On 6^th June 1944 the 10^th Armoured Regiment (The Fort Garry Horse) took part in the assault on the German forces defending the beach at Bernieres-Sur-Mere, leading ultimately to its liberation.

Bernieres-Sur-Mere. Memorial Queens Own Rifles of Canada       

A memorial to the Queens Own Rifles who landed on this beach on 6^th June 1944 is a plaque located on a German Tobruk facing the beach. Berniers-sur-mere.

A memorial to the Queens Own Rifles who landed on this beach on 6^th June 1944 is a plaque located on a German Tobruk facing the beach. Berniers-sur-mere.

The Régiment de la Chaudière is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. It is part of the 2nd Canadian Division's 35 Canadian Brigade Group and is headquartered at Lévis, Quebec.

Bernieres D Day Memorial. Inaugurated on November 19^th, 1950, one of the first monuments to the memory of the Allied forces that landed on D Day. A V shaped base signifying V for victory. It carries the same inscription in both French & English. “Here on the 6^th June 1944 was liberated by the heroism of the Allied forces”

Maison de The Queens Own Rifles of Canada. This was the first house liberated at first light on D Day 1944 by the Queens Own Rifles of Canada. They were the first Canadians to land on this sector of the D Day beaches. In close proximity to this house more than 100 Canadian soldiers were killed or wounded within just a few minutes of the landings.

Inukshuk Memorial. This memorial commemorates the Canadian soldiers who died in Bernieres-Sur-Mer on 6 June 1944.The memorial is in the shape of a Inukshuk, a staple of stones in the shape of a person pointing in the right direction. These Inukshuk were used in Canada as route-indicators.

Here we find out the ‘nickname’ of the Regiment.            

On D-Day, 6 June 1944, the Rifles landed in Normandy as part of the 7th Infantry Brigade, 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, and it continued to fight in North-West Europe until the end of the war.

The Regina Rifles landed under heavy fire on NAN GREEN beach at Courseulles sur Mer, Normandy, on June 6, 1944.

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StP - Stützpunkt meaning Strong point, usually including heavy and light fortifications with heavy and light Infantry weapons and often artillery.
StP Gruppe means a Group of strong points.

Wn29.

The Wn 29 strongpoint is located in Courseulles-sur-Mer (Juno Beach) and consists of various casemates, shelters and ammunition bunkers.

Memorial Canadian Navy

Erected in 2009 in honour of all those who served in the Canadian Navy and died or were lost at sea during the 2^nd World War, including Operation Overlord.

Bofors Gun

The 40mm gun is dedicated to the memory of the 4^th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment (Royal Canadian Artillery) who landed at Courseulles-Sur-Mer late in the afternoon on June 6^th.

Beach Obstacles Antichar

Original anti-tank barriers from World War II, which were set up in large numbers on the beach.

The Juno Beach Centre is Canada’s Second World War Museum and cultural centre located in Normandy, France. The Centre pays homage to the 45,000 Canadians who lost their lives during the War, of which 5,500 were killed during the Battle of Normandy and 381 on D-Day.

Entry Fees:

Museum (permanent & temporary exhibits) Adult 8.50€

Reduced rate 6.00€

Free entry for WW 2 Veterans, widows, war disabled and accompanied children under 8 years of age.

German WW2 Atlantikwall Bunker for Widerstandsnest 31, Courseulles Sur Mer
Type Regelbau 612 bunker for a 75mm FK 16n but with no shelter

Churchill Tank – ‘One Charlie’

The Churchill AVRE "One Charlie" on display at Graye-sur-Mer was part of 26 Assault Squadron, 79th Armoured Division commanded by Major Tony Younger.

Memorial de Juno Beach

A memorial remembering the bravery shown by so many all those years ago.

Also close by is a Polish memorial, which is easily accessible to view.

This type of bunker was difficult to damage from the sea and was extremely dangerous to any tanks on the beach.

The Wn 33a strongpoint is located in Graye-sur-Mer, near the place called La Brèche Le Bisson. It is equipped with a 50 mm gun and various shelters and ammunition boxes. This strongpoint was still under construction on D-Day.

We conclude the tour with then opportunity to remember the huge sacrifice made by allied forces, in particular Canadian forces during the Normandy invasion and associated campaign.

The Cemetery was designed by P.D. Hepworth and has 2,048 graves from WW2.

The majority of burials were Canadian with 19 of them unidentified.