Courseulles-sur-Mer

Juno Beach

Juno Beach - the Canadian Landing Beach

Here there is a museum (we didn't go) dedicated to the story of the Canadian soldiers and a Garden of the Sea.  Some of the markers along the path also tell about the D-Day invasion.  We had to make our walk kind of quick since the rain had started again...

This is the beach that Grandpa John flew a mission to on the morning of D-Day.  Here's what he wrote in his journal for that day -

"June 6 Courseulles D-Day

Well today was it.  They got us up at 23:30 last night.  I suspected something.  Every airplane on the field was going to fly.  We flew in groups of 6 planes not the usual 36 and we took off at 04:00.  I never saw so many airplanes and the weather was hell.  They say never forget today, and I hope it doesn't take them long now.  There wasn't much opposition over our target and we never lost any planes.  No fighters.  4 hours on oxygen."

The Canadians landed on the beach at 7:45 on the morning of the 6th and even though most of their amphibious tanks sank they were able to hit the beach hard and move inland quickly, taking Courseulles-sur-Mer in just a few hours.  By that evening  21,500 men and 3,200 vehicles had landed on Juno Beach!

This sign outlines the basic plan of D-Day

Curt, Alex, and Casey head out onto Juno Beach

Casey and Alex

Curt walks along Juno Beach looking for rocks and shells

Amanda

Sonya - hey are they taking pictures of each other??!!

A German bunker just over the dune from the beach

Sonya and Curt collect rocks to keep as reminders of what Grandpa John did here.  All the beaches are so calm and quiet that it's hard to imagine what D-Day was like while you walk on them...