D-Day

— Jour-J —

(This marker is composted of several pillars (vertical) with text inscribed upon them and several benches (horizontal) with photograph and illustration. Text is provided in both French and English.)
Le Mur de L'AtlantiqueThe Atlantic Wall(French)Une ligne d?fensive allemande impressionnantePour prot?ger les territoires conquis par ses arm?es, Hitler lanca l'?dification d'un Mur de D?fense sur la c?te Atlantique.Des l'?t? 1941, l'organisation TODT (du nom de L'ing?nieur responsable) mit en oeuvre ce project. Les fortifications majeures s'appuyaient sur de grands ports fran?ais et sur le Pas de Calais, o? elles mettaient l'Europe continentale ? 28 km de l'Angleterre, soit ? port?e de canons lourds. La Normandie ?tait particuli?rement equip?e en raison de sa position strat?gique. De 1942 au printemps 1944, cette r?alisation mobilsa 1 350 000 ouvriers dont 357 000 Allemands, 643 500 ?trangers, 165 000 prisonners de guerre et 4 000 femmes. 10 400 000 tonnes de b?ton furent coul?es en 2 ans pour construire 9 671 TOBRUKS, 5 976 BUNKERS et 1591 autres ouvrages

(English)
An impressive German line of defenceTo protect the territories conquered by his armies, Hitler ordered the construction of a defensive wall along the Atlantic seaboard.The TODT organization (named after the engineer in charge) implemented the project in the summer of 1941. The main fortifications were based in the major French ports and in the Pas de Calais, were a mere 28 km separated continental Europe from the English coast, within the range of big guns. Normandy was heavily equipped due to its strategic position.Between 1942 and the spring of 1944, the construction involved the mobilisation of a workforce of 1,350,000 of whom 357,000 were German, alongside 643,500 foreigners, 165,000 prisoners of war and 4,000 women. Ten million four hundred thousand tonnes of concrete were mix in two years for the construction of 9,671 Tobruk pits, 5,976 bunkers and 1,591 other edifices.

The Bunkers(French)
Des ouvrages d?fensifs, difficiles ? attaquerEn 1944, la dune ?tait plus ?troite et les ouvrages d?fensifs, plus proches de la mer, pouvaient ?tre battus par les vagues aux fortes mar?es. Ils ?taient peu vuln?rables aux bombs a?riennes classiques de 500 kg de l'aviation alli?e grace ? l'?paisseur de leurs murs (2 ? 3,50 m?tres). Les embrasures ne faisaient jamais face ? la mer et les canons, positionn parall?lement ? la plage tous les 500 m?tres, croisaient leurs feux.? Courseulles, les six bunkers abritaient des canons antichars, ceux-ci variaient du calibre 50 mm au redoutable 88 mm, install? ? l'entr?e du port (il ?tait le canon antichar le plus performant au monde en 1943).

(English)
Defensive buildings difficult to attackIn 1044, the dune was narrower and the defensive structures, which were closer to the sea, could be reached by the waves at high spring tide.Due to the thickness of their walls (2-3 metres), they were relatively invulnerable to the 500 kg bombs traditionally carried by Allied aircraft.The openings never gave onto the sea and the fields of fire their guns, located every 500 metres along the beach, overlapped. The six bunkers in Courseulles housed anti-tank guns, varying in bore from 50-mm to the formidable 88-mm cannon positioned at the entrance of the port (the world's most effective anti-tank weapon in 1943).

Le Jour-J heure par heureA Bow by Blow Account of D-DayAttaque alli?e en forceA powerful Allied offensive(Each entry is in French then English)4-5 juin - 4th-5th June Les voies de communications de l'ouest et les stations radars c?ti?res allemandes sont d??truites. L'ennemi rendu aveugle, la Ristance re?oit l'ordre de sabotage et de lancement d'op?rations de guerilla sur les arri?res.The lines of communication in the West and the German coastal radar stations were destroyed. The enemy was blinded; the Resistance received the order to proceed with sabotage and guerrilla operations behind the lines.6 juin - 6th June00h05Premiers parachutages am?ricans sur le Cotentin, britanniques au nord est de Caen (6th Airborne).The first American paratroops landed in the Cotentin, the British 6th Airborn to the north-east of Caen.04h30Bombardement a?rien des batteries c?ti?res.Aerial bombardment of the coastal batteries.05h30Bombardement a?rien des d?fenses des plagesAerial bombardment of the beach defences.05h45Bombardement naval des def?nses c?ti?res.Naval bombardment of the coastal defences.06h30D?barquement de la 4e Division U.S. ? Utah Beach.Landing of the 4th US Division on Utah Beach.06h45D?barquement des 29e et 1e Division ? Omaha Beach.Landing of the 29th and 1st US Divisions on Omaha Beach07h30D?barquement de la 50e Division britannique ? Gold BeachLanding of British 50th Division on Gold Beach.07h35D?barquement de la 3e Division canadienne ? Juno Beach.Landing of 3rd Canadian Division on Juno Beach.07h45 D?barquement de la 3e Division Brit. et 1er Special Services Brigade Brit. ? Sword Beach.Landing of British 3rd Division and British 1st Special Services Brigade on Sword Beach.17h00Atterrissage des premiers renforts aeroportes.Landing of the first airborne renforcements.

Le D?barquement Canadien
The Canadian Landing(French)
Juno, t?te de pont du CanadaLe 6 juin 1944, sur une mer agit?e, la 3e division d'infanterie (les "gars de la Victoire ou de la Mort"), et la 2e brigade blind?e des Forces Armees du Canada abordent leur objectif: Juno. Ce nom de code digne 8 kilometres de plage sur les communes de St-Aubin, Berni?res, Courseulles et Graye-sur-Mer. Pr?c?d par les parachutistes, transport et soutenus par la marine de guerre, prot?g depuis le ciel par les forces a?riennes, 14 000 volontaires canadiens d?ferient. ? la fin du jour, les troupes ont reussi ? avancer assez profond?ment vers Creully, Colomby-sur-Thaon et Anisy, en de?a des objectifs pr?vus mais assez loin pour consid?rer le d?barquement comme un franc succ. Au cours des 80 jours de campagne en Normandie 5 500 militaires canadiens perdont la vie.

(English)
Juno, the Canadian bridgeheadOn 6th June 1944, on a rough sea, the 3rd Infantry Division ("the Victory or Death boys"), and the 2nd Armoured Brigade of the Canadian Armed Forces reached their objective: Juno, this code-named designated 8 km of shoreline running past the villages of Saint-Aubin, Berni?res, Courseulles and Graye-sur-Mer.Preceded by the paratroops, transported and supported by the navy, and with air force protection from above, 14,000 Canadian volunteers swept in over the beaches. By the end of the day, the troops had succeeded in advancing quite a long way inland toward Creully, Colomby-sur-Thaon and Anisy, falling short of their assigned objectives, but making sufficient inroads for the landing to be considered an unqualified success.During the 80-day campaign in Normandy, 5,500 Canadian soldiers lost their lives.

Histoires de SoldatsSoldiers' Stories"J'ai vecu ces monents la ...""l lived through that..."Sapper Ralph Spencer - Regina Rifles - Nan Green(English)"My job was to place any GW charge on any gun position giving us trouble. I felt a bullet strike my left leg and I stumbled for a second and almost wait in the water.This moment of hesitation cared my life. Another burst of MG fire took the forestock off my rifle and passed through the front of my battledress blouse, at the same time letting the air out of my lifebelt. My ammopouch was chewed up destroying some choc bars and cigarettes. The hand grenades remained intact: Thankfully my wade wasn't hit!"(French)"Ma t?che ?tait de placer une charge explosive GW sur tout emplacement de canon qui nous causait un probl?me. J'ai senti une balle toucher ma jambe gauche, j'ai tr?buch? une second et j'ai failli tomber dans l'eau. Cet instant d'hesitation m'a sauv? la vie. Une autre rafale de mitrailleuse a emport? la crosse de mon fusil et a travers? l'avant de mon blouson, d?gonflant en m?me temps a bou?e de sauvetage. Ma cartouchi?re de munitions a ?t? broy?e, d?truisant des barres de chocolat et des cigarettes.Les grenades sont rest?es intactes. Heureusement, mes explosifs n'ont pas ?t? touch!"R. Spencer - 6th Field Coy.(English)"I did not last long that D-Day but I will never forget my baptism of fire. I am sure that those who where there don't need reminding; but perhaps post war Canadians maybe need to know more about it."(French)"Je n'ai pas tenu longtemps, ce Jour-J, mais je n'oublierai jamais mon bapt?me de feu. Je suis s?r que ceux qui ?taient l? n'ont pas besoin qu'on leur rappelle; mais peut-?tre que les canadiens d'apr-guerre auront besoin d'en savoir davantage."L'avancee canadienneThe Candadian Advance(French)De Dieppe a DieppeLe gouvernement canadien d?clare le guerre a l'Allemagne nazie le 10 septembre 1939. Les troupes canadiennes se pr?parent en Grande-Bretagne pour l'"invasion". Elles seront lanc?es le 19 ao?t 1942 sur Dieppe pour un exercice r?el de d?barquement en sol occup?. Cette op?ration est un dastre, avec un co?t humain important, elle influera cependant sur la strat?gie du d?barquement sur les plaques normandes en 1944. Le Jour-J, les soldats canadiens atteignent rapidement leurs objectifs. Leurs avanc?e les m?nera de nouveau ? Dieppe o? le 1er septembre, ils entreront cette fois victorieux dans la ville.Apr la France et la Belgique, la 1eme Arm?e canadienne ach?vera sa campagne de lib?ration en Hollande.(English)From Dieppe to DieppeThe Canadian government declared war on Nazi Germany on 10th September 1939. The Canadian troops readied themselves for the invasion in Great Britain. They were sent to Dieppe on 19th August 1942 for a real-time landing exercise in occupied territory. The operation was a disaster and many men lost their lives. Nevertheless, the experience gained was put to good use by the strategists who planned the landings on the Normandy beaches in 1944. On D-Day, the Canadian soldiers achieved their objectives rapidly.The progress brought them to Dieppe once more. The entered the town on 1st September, this time as victors. After France and Belgium, the 1st Canadian Army completed its campaign of liberation in Holland.

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Show me all markers in:  Courseulles-sur-Mer, Lower Normandy  |  Calvados  |  14470  |  Lower Normandy  |  France

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