaying it by had they been training for years for this a day, but the bad weather served to put mission, they knew about and feared the Germans off their guard—who another Dieppe disaster, in which so would be crazy enough to attempt an many of their fellow Canadians had invasion in such bad weather? been slaughtered. But attack they did at H-Hour: 6:30 The Canadians were responsible for a a.m. 10-kilometre stretch of beach that

CBC News in Review • October 2004 • Page 52 included the small fishing port of doors to fight with bayonets and rifles. Courseulles-sur-Mer and the villages of Although they arrived on the beach last, Bernières-sur-Mer and St. Aubin. the Canadians got farther inland than Heavy seas and a difficult landing site any other D-Day unit. meant that the Canadians went in late— Worse was to come, when the Cana- at 8:00 a.m.—to a wide, exposed beach dians met the soldiers of the 12th SS— where the Germans were prepared. Hitler Youth—at the Carpiquet airfield It was a difficult landing. Some outside Caen. The fighting was brutal. heavily laden soldiers stepped off their Some Canadians were captured in landing craft into deep water and Normandy, becoming prisoners of war. promptly drowned. Tanks dropped into Of these, 144 Canadians were shot after water that was too deep sank to the capture. In the first six days of the bottom. Bombers and naval guns had Normandy campaign 1 017 Canadian not managed to take out the German soldiers were killed. More than 5 000 defences, so the men had to run through were dead by the time the campaign water and across beaches under a rain ended. By the end of the war, 42 000 of bullets. The sound of enemy gunfire Canadian soldiers had made the greatest was continual, but the Canadians sacrifice for their country and for braved the maelstrom. Only half of the freedom. men to step off the first boats survived. These were the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, A Day for Canada to Remember Le Régiment de la Chaudière, and the Partly because of our losses, and also North Shore (New Brunswick) Regi- because of our hard-fought success, a ment. One of the Regina great thing happened for Canada on D- Rifles lost 92 of its 120 men on the Day. It seemed to many Canadians that beach. The situation was not as bad as we stood tall as a David among the Dieppe, although 375 Canadians died Goliaths of Britain and the United on that first day, and 628 were States. Despite our small population, we wounded. fought alongside our partners to wrest After making it onto the beach the freedom from the brink. Many Canadi- soldiers had to stop the German guns. ans began to realize that we might Tanks blasted shells at the German participate fully as a leader in the pillboxes. Infantrymen climbed right on world—we had earned that place as a top of them, tossing grenades through defender of freedom on Juno Beach. the firing slits or kicking in the back

Research Activities 1. On a blank map of Europe, locate and label Portsmouth, Southampton, Normandy, Caen, Pas de Calais, and Berlin (capital of Germany). Explain why the Germans would have expected an attack on Pas de Calais instead of Normandy.

2. Research the events at one of the five beaches the Allied forces attacked on D-Day. Write a one-page synopsis of the day’s efforts.

CBC News in Review • October 2004 • Page 53 JUNO BEACH: SIXTY YEARS LATER YV Juno Beach Centre

D-Day veteran Garth Webb, of Centre Web site at www.junobeach.org. Further Research Burlington, Ontario, served with the The site gives information about the Use these sites to Royal Canadian Artillery. In 1994, to goals of the museum. It also gives you a complete the research activity: mark the 50th anniversary of D-Day, he virtual tour of the museum in Normandy, www.normandie visited Europe, where he was deeply and has an excellent list of Web links memoire.com moved by the warm response the Dutch for anyone interested in learning more (history section) people gave to the Canadians who had about the Canadian war effort. www.canadianbattleof liberated their country. Even those born The second arm of information on the normandyfoundation.ca long after the war appeared grateful that Web site, Canadians in the Second www.waramps.ca/ military people from so far away would face World War, lists four different types of www.vac-acc.gc.ca/ danger to free them. information: general/ Webb decided that the Canadian • people sub.cfm?source=history/ contribution to the war should be better • events secondwar recognized elsewhere, and so began his • arms and weapons mission to create a museum and memo- • interactive centre rial in Normandy. After many years of The interactive centre is quite infor- lobbying and raising private and public mative, with interactive maps that money for the project, Webb and his include: partner, Lise Cooper, finally realized • the Allied, Axis, and neutral countries their dream in the form of the Juno over time Beach Centre, which overlooks the • how the war progressed, including beach that the Canadians stormed so Canadian troop movements and many years ago. This museum and Canadian frontlines education centre in Courseulles-sur-Mer • what went on in different theatres of opened on June 6, 2003, and it presents war—for example, where German U- the Canadian contribution to the Allied boats were sunk effort during the Second World War. • animations that demonstrate the If you can’t visit the real museum, technology of war—for example, how you can always visit the Juno Beach minesweeping works

Research Skills 1. Form groups of four to investigate the four Web sites in the margin box. Each of you can assess one of the four sites. Answer the following ques- tions about your site: • What organization runs the site? • How recent is the information? When was the site last updated? • What kinds of information can you find at the site? • Did you find any examples of bias on the site? • Are statements backed up by facts?

2. Find one other Web site that you could use to research Canada’s contribu- tion during the Second World War. Analyze it using the questions pro- vided in Question 1. Would you recommend this site for research? Why, or why not?

CBC News in Review • October 2004 • Page 54 YV JUNO BEACH: SIXTY YEARS LATER YV Remembering Activity

Besides the Juno Beach Centre, here are other ways that Canadians and the Quote French commemorate the many acts of courage made by Canadian soldiers on Globe and Mail D-Day. newspaper reporter Roger Hall remarks • The Canadian War Cemeteries were perhaps the first commemoration. Beny- about the ways we sur-Mer, five kilometres inland, holds 2 043 Canadian dead. A further 2 728 remember the rest at Brettevile-sur-Laize. The Canadian names on the white crosses are a sacrifices made for mosaic of French, English, Ukrainian, German, Polish, Italian, Jewish, First us: Nations, and more. They might be • A Canadian Sherman tank is parked permanently in the village square in symbols, but the Courseulles-sur-Mer. mourning and • Canadian Battlefields Foundation created a memorial garden on the grounds emotions they of Le Mémorial du Caen, France, to recall the Canadian participation in the trigger are real. Some say that one Battle of Normandy. You can see it at can heal wounds by www.canadianbattleofnormandyfoundation.ca/memorial_garden.htm forgetting, but it •␣ The Sixtieth Anniversary Celebrations, in 2004, which transpired over 80 days, seems to me that the same length of time that it took to secure Normandy in 1944. Each town healing can be held celebrations in turn, to correspond to the day when it was liberated 60 better achieved by years earlier. remembering. — The Globe and Mail, June 5, 2004 Activities 1. How do each of the above memorials help us remember what Canadian soldiers accomplished on Juno Beach?

2. In what other ways do we remember and honour our veterans?

3. Think of three other ways that Canadian young people like yourself could help remember Juno Beach.

4. You don’t need to go to France or have a lot of money to help others remember what Canadian soldiers have accomplished. Design a memorial of your own for the Canadians who fought in one of Canada’s great battles during the Second World War. This could be a poster, a “news- cast,” a pantomime, or any other means of presentation. Work in a group to research one of the following battles. Then choose a way to memorial- ize the event and work together to create it. • D-Day Battle of Normandy (), June 6, 1944 • Battle of Vimy Ridge, April 9, 1917, in which 5 000 Canadians died and 15 000 were injured in their push to take Vimy Ridge, the linchpin of the German defence system in northern France in the First World War • (Operation Jubilee), August 19, 1942, in which 4 000 Cana- dians and a handful of Britons made a courageous attempt to breach the Atlantic fortress in France

CBC News in Review • October 2004 • Page 55