D-Day for Canada - Juno Beach - June 6, 1944

On D-Day, Canada landed 14,000 troops of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division on Juno Beach. D-Day for Canada also involved the Royal Canadian Air Force which bombed and attacked key enemy targets, while the Royal Canadian Navy contributed 109 vessels and 10,000 sailors to the massive armada of 7,000 Allied vessels. On D-Day, Canada's assault troops landed on Juno Beach and stormed ashore in the face of fierce opposition from German strongholds and mined beach obstacles. The soldiers raced across the wide-open beaches swept with machine gun fire, and stormed the gun positions. In fierce hand-to-hand fighting, they fought their way into the towns of Bernières, Courseulles and St. Aubin and then advanced inland, securing a critical bridgehead for the allied invasion. The victory was a turning point in World War II and led to the liberation of Europe and the defeat of Nazi Germany.

Fourteen thousand young Canadians stormed Juno Beach on D-Day. Their courage, determination and self-sacrifice were the immediate reasons for the success in those critical hours. The fighting they endured was fierce and frightening. The price they paid was high - the battles for the beachhead cost 340 Canadian lives and another 574 wounded. John Keegan, eminent British historian who wrote Six Armies in Normandy, stated the following concerning the Canadian 3rd Division on D-Day: “At the end of the day, its forward elements stood deeper into France than those of any other division. The opposition the Canadians faced was stronger than that of any other beach save Omaha. That was an accomplishment in which the whole nation could take considerable pride.”

This site is a tribute to the men and women who served in the Canadian Army during D-Day and World War II. To these people, we owe the freedom that we take for granted. Let us never forget their sacrifice. God bless them all.