[Battleground Europe - WW II 01] • Juno Beach

By June 1944, Juno Beach, backed by a string of coastal resort towns and the small fishing port of Courseulles was a key part of Hitler's vaunted Atlantic Wall, with no less than four major strong points along its length. Centered on antitank guns, German pillboxes were sited to sweep the beaches with machine gun fire and were surrounded by belts of barbed wire and mines. Leading the attack were the 3rd Canadian Division, supported by the specialist assault tanks of the 79th Armoured division (Hobart s 'Funnies'!). The need for massive supporting firepower had been identified following the disaster that befell the Canadians during the Dieppe Raid. Despite careful planning and rehearsal, poor D Day weather led to a piecemeal landing and heroic individual battles in the streets of the seaside towns. Royal Marine Commandos distinguished themselves in the fight to link up the beachhead and overcome the massive defenses of the German Radar Station at Douvres.