Canadians on D-Day: Juno Beach

Salut mes amis!  I'm now back in Paris after my weekend in Normandy.  It was great to get out of the city for awhile, but I'm glad to be back.  I still can't belive how much we did in just two days!  After the Bayeux Tapestry on Friday afternoon, we drove over to Juno Beach, the site of the Canadian landings on D-Day and the location of the Canadian Museum.  Canada entered the war in September 1939 with Great Britian after Hitler's Invasion of Poland.   

D-Day Landing Map

 Juno Beach Centre

The Canadian Museum dedicated to D-Day

 Juno Beach

On the morning of June 6, 1944 the soldiers of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division (approximately 14,000 Soliers) stormed Juno Beach to take part in Operation Overlord after crossing the choppy seas in the English Channel.  They encountered heavy Nazi resistance and fought bravely.  At the end of the day, the Canaidans had gone farther into enemy territory than the other Allied Forces.       

You don't see the Canadian and the French Flags flying next to each other too often...

Statue in front of the Juno Centre

Propaganda poster in the museum.  The Lion represents Britain, and the Beaver represents Canada(obviously)

The Canadian Cemetery

"Their name liveth forevermore."

 The cemetery was beautiful and calm.  There are just over 2000 tombstones each carved with a beautiful Maple Leaf.  Many of the soldiers buried here were killed during the Battle for Caen in July 1944.  There are also soldiers who died fighting on Juno Beach.  The ages were also written on the tombstones.  I was suprised at the age range.  There were a lot of young men (ages 18-23) but there were also many middle aged soldiers as well.  The tombstones were also carved with either a Cross or a Star of David.  Many also had epitahs written on them.  My personal two favorite epitahs were, "He saved others, himself he could not save" and "Greater love than this, no man hath that a man lay down his life for his friends". 

Maple leaf tombstones

Very moving. Freedom isn't free, and these brave Canadians paid the ultimate price. Thanks to their noble sacrifices, Europe was eventually freed from tyrrany. May they rest in peace.

-Allison