Juno Beach – Courseulles-sur-Mer
Juno Beach, the second easternmost landing site, stretched for over 10 km, bordering Courseulles-sur-Mer on both sides.
The assault was entrusted to units of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, supported by specialist engineer tanks from the 79th Armoured Division.
East of Courseulles, German forces occupied the small fishing villages of Bernières-sur-Mer, Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer and Langrune-sur-Mer.
They strategically positioned their firing positions in the houses overlooking the shore, while fortified pillboxes and machine-gun emplacements dotted the villages and hamlets nestled in the dunes.
The bad weather greatly reduced visibility, compromising the effectiveness of preliminary bombing raids on German coastal defences.
As a result, these defences remained largely intact, constituting a formidable obstacle for the Allied landing forces.
Juno Beach – The objective
The landing on Juno Beach was scheduled for 7:30 AM, covering the area between Courseulles-sur-Mer to the west and Saint-Aubin and Langrune-sur-Mer to the east.
This area was divided into two sub-sectors: Mike (near Courseulles and Graye-sur-Mer to the west) and Nan (between Courseulles and Saint-Aubin to the east).
A third sub-sector, Love, located west of Courseulles, was reserved for unloading equipment and was not used for landing operations.
The assault on Juno Beach was conducted by several units of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, under the command of Major-General Rodney Keller.
They were supported by amphibious tanks from the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade and specialist engineer tanks from the 79th Armoured Division.
The Canadians also benefited from the support of British commandos, specialised armoured units and assault engineers. This collaboration made it possible to create a landing force with two Canadian soldiers for every British soldier.
The 7th Canadian Infantry Brigade took command of the assault in the Mike sector, near Courseulles.
It included units such as the Regina Rifles and the Canadian Scottish Regiment of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, supported by the 1st Hussars of the 6th Canadian Armoured Regiment.
Moving east into the Nan sector, which stretched from Courseulles to Saint-Aubin-Langrune, the 8th Infantry Brigade led the assault.
It was supported by tanks from the 10th Canadian Armoured Regiment (Fort Garry Horse) and the 48th Commando of the British Royal Marines, which was to land alongside the Canadians. The commandos’ mission was to advance towards the Orne estuary to neutralise a battery.
The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada led the assault at Bernières, while the North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment took command at Saint-Aubin.
The French Canadians of the Régiment de La Chaudière were kept in reserve, as were various infantry and armoured units of the 9th Brigade.
Once the Nan sector was secured, reserve units, including French Canadians from the Régiment de La Chaudière, would disembark and immediately advance inland to establish a link with Sword Beach. The two groups would be supported by tanks from the Fort Garry Horse and armoured vehicles from the Royal Engineers.
The Royal Canadian Navy would provide support from the sea during the landing operation.
After the successful capture of Juno Beach, the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division was tasked with assisting the Royal Marines in establishing contact with British troops who had landed on Sword and Gold beaches. Together, they would advance inland to seize strategic objectives such as the Bayeux-Caen road, the Carpiquet airfield and, ultimately, the city of Caen.
Landing on Juno Beach
The difficult sea conditions and the unexpected shoals offshore indicated that the rising tide would not be sufficient to allow the landing craft to overcome the beach obstacles.
As a result, the assault was delayed by 10 to 30 minutes between the first and last wave, which negated the element of surprise and allowed the Germans to prepare.
Some landing craft struck mines on their approach, while others were damaged or destroyed on their retreat. Adverse weather conditions and shoals also hampered the advance of the 6th Canadian Armoured Battalion of the 1st Hussars Regiment, forcing them to land 1,400 metres from shore at 7:55 AM, too late to support the first assault troops.
Thus, the first wave of assault troops came under intense German fire without armoured support, resulting in a tragically high number of casualties in the opening moments of the assault. However, once the armoured squadrons arrived, the dynamics of the assault changed, and the Canadian troops eventually captured the beach.
Juno Beach – Bernières
Bernières proved to be one of the most heavily fortified areas by the Germans.
Assigned to the Queen’s Own Rifles Regiment, the troops landed approximately 180 metres east of their designated landing zone, directly in front of the Cassine Battery.
Exposed to direct enemy fire and without immediate support from their amphibious tanks, which were immobilised by the weather, the soldiers had no choice but to launch an open assault.
This unfortunate situation resulted in heavy losses.
At 8:30 AM, reinforcements from the Régiment de Réserve de la Chaudière and reserve companies from the North Shore and the Queen’s Own Rifles landed, bolstering the exhausted assault troops.
With the assistance of a Royal Navy ship approaching close to the shore, the bunkers were neutralised, allowing the Canadians to advance towards Bernières and engage the enemy positions.
After a fierce hand-to-hand battle, Bernières was finally captured.
In a symbolic gesture, the first pigeons flew out of the village, carrying messages to Fleet Street, London’s famous newspaper district.
Juno beach – The outcome
By noon, the majority of Canadian troops had successfully landed on Juno Beach.
Some units had made significant progress inland, advancing several kilometres across the dunes to secure bridges over the Seulles River. At 6:00 PM, they had taken control of Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer and established contact with the British forces that had landed on Gold Beach.
A squadron of tanks from the 1st Hussars had successfully secured the Bayeux-Caen road, thus achieving its D-Day objective, a rare feat on that chaotic day!
On the evening of June 7, Canadian forces joined British troops who had landed on Sword Beach, marking a significant step in the Allied advance.
Despite the success of the landing, the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division suffered heavy losses. Of the 21,400 men who landed on Juno Beach on D-Day, 1,220 lost their lives.
Among them, the Queen’s Own Rifles regiment suffered the heaviest losses within the Canadian forces, a poignant reminder of the price of liberation.
War Memorials:
Juno Beach: Bernieres-sur-mer – Corseulles-sur-mer – Graye-sur-mer – Douvres-la-Delivrande
Gold Beach: Arromanches – Ver-sur-mer
Sword Beach: Ouistreham-Riva Bella
Landing Beaches:
Sword – Gold – Utah – Omaha – Juno
Rediscover all the landing beaches during the 75th Anniversary Commemorations and Standing with Giants art installation in Ver-sur-mer (2024)
Department of Calvados
Coordinates: Juno Beach Bernières: Lat 49.335313 – Long -0.422743
