Canada’s Main Contributions

• The Battle of the Atlantic

• Hong Kong

• The Italian Campaign

• D-Day on Juno Beach

• Dieppe

June 6 – August 31, 1944

D-Day at Normandy• June 6 – August 31, 1944• The Northern Coast of France is an area

called Normandy • Along this coast are a series of beaches

that had all been code-named:– Omaha Beach (US)– Utah Beach (US)– Sword Beach (British)– Gold Beach (British)– Juno Beach (Canadians)

Juno Beach• Code-name Juno beach was an area

approximately 10km wide

• Coastal and fishing villages along this area had been secured and fortified by the Germans

• The plan of the Canadian Infantry Division was to secure those areas, cut off road access between the towns Caen and Bayeux, and seize the airport outside of Caen.

• Casualties that first day were very severe

• It was felt that becoming a casualty in that first hour was almost 1 in 2.

• As the day went on, Canada was successful in either occupying German areas or pushing the Germans back.

• By the end of day 1, Canadians suffered 1,200 casualties out of 21,400 troops who landed at Juno

• That’s a ratio of 1:18

Wrecked and beached landing craft line the shore at Saint-Aubin, Juno Beach, on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

Reserve troops of the Canadian 3rd Division coming ashore at Bernières, Nan sector, Juno Beach, on D-Day, June 6, 1944

Troops of the Régiment de la Chaudière, 8th Brigade, push inland from

Juno Beach toward Bény-sur-Mer on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

• Canadian, British and American soldiers continued to fight in France for 2 long months.

• Gaining confidence in their ability to defeat the Germans, the Allies continued to close in on them. It was not without great loss, however.

• On August 25, 1944, France was finally liberated by the Allies.

• The Allied forces continued to close in on Germany, liberating Holland, Luxembourg, Belgium, and other European countries.

• The Allies, including Russia, liberate many of the Jewish concentration and death camps.

• These liberations happen up until the end of the war, August 14, 1945