The Travels of Tel's Tin Tent.
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Just a couple of views of the Norman countryside, whilst I prepare the next instalments, covering some of the Canadian actions.
fubar57
General
Good stuff guys
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Juno Beach.
Moving west now, and the second invasion beach, Juno, between Courseulles sur Mer in the west, and St. Aubin sur Mer in the east, with the village of Berniers sur Mer roughly in the centre. Here starts some coverage of the intense fighting undertaken by our Canadian cousins.
On the morning of D-Day, a force of over 21,000 men landed here, supported by tanks, with by far the vast majority (some 14,000 + troops) being Canadian, from the North Shore New Brunswick Regiment, the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, Regina Rifles, Winnipeg Rifles and Canadian Scottish, with armoured support from 2nd Canadian Armoured Division, including tanks of the Sherbrooke Fusiliers and the Fort Gary Horse.
Juno was one of the most heavily defended beaches and, like at Sword beach, the troops also had to contend with high sea walls, much higher in places in 1944 compared to today, due to the build-up of sand over the last 81 years. (film footage of this landing shows soldiers carrying long scaling ladders).
Facing very stiff resistance, the Canadians suffered appalling casualties on the beach alone, and although numerically much less than on Omaha beach, in proportion to the size of the force involved, it was the highest casualty rate of the entire landings.
Once off the beach, progress was a hard slog, with vicious, sustained fighting in the streets, clearing houses room by room, and fighting in cellars and backyards. This continued during the day, street by street, house by house, until finally breaking out later on 6th June, into the countryside beyond, to the first objective inland, the airfield at Carpiquet, on the western outskirts of Caen - where the Canadians would face even tougher battles with the12th SS (Hitler Jugend) Panzer Division, in the following days.
We visited this area on two separate occasions, and the pics below were taken at St. Aubin sur Mer on the first visit, and show the map of the area, views of the beach, a memorial and a defensive strong-point, all detailed as shown below.
I'm getting a bit stiff and slightly painful at the moment, but I'll try to post some more later tonight or, if not, then sometime tomorrow.
Thanks yet again for the continued interest and kind comments, "likes" etc, and I'll be back soon(ish).
Pic 1. Map showing the area of Juno Beach.
Pics 2 and 3. Views eastward along the beach, from the road behind the sea wall. Note the proximity of the buildings, each one fortified, each one needing to be neutralised.
Pic 4. Well known photo of a P-47, washed ashore after ditching at sea, in the same location (details can be found on various Internet sites).
Pic 5. Memorial to Canadian Forces at Juno beach (apologies for the poor quality).
Pics 6 to 10. Wiederstandsnest 27 (WN 27). This is a 50 mm PAK, positioned for enfilading fire down the beach in both directions. The thick concrete bunker provides protection from direct fire from the seaward side, and also from the flanks, whilst allowing a clear field of fire.
This particular gun was responsible for a high number of casualties in the North Shore Regiment, and also damaged or destroyed some armoured vehicles, before eventually being put out of action
.
Moving west now, and the second invasion beach, Juno, between Courseulles sur Mer in the west, and St. Aubin sur Mer in the east, with the village of Berniers sur Mer roughly in the centre. Here starts some coverage of the intense fighting undertaken by our Canadian cousins.
On the morning of D-Day, a force of over 21,000 men landed here, supported by tanks, with by far the vast majority (some 14,000 + troops) being Canadian, from the North Shore New Brunswick Regiment, the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, Regina Rifles, Winnipeg Rifles and Canadian Scottish, with armoured support from 2nd Canadian Armoured Division, including tanks of the Sherbrooke Fusiliers and the Fort Gary Horse.
Juno was one of the most heavily defended beaches and, like at Sword beach, the troops also had to contend with high sea walls, much higher in places in 1944 compared to today, due to the build-up of sand over the last 81 years. (film footage of this landing shows soldiers carrying long scaling ladders).
Facing very stiff resistance, the Canadians suffered appalling casualties on the beach alone, and although numerically much less than on Omaha beach, in proportion to the size of the force involved, it was the highest casualty rate of the entire landings.
Once off the beach, progress was a hard slog, with vicious, sustained fighting in the streets, clearing houses room by room, and fighting in cellars and backyards. This continued during the day, street by street, house by house, until finally breaking out later on 6th June, into the countryside beyond, to the first objective inland, the airfield at Carpiquet, on the western outskirts of Caen - where the Canadians would face even tougher battles with the12th SS (Hitler Jugend) Panzer Division, in the following days.
We visited this area on two separate occasions, and the pics below were taken at St. Aubin sur Mer on the first visit, and show the map of the area, views of the beach, a memorial and a defensive strong-point, all detailed as shown below.
I'm getting a bit stiff and slightly painful at the moment, but I'll try to post some more later tonight or, if not, then sometime tomorrow.
Thanks yet again for the continued interest and kind comments, "likes" etc, and I'll be back soon(ish).
Pic 1. Map showing the area of Juno Beach.
Pics 2 and 3. Views eastward along the beach, from the road behind the sea wall. Note the proximity of the buildings, each one fortified, each one needing to be neutralised.
Pic 4. Well known photo of a P-47, washed ashore after ditching at sea, in the same location (details can be found on various Internet sites).
Pic 5. Memorial to Canadian Forces at Juno beach (apologies for the poor quality).
Pics 6 to 10. Wiederstandsnest 27 (WN 27). This is a 50 mm PAK, positioned for enfilading fire down the beach in both directions. The thick concrete bunker provides protection from direct fire from the seaward side, and also from the flanks, whilst allowing a clear field of fire.
This particular gun was responsible for a high number of casualties in the North Shore Regiment, and also damaged or destroyed some armoured vehicles, before eventually being put out of action
Great shots Terry!
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Juno Beach........ continued.
Still at St. Aubin sur Mer, with photos from both visits, the second time in much nicer weather.
We decided to take a break and grab some lunch here, choosing one of many beach-front cafes, mainly because it was directly opposite where we were standing, and it turned out be a good choice.
We then drove the short distance (3 km / 1.75 miles) west, to Berniers sur Mer, and our first view of "Canada House", which will be covered in a little more detail in the next post.
Pic 1. Looking west along the beach. Note the high sea walls.
Pic 2. View north over the now peaceful beach.
Pic 3. Karl and Mick walk the beach.
Pic 4. Our chosen cafe.
Pic 5. Mick, looking bemused (or maybe confused ?) at the great menu choice, which, of course, was in French !
Pic 6. Karl with some bloke doing an impersonation of Gollom ..........
Pic 7. The Platoon-size pan of Moules Mariniere that Karl ordered - fresh from the sea.
Pics 8 and 9. Arrival at Berniers sur Mer, and the D-Day Memorial. These can be found at every D-Day landings site in Normandy.
Pic 10. First view of "Canada House", next to the Memorial, taken from the rear quarter.
Back soon with the "Canada House" coverage ..................
Still at St. Aubin sur Mer, with photos from both visits, the second time in much nicer weather.
We decided to take a break and grab some lunch here, choosing one of many beach-front cafes, mainly because it was directly opposite where we were standing, and it turned out be a good choice.
We then drove the short distance (3 km / 1.75 miles) west, to Berniers sur Mer, and our first view of "Canada House", which will be covered in a little more detail in the next post.
Pic 1. Looking west along the beach. Note the high sea walls.
Pic 2. View north over the now peaceful beach.
Pic 3. Karl and Mick walk the beach.
Pic 4. Our chosen cafe.
Pic 5. Mick, looking bemused (or maybe confused ?) at the great menu choice, which, of course, was in French !
Pic 6. Karl with some bloke doing an impersonation of Gollom ..........
Pic 7. The Platoon-size pan of Moules Mariniere that Karl ordered - fresh from the sea.
Pics 8 and 9. Arrival at Berniers sur Mer, and the D-Day Memorial. These can be found at every D-Day landings site in Normandy.
Pic 10. First view of "Canada House", next to the Memorial, taken from the rear quarter.
Back soon with the "Canada House" coverage ..................
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Juno Beach - Berniers sur Mer.
This area of Juno Beach, at Berniers sur Mer, 3 km (1.75 miles) west of St.Aubin, and is where the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada landed, under heavy mortar, artillery and machine gun fire, at 07.15 hrs on the morning of June 6th.
The main objective of the QoR was the large house (now named "Canada House" in their honour), which, from aerial photos, was thought to be a railway station.
It wasn't, but it was heavily fortified, and around 100 Canadian soldiers were killed within site of this building, in the first few minutes of the landing.
The house (actually two, semi-detached houses) is thought to be the first house in France liberated during the seaborne landings, and can be seen in film footage and photos taken on D-Day and the days following.
Today, one half of the house is owned by the local authorities, and is destined to become a museum, whilst the other half has been owned by the Hoffer family since the 1970's and, after the early death of her husband, Mme. Nicole Hoffer has regularly opened her doors to Canadian veterans and their families.
The photos show the location of Berniers sur Mer, the house in 1944, and today.
Pic 1. Map showing the location at Berniers sur Mer with "Canada House" marked.
Pics 2 to 4. "Canada House" on D-Day, and in the background during the landings.( note height of sea wall, and bridging equipment)
Pic 5. German PoWs under guard by the sea wall, not far from the house. Note the height of the wall then, compared to today, in the next photo.
Pic 6. "Canada House" from the beach, showing how sand has built up since 1944.
Pic 7. Memorial plaque by the side of the house.
Pic s 8 and 9. Two further views of the house today.
The are a few articles on-line covering the events here, including an interesting video from CNN, produced last year.
Back soon with more of the coastal areas, including the battery at Longues-sur-Mer ..................
This area of Juno Beach, at Berniers sur Mer, 3 km (1.75 miles) west of St.Aubin, and is where the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada landed, under heavy mortar, artillery and machine gun fire, at 07.15 hrs on the morning of June 6th.
The main objective of the QoR was the large house (now named "Canada House" in their honour), which, from aerial photos, was thought to be a railway station.
It wasn't, but it was heavily fortified, and around 100 Canadian soldiers were killed within site of this building, in the first few minutes of the landing.
The house (actually two, semi-detached houses) is thought to be the first house in France liberated during the seaborne landings, and can be seen in film footage and photos taken on D-Day and the days following.
Today, one half of the house is owned by the local authorities, and is destined to become a museum, whilst the other half has been owned by the Hoffer family since the 1970's and, after the early death of her husband, Mme. Nicole Hoffer has regularly opened her doors to Canadian veterans and their families.
The photos show the location of Berniers sur Mer, the house in 1944, and today.
Pic 1. Map showing the location at Berniers sur Mer with "Canada House" marked.
Pics 2 to 4. "Canada House" on D-Day, and in the background during the landings.( note height of sea wall, and bridging equipment)
Pic 5. German PoWs under guard by the sea wall, not far from the house. Note the height of the wall then, compared to today, in the next photo.
Pic 6. "Canada House" from the beach, showing how sand has built up since 1944.
Pic 7. Memorial plaque by the side of the house.
Pic s 8 and 9. Two further views of the house today.
The are a few articles on-line covering the events here, including an interesting video from CNN, produced last year.
Back soon with more of the coastal areas, including the battery at Longues-sur-Mer ..................
fubar57
General
Very nice, Terry. When I first looked at photo #4, I had to admire the guys determination to try and ride the bike down the ramp and on to shore but enlarging it shows he"s pushing it 
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Couple of "off duty" pics whilst I sort the next few instalments ............
A4K
Brigadier General
Terry...awesome, awesome, awesome posts...
Many thanks again guys for the photos and coverage. I really missed out on an awesome trip.
Many thanks again guys for the photos and coverage. I really missed out on an awesome trip.
MiTasol
Captain
The poor gollum looks like he is freezing when the others are in Tee shirts.
Maybe he needed some good cognac to warm him up.
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Evan, thanks mate, and you really awesomely did miss out awesomely on an awesome trip !!
It had been a tad damp just a few minutes earlier, and Gollom thought it would be a lot easier retaining the waterproof jacket - otherwise TV and Media crews from all over France would have swamped the cafe, to cover the hilarious antics of an antique trying to remove his jacket !
Back in a few minutes with the start of the Gold Beach area visits.......
It had been a tad damp just a few minutes earlier, and Gollom thought it would be a lot easier retaining the waterproof jacket - otherwise TV and Media crews from all over France would have swamped the cafe, to cover the hilarious antics of an antique trying to remove his jacket !
Back in a few minutes with the start of the Gold Beach area visits.......
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Gold Beach.
Gold beach is the western most of the British and Canadian landing beaches, and stretches approximately 5 miles (8 km) from Ver sur Mer in the east, to Port en Bessin in the west.
British forces landed here on D-Day, and included XXX Corps, with 50th Infantry Division, 8th Armoured Brigade, 56th Infantry Brigade and 47 Commando.
Just one day after the landings, on June 7th, the first pre-fabricated, concrete "Pheonix" sections for an artificial harbour began to arrive and, within days "Mullberry B" was constructed, a vast, floating artificial harbour the size of Dover, five miles across, complete with landing docks, piers and roadways, which allowed over 6,000 tones of supplies to be landed daily.
This was around the coastal town of Arromanches, and sections of the breakwater can still be seen today, and will be shown later in this "tour".
When we drove westwards from the Juno beach area, we spotted a "Sexton" at the crossroads at La Riviere, Ver sur Mer, at the western extreme of Juno, just before the start of Gold beach.
The "Sexton" was a British self propelled gun, utilising a 25 pdr field gun, mounted on a modified American M4 chassis with an armoured, open-top fighting compartment, and proved to be a very effective piece of artillery, both during the actual landings, and throughout the Normandy campaign.
The example shown below saw action with the 86th Hertfordshire Yeomanry Field Regiment, and landed on Gold beach. This unit conducted "firing in" actions whilst still on the landing craft, that is, the "Sextons" laid down a barrage as the ships were still approaching the beaches, no doubt preventing at least some German positions from responding, as their crews would be taking cover.
Displayed with the "Sexton" is a very rare example of a "Porpoise", a metal sledge ammunition carrier, towed behind the vehicle.
Images below show a map of the British and Canadian landing beaches in relation to the American beaches, a map showing the area of Gold beach, a map and satellite view of the "Sexton" location, and photos of the "Sexton" and "Porpoise" sledge. (again, downloaded from my 'phone in a fairly small format, and enlarged as far as I dared).
Final pic is the downhill approach to Arromanches.
Back tomorrow with more coverage of Gold beach, Arromanches and beyond.
Gold beach is the western most of the British and Canadian landing beaches, and stretches approximately 5 miles (8 km) from Ver sur Mer in the east, to Port en Bessin in the west.
British forces landed here on D-Day, and included XXX Corps, with 50th Infantry Division, 8th Armoured Brigade, 56th Infantry Brigade and 47 Commando.
Just one day after the landings, on June 7th, the first pre-fabricated, concrete "Pheonix" sections for an artificial harbour began to arrive and, within days "Mullberry B" was constructed, a vast, floating artificial harbour the size of Dover, five miles across, complete with landing docks, piers and roadways, which allowed over 6,000 tones of supplies to be landed daily.
This was around the coastal town of Arromanches, and sections of the breakwater can still be seen today, and will be shown later in this "tour".
When we drove westwards from the Juno beach area, we spotted a "Sexton" at the crossroads at La Riviere, Ver sur Mer, at the western extreme of Juno, just before the start of Gold beach.
The "Sexton" was a British self propelled gun, utilising a 25 pdr field gun, mounted on a modified American M4 chassis with an armoured, open-top fighting compartment, and proved to be a very effective piece of artillery, both during the actual landings, and throughout the Normandy campaign.
The example shown below saw action with the 86th Hertfordshire Yeomanry Field Regiment, and landed on Gold beach. This unit conducted "firing in" actions whilst still on the landing craft, that is, the "Sextons" laid down a barrage as the ships were still approaching the beaches, no doubt preventing at least some German positions from responding, as their crews would be taking cover.
Displayed with the "Sexton" is a very rare example of a "Porpoise", a metal sledge ammunition carrier, towed behind the vehicle.
Images below show a map of the British and Canadian landing beaches in relation to the American beaches, a map showing the area of Gold beach, a map and satellite view of the "Sexton" location, and photos of the "Sexton" and "Porpoise" sledge. (again, downloaded from my 'phone in a fairly small format, and enlarged as far as I dared).
Final pic is the downhill approach to Arromanches.
Back tomorrow with more coverage of Gold beach, Arromanches and beyond.
fubar57
General
Wasn't aware of that sledge being used
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Also used by tanks, particularly Shermans, but not sure if this was only by British / Canadian units.
