France: D Day - JUNO Beach - Clydeside Images.co.uk

France

The D-Day Battlefields

JUNO Beach

JUNO Beach was the code name given to the coastline stretching from the village of Courseulles, to Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer. It lay in between Gold Beach to the west and Sword Beach to the east. A mainly Canadian force was tasked with taking JUNO with the other two allocated to the British. The plan was that the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division would rapidly advance inland, cut the Caen-Bayeux road, seize the Carpiquet airport west of Caen, and form a link between the two British beaches.

Although the Canadians established a permanent foothold and made impressive gains inland, capturing Carpiquet on D-Day proved an overly optimistic proposition. The airport was to remain in German hands until 5 July, after which it was subject to frequent Nebelwerfer and mortar attacks.

Royal Canadian Navy and British Royal Navy vessels, plus those from the Free French, Norwegian, and other Allied navies formed the seaborne element at JUNO. Code-named Task Force J, the cruiser HMS Belfast was the flagship and is pictured on the left opening fire on German positions around Ver-sur-Mer with her starboard 4 inch guns on the night of 27 June 1944. The Task Force`s French destroyer La Combattante, would bring General de Gaulle to Normandy a week after D-Day.

Among the other warships bombarding the shore defences at JUNO were destroyers HMCS Sioux (R64) (above left) and HMCS Algonquin (R17). The latter vessel is pictured off Greenock in early 1944. Early on On D-Day, Algonquin`s first mission was a pair of 75 mm (3 inch) guns located behind houses west of Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer. Following their destruction, Algonquin shifted to destroying houses harbouring snipers along the Nan Red sector.

Once the troops started clearing the houses, army observers ashore called in targets for the destroyers including a battery of three 88mm guns 3.2 kilometres (2 miles) inland from Courseulles. The destroyer, along with her sister ship, spent the rest of the time with the invasion fleet on D-day protecting the transports while at the same time coming under intermittent air attack. The last action connected with the D-Day Landings for both vessels took place in late June when they bombarded enemy troop concentrations east of the River Orne, then a German battery near Franceville. They remained on station until July then returned to Scapa Flow for replenishment.

These images show smoke rising from burning buildings along the Normandy coast at Bernieres-sur-Mer, Juno assault area, during the Allied naval bombardment which preceded the initial landings on the morning of 6 June 1944. An LCT(R) - Landing Craft Tank (Rocket) is in action in the upper left hand photo.

Troops in the initial assault wave would have had a similar view to that shown on the left during the run in towards shore. Images courtesy of the Imperial War Museum.

Right: This RAF overhead aerial reconnaissance photograph taken before the invasion features 'Nan Green' Beach, JUNO Area and Strongpoint 9785, (Widerstandsnest 29) east of the River Seulles at Courseulles-sur-Mer.

This position was defended by 6th Company of the German 736th Grenadier Regiment, and was captured by the Regina Rifles and the 1st Hussars of 7th Canadian Brigade, after heavy fighting on 6 June. Note the scattered stakes and 'Hedgehog' obstacles on the beach.

The defences here are typical of those along other stretches of the JUNO Beach area taken by the Canadians.

Considering the vast number of vessels that took part in Operation Overlord, very view survive today. One is the the veteran tug Calshot (below) which was selected to serve as Headquarters ship for the Juno Beach sector of the landings. There seems to be little further detail about this chapter of her life but she had an eventful career. In her heyday the tug assisted classic liners such as the Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, and Titanic's sister ship Olympic, in and out of the Southampton Docks. Later, as a luxury tender, Calshot ferried many famous people to and from anchored ships, including Winston Churchill, Bob Hope and Elizabeth Taylor.

During the Second World War, Calshot was soon requisitioned by the British Admiralty and re-designated HMS Calshot. She was transferred to Scapa Flow initially, before being moved to Gourock on the River Clyde in 1942. She became a familiar sight in the Firth, ferrying soldiers to and from troopships including the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth which were converted for military service.

Between them the famous Cunard liners alone carried a total of around 1,500,000 servicemen, always operating without a naval escort mid-Atlantic as German U-boats were too slow to intercept them. Queen Mary for example, crossed the Atlantic 86 times during the conflict. She is pictured below arriving in New York harbour crammed with returning servicemen after VE Day. Both she and her sister ship were painted light grey to make them less visible targets.

In June 1946, after an extensive refit, Calshot returned to her civilian operator, Red Funnel. She was sold in 1964 to a subsidiary of Holland America Line and renamed Galway Bay, taking up station in Galway, Ireland, as a passenger transfer tender for visiting cruise liners. She later served as a ferry between Galway and the Aran Islands. In 1986 Calshot was purchased by Southampton City Council and finally returned to her home port in October of that year. The intention was that she would form part of a planned Maritime Museum but the project fell through. She was left to rot but is now under the care of the Tug Tender Calshot Trust with a dedicated band of volunteers carrying out restoration work.

On the morning of 6 June 1944, the preliminary naval bombardment of the German defences at JUNO proved less effective than hoped. The first wave went in ten minutes behind schedule at 07:45hrs as local naval commanders sought to assist the leading landing craft in avoiding banks of treacherous rocks offshore.

The JUNO section of coast is more exposed than most of the other D-Day beaches and the blustery conditions, combined with the choppy sea and strong tidal action, caused some of the assault boats to veer off course. Many were forced against the belt of heavily mined beach obstacles, the tops of which were still hidden underwater and these detonations along with German gunfire, destroyed or damaged twenty of the 24 vessels in the first wave. The survivors who struggled ashore were shivering, without weapons or helmets and could only huddle behind the sea wall as their comrades dealt with the enemy positions and moved from house-to-house.

On JUNO, as at the other D-Day beaches, many of the defenders were staggered to see tanks emerge from the sea. Some just stood and stared with their mouths wide open, while others abandoned their posts as soon as the DD Shermans began firing. However, only six out of the 40 Centaur tanks equipped with 95mm howitzers made it ashore.

This information panel tells the story of Sergeant Leo Gariepy of the 1st Hussars: `Early on the morning of 6 June 1944, nineteen amphibious Sherman tanks of B Squadron, 1st Hussars, were launched 3 kilometres from the coast. Two tanks were ahead of the others: Major Duncan`s, commanding the unit, and Leo Gariepy`s. The former tank sank 1,000 metres from the shore. As soon as its caterpillar tracks made contact with the sand and its flotation `skirt` had been lowered, Gariepy`s tank opened fire on the pillbox to the west of the port. By driving parallel to the dune, it succeeded in neutralising the enemy machine-guns and, as soon as the engineer troops had established a passage, its armoured platoon attacked the surrounding walls and broke through the barricades around the enemy`s equipment dump. Thirty-three Germans surrendered; this was a first victory. In the 1960s, Leo Gariepy returned to live in Courseulles-sur-Mer He was a freeman of the town and is now at rest in the local cemetery.` Some of the DD tank crews actually had explosive charges rigged around the hull to immediately blow the skirt off and save valuable time as they went into action.

Assault companies, mainly those of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles and The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, initially encountered heavy resistance from the German 716th Division. and took heavy casualties in the opening minutes.

Left: In the first wave, Canadian troops of the North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment, 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade, 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, disembark from an LCA (Landing Craft Assault) onto Nan Red beach, near St Aubin-sur-Mer, at about 08:00 hrs on 6 June 1944.

The men are under fire from German troops in the houses facing them.

JUNO and British beaches differed from the American beaches in that they fronted coastal resorts with rows of grand houses facing out to sea. Many of these buildings had been converted to serve as strongpoints, some with interconnecting trenches and tunnels and even after they had been `cleared` by forward troops, snipers would pop up and add another Allied soldier to the casualty list. It wasn`t until later in the day that small groups systematically worked their way through each house in a process referred to by many as `delousing.`

Any buildings containing Germans who refused to surrender were set ablaze which usually had the desired effect. One Canadian officer recalled a particularly fierce exchange during which a young German tried to escape through a window. He only managed to get part of the way out before a gunner on an LCT saw him and riddled him with about 50 rounds from his Oerlikon. The body hung from the window for a couple days before being collected by a burial party.

The North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment, 8th Brigade 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, were tasked with securing Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer. DD Shermans of the Fort Garry Horse (10th Armoured Regiment) provided support and after the German defences had been neutralised, It didn`t take long for the beach to become backed up with men, tanks and other military vehicles. Here, Canadian troops continue to pour ashore at Nan-Red sector later on D-Day. Vehicles visible included an armoured bulldozer, a BARV (Beach Armored Recovery Vehicle), a DD Sherman, a Churchill AVRE, plus Jeeps and universal carriers.

These life-size soldier figures in silhouette, both Canadian and German, are affixed to metal panels alongside the beach exit near the JUNO Centre.

One of the most heavily contested locations on the JUNO Beach sector was Courseulles-sur-Mer (above), on the estuary of the River Seulles.

At the core of the formidable German defences was a complex of three large ‘resistance nests’ which had been strengthened by numerous concrete fortifications, protecting anti-tank and field artillery pieces.

Other strongpoints held heavy machine guns and mortar pits, all of which could fight under independent command to deny exits off the beach and prevent entry into the town and port.

The following shots show one of the gun emplacements and a bunker after they were cleared by Canadian troops.

Below left: The formidable Wiederstand Nest (Resistance Nest) Wn.29 at Courseulles-sur-Mer consisted of four casemates, various shelters and ammunition bunkers, all connected by a network of tunnels and covered trenches which enabled unobserved movement. Weapons used to defend the complex included an 88 mm gun, 2x 75 mm guns, 1x 50mm gun, plus several heavy mortars and machine guns. A minefield countering a direct approach from the beach and a substantial anti-tank ditch were additional problems the attacking troops had to overcome. After Wn.29`s capture by the Allies the roof made an excellent platform for a Canadian triple 20mm Polsten flak gun. The Polsten was a Polish development of the 20 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft gun, designed to be simpler and much cheaper to build than the Oerlikon, without reducing effectiveness. The other image shows men of the Régiment de La Chaudière, awaiting the order to move inland. The Canadians have taken over this German position and placed a Vickers machine gun team inside to cover the beach.

The fighting was also intense around Bernières and Saint-Aubin, although Graye-sur-Mer proved easier to take, but strength of numbers, coordinated fire support from warships and armoured vehicles as they came ashore, cleared most of the coastal defences within two hours.

Right: Gun crews aboard an LCF (Landing Craft Flak) off Courseulles on D-Day wait to engage targets as and when they appear. Of 14,000 Canadian troops who landed on JUNO Beach, 359 were killed and a further 600 wounded.

Below: Royal Marine Commandos of 4th Special Service Brigade, alight from Landing Craft onto the 'Nan Red' sector at St Aubin-sur-Mer. Their transports have managed to get right in to shore.

Below: Wrecked landing craft on Nan Red beach at St Aubin where No.48 (RM) Commando, 4th Special Service Brigade came ashore, suffering heavy losses here when two of their landing craft hit obstacles and sank. The other photo shows the Commandos taking cover while coming under fire during their advance inland from St Aubin on D-Day.

The congestion all along JUNO Beach made it difficult for the follow-on units, which included the Royal Marines, to form up and begin the push to expand the bridgehead. The advance met with heavy resistance at various locations and many objectives weren’t achieved, but by 21:00 hrs, when all operations on the Anglo-Canadian front were ordered to halt, the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division had advanced 16km from the coast, further than any other landing force on D-Day.

Cosy`s bunker, immediately recognisable due to its tilt, was the site of fierce fighting on D-Day. It owes its name to Lt. Wiiliam. A. "Cosy" Aitken. He, along with 10 Platoon, `B` Company of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, was entrusted with capturing the fortification.

An initial assault by machine-guns then grenades thrown through the apertures saw the strongpoint captured but Lt. Aitken received a head wound during the fighting and many of the Canadians in his unit were killed or wounded. Engineers set and blew charges which split and toppled the structure, leaving it in its present state. Aitken was hospitalised for several months but later returned to action.

This photo of troops assembling to attack is on the information post beside the bunker which can be seen in the centre of the shot.

The following photographs were taken sometime between 7 - 9 June, after the battle had moved inland. The first shows engineers on the beach with an armoured bulldozer. Note that many of the shell-blasted buildings are still relatively intact. The other shot shows the interior of a German officer's mess at Courseulles harbour. The spattered wall carries the German inscriptions 'Loyalty is the mark of honour' and `Victory is our Faith` on either side of the eagle insignia.

Opened in 2003, the maple-leaf shaped Juno Beach Centre is Canada’s Second World War museum in France, also serving as a cultural and educational centre. Over a million men and women joined the Canadian Armed Forces during the Second World War and the facility pays homage to the 45,000 Canadians who lost their lives during the conflict, of which 5,500 were killed during the Battle of Normandy with 359 of those lost on D-Day.

The JUNO Centre project cost €6,250,000 Euros and donors can fund `bricks`, basically nameplates, to pay tribute to individual WW2 Veterans. After an inscription has been added, the dark blue name plates are fixed onto one of the donor kiosks near the main entrance.

The dramatic sculpture of five stylised soldiers in front of the museum was created by Toronto-based artist Colin Gibson.

Named `Remembrance and Renewal`, the figures represent various qualities shown by Canada`s military personnel, including leadership, vigour, alertness, sombre reflection and a willingness to assist comrades.

The Centre’s permanent exhibit draws on photographs, documents, firsthand accounts, multimedia, maps, and artefacts to tell the story of the Canadians who volunteered for military service or mobilised at home to contribute to the war effort. The presentations cover the battles that took Canadian units from Sicily, through Italy then on to Normandy and the Netherlands. Before accessing the main exhibits, visitors stand in a room with film (above) projected on 3 walls to simulate being carried in a landing craft. This is intended to put people in the mindset of a Canadian soldier about to ‘hit the beach’ on D-Day. After this short sequence, the doors open to the display areas.

Above Left: Troops of 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade disembarking with bicycles from LCI(L)s (Landing Craft Infantry Large) onto Nan White beach at Bernieres-sur-Mer, shortly before noon on D-Day. This was the easternmost sector of JUNO Beach. On the right is the D-Day Commemoration Committee (Comite du Debarquement) Monument at Graye-sur-Mer. Ten of these granite structures have been erected along the 90 km stretch of the D-Day Landing Coast, from Ouistreham in the east to St Martin-de-Varreville in the west, to honour the heroism of the Allied Forces. Designed by Yves-Marie Froidevaux, the signal monuments were unveiled in the 1950s and six, like this one, are situated directly on the coast with four at inland locations. On the anniversary of D-Day they serve as focal points for commemoration ceremonies.

Above left: Canadian troops, probably men of the North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment take cover behind anti-tank barricades as they fight their way through the streets of St Aubin-sur-Mer. The other shot shows Commandos of 48 (RM) Commando, 4th Special Service Brigade, making their way inland at St Aubin on 6 June 1944 with their equipment including a motorcycle and handcarts.

Sappers defusing mines on the network of beach obstacles along the JUNO stretch of coastline.

In addition to the museum building there are a number of memorials and points of interest along this stretch of beach, with several immediately outside the Centre, including a couple of artillery pieces. The marker at the start of the trail, `The Remembrance Way`, reads`6 June 1944. From these Normandy Beaches traced by our Canadian Liberators begins the Remembrance Way`.

In October 2005, twenty Canadian First Nations veterans of the Second World War were honoured at the CWGC Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery at Reviers, which lies close to where Canadian troops stormed ashore at Juno Beach on D-Day. The ceremony marked one stop on an eight-day journey to Belgium and France by a Canadian aboriginal delegation commemorating the contributions of Indian, Inuit and other first nations`soldiers to Victory in Europe. At least 33 aboriginal soldiers are buried amid the pines and maples of the war cemetery, which contains 2,048 Second World War burials, the majority Canadian, and 19 of them unidentified. It`s estimated around 4,000 aboriginals joined the Canadian military during the Second World War. Despite serving their country, many felt they were treated like second-class citizens when they returned home after long spells overseas and weren`t permitted to purchase land outwith their allocated reserves.

George Horse, (86 years old at the time of the ceremony) of the Thunder Child First Nation in northwestern Saskatchewan, recalled being among the first soldiers to land on Juno Beach. He said "I shed a few tears thinking of my comrades I saw dropped in the water and I couldn't help them no how, I hope it doesn't happen again."

As part of the October 2005 commemorations, this permanent reminder of the aboriginal Canadians` contribution to the war effort was unveiled beside the Juno Beach Centre. The memorial is in the form of an Inukshuk, a traditional Inuit stone structure. The opening at the top faces Canada, with the intention that the souls of fallen aboriginal soldiers can look towards their homeland, while people in Canada can look back at those who fought for their freedom.

A tranquil scene in complete contrast to what took place here on D-Day.

This memorial honours `All those who died or disappeared while serving in the Royal Canadian Navy 1939-1945, and in Operation Overlord June 1944.`

Right: This exit to the beach near the JUNO Centre leads to the Comite du Debarquement Monument. One of the panels positioned to represent a landing craft, bears a quotation from a poem by Paul Verlaine, `Chanson d'automne` (Autumn Song) which was penned in 1866 and became one of best known poems in the French language.

Les sanglots longs
Des violons
De l'automne
(Long sobs of autumn violins).

Blessent mon cœur
D'une langueur
Monotone.
(Wound my heart with a monotonous languor).

As the start of Operation Overlord drew nearer, the French Resistance had been informed that two messages broadcast by the BBC would indicate the need for increased sabotage activity in preparation for the Landings. Although various individual messages were sent to separate groups, the most famous consisted of the first three lines of the poem, `Long sobs of autumn violins`, which were broadcast on 1 June 1944. The text meant that the Invasion could be expected within a fortnight and was basically to put the Resistance on alert. The next set of lines, broadcast on 5 June at 23:15 hrs, `Wound my heart with a monotonous languor`, meant that the operation would start within 48 hours and that the resistance should begin sabotaging German communications and transport networks, with particular emphasis on the French railway system.

Above left: Pre-invasion jitters caused the Germans to obliterate place names as indicated by the arrow on this battered hotel, the most famous oyster restaurant in Courseulles-sur-Mer. The adjacent image shows houses behind the front at Courseulles pitted with shell holes. The location (below) is almost unrecognisable now with modern waterfront apartments being the most prominent style of dwelling.

Above: `This stands as a Tribute to the Soldiers of the Canadian Infantry (Royal Winnipeg Rifles and Canadian Scottish) who suffered heavy casualties on the Beach of Graye-sur-Mer (Mike Green and Mike Red) before they liberated this village with the help of other Allied Forces.` The following aerial photographs taken on D-Day show the landings on Mike beach, Juno area, to the west of Courselles-sur-Mer.

In the days following D-Day, Commander of Allied Ground Forces, General Bernard Montgomery, set up his HQ inland having taken over a chateau at Creully. JUNO Beach`s `Mike` sector was the closest coastal settlement to Monty`s temporary residence and as the Battle of Normandy dragged on, various prominent visitors landed on the Courseulles-Graye stretch of shoreline.

On 12th June, Prime Minister Winston Churchill came to convey the British population`s gratitude and best wishes, then on 14 June General de Gaulle set foot on home his soil for the first time in four years. Just two days later, Montgomery welcomed King George VI on the beach with the South African Prime Minister, then the Belgian Prime Minister following on a few days later. As a result, Montgomery complained to Churchill that all these visits "prevented him from working properly".

To the west of the Canadian landing grounds at Graye, and most prominent of all the memorials on JUNO, is a tall Cross of Lorraine which marks the landing place of General de Gaulle. The image below shows him and his party in a DUKW approaching the French coast. The General subsequently toured various towns and villages liberated by the Allies and received a tumultuous welcome from the inhabitants, appearances which helped assert his authority as head of the Provisional Government of the French Republic, and the new leader of France, much to the chagrin of the British.

Free French Forces fighting in Normandy from D-Day onwards included Kieffer`s Commandos, the 1st Free French Parachute Battalion and General Leclerc`s 2nd Armoured Division, as well as French SAS soldiers and support units. Plus, numerous members of the Resistance, male and female including some relatively young children, all across France did their best to disrupt German communications and hinder enemy movements towards the Allied front lines. General de Gaulle is pictured on JUNO Beach above, while the following image shows King George VI with Montgomery and other Allied `top brass.`

With Courseulles being the first town to be liberated by the Allies, the population came out in force to celebrate Bastille Day on 14 July 1944. Two local children, a brother and sister, laid wreaths on the Great War memorial in honour of the local men who died fighting the Germans during the previous conflict.

Just behind and downhill from the de Gaulle cross, but not visible from the foot of the actual monument, is a Churchill AVRE petard-equipped tank, named ‘1 Charlie’ and a couple of other memorials including this one to the 16,000 men of the 1st Armoured Regiment, 1st Polish Division, who landed in Normandy in late July 1944, disembarking with their tanks via the artificial Mulberry Harbour at Arromanches. The unit soon distinguished itself in the fierce fighting around Caen and the advance towards Falaise, often engaged in bitter struggles with SS Panzer Divisions. After Normandy, the Polish Armoured continued as part of the Allied advance through Belgium, Holland and into Germany.

The inscription, in Polish and French, translates as `On the beaches of Arromanches and Graye / Courseulles end of July 1944, 16,000 soldiers and 400 tanks of the 1st Armoured Polish Division landed with their General Stanislaw Maczek. "For Our and Your Freedom"`.

Above: This view looks south east from the Polish Armoured memorial towards the new waterside apartments on the far side of the river. Hundreds of Starlings have gathered on the grass. Just beyond the row of trees are several old buildings which may be originals, having been repaired after the battle. The WW2 structure below, beside the memorial, seems to have been protected from the worst of the shelling by the dunes and is fairly intact.

The spot where `1 Charlie` now stands is close to the junction of Green (left) and Red (right) sectors of MIKE Beach where the Royal Winnipeg Rifles landed on 6th June 1944 accompanied by elements of the Canadian Armoured Regiment. The Winnipegs were to suffer 128 casualties which was the second highest of all Canadian regimental casualties on D-Day.

The 1st and 2nd Troops of the 26th Assault Squadron Royal Engineers, had been tasked with clearing obstacles to open exits from this section of beach and to breach the line of dunes beyond. Having suffered a slight delay, the first AVREs reached the shore about 07:55 hrs and immediately got to work, flail-Crabs creating paths through the minefield while `bunker-busters` and the DD tanks and assault infantry already in action, engaged the enemy strongpoints.

In addition to the previously mentioned enemy defences, the attackers quickly discovered that an anti-tank ditch effectively blocked the exit. Also, just beyond was a flooded culvert linked to the River Seulles. This, however, was what `Hobart`s Funnies` had been designed for - 2nd Troop`s fascine tank dropped its bundle into the first obstacle, enabling `1 Charlie` of 1st Troop to continue onto the second. Unfortunately this tank, commanded by Bill Dunn, lost traction and slid into the culvert, immediately flooding the interior and forcing the crew to bale out. Escorted by another tank, they made their way back towards the beach and took shelter behind the dunes, but German mortar bombs soon fell on their position.

Three men were killed outright but Dunn and his crew mate Bill Hawkins, although wounded survived and bothwere evacuated to England.

The sunken tank was left in situ and incorporated into the beach exit road constructed once the area had been secured. It remained there until 1976 when, at the request of the citizens of Graye-sur-Mer, it was raised to form a permanent memorial. The operation was carried out by the RE and REME using a 70-ton crane provided by a local contractor.

The interior proved to be a unique D-Day time capsule, with items found as they`d be left including a Sten gun, a Bren with an unusual 100-round drum magazine, various types of explosive, rounds for the tank`s Petard mortar, tools and personal effects including a tin of corned beef.

Both Dunn and Hawkins attended the memorial`s inauguration ceremony. Bill Dunn. In accordance with his last wishes, had his ashes scattered here in November 2014. The images below, also taken on JUNO Beach, show a bridge unit laid by a Churchill tank to negotiate the seawall, and an example of the close-support version of the Centaur tank armed with a 95mm howitzer. The Centaur is towing a Porpoise Sledge, used to transport ammunition unloaded from the landing craft up the beach.

Below: The Beachmaster's HQ near Courseulles. These men were responsible for supervising the landing of supplies and the evacuation of the wounded along this stretch of beach and this photo looks as though it was taken well after D-Day due to the relaxed poses of the men, Otherwise, this area would have been chaotic as the follow-up waves arrived and tanks, self-propelled guns and Bren carriers became embroiled in traffic jams. The coaster SS Yokefleet is pictured transferring cargo onto waiting DUKWs off Courseulles-sur-Mer. This vessel was built in 1910 for Glasgow Steam Coasters Co Ltd and was originally named Brentham. She survived the war and was broken up in 1954.

Below: Major-General Rodney F. L. Keller CBE (2 October 1900 – 21 June 1954) comes ashore with his Brigade Major at Bernières sur Mer. He was the General Officer Commanding the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division which landed at Juno Beach on D-Day. He crossed the channel aboard HMS Hilary and established his HQ at 12:45 hrs on 6 June in an orchard near the Château de Semilly.

British Provost Corps (Military Police) check German POW's at St Aubin-sur-Mer for weapons before they are marched off to a temporary location en route to being placed onto a ship bound for the UK. The enemy garrison at St. Aubin was 5 company, II Battalion, Grenadier Regiment 736 Infantry Division 716.

By evening on Tuesday 6 June 1944, as darkness fell, the wind and temperature dropped. Men manning the perimeter around the Canadian bridgehead `stood to`, ready to repel the inevitable counter-attack while anti-aircraft crews, both on land and onboard vessels offshore, looked skywards frequently firing streams of tracer-marked ack-ack at Luftwaffe bombers which did their best to disrupt the follow-up landings. Several buildings along the waterfront still burned fiercely but many more were just smouldering. Occasionally, ammunition would cook-off in a DUKW or other vehicle knocked out earlier in the day and all the while, huge shells from the Navy`s big guns could be heard hurtling overhead to strike targets far inland.

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An Allied fighter crash landed on the beach at Saint Aubin-Sur-Mer in the days following the initial landings.

Below: D-Day planners realised that with so few purpose-built landing craft available, an additional means of providing transport and support for the vast amount of men and materiel involved not only in the invasion itself, but the massive build-up that would follow, was essential. In April 1942, Lord Mountbatten ordered that an initial batch of 1,000 barges known as `Thames Lighters` be towed to ports on the south coast of England to be converted to perform one of a variety of roles.

Some would be fitted with an independent means of propulsion while others were meant to be towed into position. The types were Landing Barges (Dumb), Cable (LBC), Emergency Repair (LBE), Anti-Aircraft or Flak (LBF), Oil (LBO), Ramped (LBR), Vehicle (LBV), Kitchen (LBK) and Water (LBW). These images were taken at Courseulles-sur-Mer in July 1944. The shot below shows hands of `LBE 22` gathering on deck for a tea break.

For the passage to Normandy, most of these converted vessels sailed under their own power, but others were towed.

Some were swamped in the rough seas and sank and others broke down, usually due to the engine compartment being flooded. Some abandoned barges were rescued and continued the rest of the journey at the end of a rope.

On reaching the Normandy coast, the LBO’s, LBW’s, LBK’s, LBE’s dropped anchor or beached, and immediately set to fuelling, watering, feeding and repairing, often under heavy fire. Other, powered lighters began ferrying troops and equipment to shore.

These scenes were also taken at Courseulles after D-Day. The one above shows a launch waiting to receive wounded for transfer to a hospital ship anchored offshore. A London river barge is in the background. By the time the Battle of Normandy had ended many of these converted barges had been been sunk or damaged and others, due to general wear and tear, were in such a poor state that they had to be written-off.

On the right, the other image, taken on 26 July 1944, shows a diesel railway locomotive on a trailer being brought ashore on JUNO beach by armoured tractors.

A Landing Barge Kitchen.

Above: Able Seamen Cooks Cook J. Garland (left) and D. Hepple aboard Landing Barge Kitchen LBK 10 and other barges on the River Seulles. More information on the JUNO Beach Centre and the Douvres Radar Station which lay roughly south of the junction of JUNO and SWORD beaches can be accessed via the following links...

The JUNO Beach Centre

Douvres Radar Station