Juno or Juno Beach was one of five beaches of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944 during the Second World War. The beach spanned from Courseulles, a village just east of the British beach Gold, to Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer, and just west of the British beach Sword. Taking Juno was the responsibility of the First Canadian Army, with sea transport, mine sweeping, and a naval bombardment force provided by the Royal Canadian Navy and the British Royal Navy as well as elements from the Free French, Norwegian, and other Allied navies. The objectives of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division on D-Day were to cut the Caen-Bayeux road, seize the Carpiquet airport west of Caen, and form a link between the two British beaches on either flank.
The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D-Day, it is the largest seaborne invasion in history. The operation began the liberation of France, and the rest of Western Europe, and laid the foundations of the Allied victory on the Western Front.
Bény-sur-Mer is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region, in northwestern France. It lies 5 km south of Bernières-sur-Mer and 13 km north of Caen.
Bernières-sur-Mer, in the arrondissement of Caen, is a commune in the Calvados department of Normandy, in northwestern France. It is part of the canton of Courseulles-sur-Mer. It lies on the English Channel coast, 3 km east of Courseulles-sur-Mer, and 17 km north of Caen.
Courseulles-sur-Mer, commonly known as Courseulles, is a commune in the Calvados department, Normandy, northwestern France. Until 1957, the town's name was simply Courseulles. It lies 3 km west of Bernières-sur-Mer and 18 km north of Caen.
Graye-sur-Mer is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region, in northwestern France. It lies 1 km west of Courseulles-sur-Mer, and 18 km east of Bayeux.
Reviers is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region, in northwestern France. It lies 4 km south of Courseulles-sur-Mer and 15 kn northwest of Caen. It lies at the confluence of the rivers Seulles and Mue. There is bridge west of Reviers, crossing the Seulles, on the principal road (D176) connecting to Colombiers-sur-Seulles, and a bridge in Reviers, crossing the Mue, on the principal road (D35), connecting east to Tailleville.
Saint Aubin-sur-Mer is a commune in the Calvados department, in northwestern France. Administratively, it is part of the arrondissement of Caen and the canton of Courseulles-sur-Mer. It is 2.1 km east of Bernières-sur-Mer, 4 km north of Douvres-la-Délivrande and 16 km north of Caen.
The 3rd Canadian Division is a formation of the Canadian Army responsible for the command and mobilization of all army units in the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, as well as all units extending westwards from the city of Thunder Bay.
Ver-sur-Mer is a commune in the Calvados department and Normandy region of north-western France. It is situated at the eastern end of Gold Beach between Arromanches and Courseulles. The town lies 20 km north-west of Caen and 14 km north-east of Bayeux.
The 716th Static Infantry Division was a World War II, German Army infantry division. It was raised on May 2, 1941, and sent to German-occupied France in June 1941. Many of the division's troops were elderly Germans and conscripts from other German-occupied countries. The division also had some young German conscripts as well. As a bodenständig it was not equipped with the standard configuration of vehicles and heavy weapons. Much of the division's artillery and anti-tank guns were from captured armaments.
George Kenneth "Ken" Bell was a Canadian photographer who served with the Canadian armed forces during the Second World War. As a Lieutenant in the Canadian Army Film and Photo Unit, he participated in the Normandy Landings, disembarking at Juno Beach on June 6, 1944, with the Highland Light Infantry of Canada. Later he went on to photograph and record the liberation of France, Belgium and the Netherlands, and finally documented the occupation of Germany. After the war he had a successful career as a professional photographer, and published a number of books including Not in Vain, a collection of photographs showing the changes which had taken place in Europe since the end of the war.
The Compagnie du chemin de fer de Caen à la mer (CM) was an early French railway company.
The Bény-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery is a burial ground containing predominantly Canadian soldiers killed during the early stages of the Battle of Normandy in the Second World War. It is located in, and named after, Bény-sur-Mer, in the Calvados department, near Caen, in lower Normandy. As is typical of war cemeteries in France, the grounds are landscaped and kept. Contained within the cemetery is a cross of sacrifice, a monument typical of memorials designed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
The Canadian Army Film and Photo Unit (CFPU) was a Canadian Army unit founded in 1941 in order to document military operations during World War II. It was the last unit of its kind to be founded by the Allied armies. Among the campaigns which it recorded were the invasion of Sicily, the D-Day landings, the liberation of Paris and the Elbe River link-up of the Allied armies, known as 'Elbe Day'.
The 7th Canadian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the Canadian Army that fought during World War I and World War II. The brigade, along with the 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade and the 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade, formed the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division. The division was formed in late 1915 in France and served on the Western Front until the armistice in November 1918. Later, during World War II, it arrived in the United Kingdom in 1940 and spent three years in garrison duties and training in preparation for the assault landings on Juno Beach in Normandy on 6 June 1944. After fighting in Normandy, the brigade took part in the Battle of the Scheldt. After the war, it served on occupation duties until being disbanded in June 1946.
This is the Juno Beach order of battle on D-Day.
Garth Webb was a Canadian soldier who founded the Juno Beach Centre. Webb fought in World War II as a member of the 14th Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery. He was awarded the Meritorious Service Cross and the Legion of Honour medal.
Liberation Route Europe is an international remembrance trail that connects the main regions along the advance of the Western Allied Forces toward the liberation of Europe and final stage of the Second World War. The route started in 2008 as a Dutch regional initiative in the Arnhem-Nijmegen area and then developed into a transnational route that was officially inaugurated in Arromanches on June 6, 2014, during the Normandy D-day commemorations. The route goes from Southern England through France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands to Berlin in Germany, then extends to the Czech Republic and Poland. The southern route starts in Italy. As a form of remembrance tourism, LRE aims to unfold these Allied offensives of 1944 and 1945 in one narrative combining the different perspectives and points of view. By combining locations with personal stories of people who fought and suffered there, it gives visitors the opportunity to follow the Allied march and visit significant sites from war cemeteries to museums and monuments but also events and commemorations. In April 2019, Liberation Route Europe became a certified Cultural Route of the Council of Europe.
The British Normandy Memorial is a war memorial near the village of Ver-sur-Mer in Normandy, France. It was unveiled on 6 June 2021, the 77th anniversary of D-Day, and it is dedicated to soldiers who died under British command during the Normandy landings.
