ARHEAD TOURS

Longues s/ Mer Battery - This site is an excellent example of a WWII German Coastal battery. Today a historic monument, Longues is considered to be a representative strongpoint for Hitler's Atlantic Wall in Normandy. Furthermore, it is the only German battery to retain three of its four original guns 150-mm  in situ!

Juno Beach (Graye s/ Mer) - At the western end of Juno Beach lies "Mike" Sector, a strip of beach assigned on June 6th, 1944 to the Royal Winnipegs. The so-called Cosy's bunker, part of the German defenses, still wears the scars of battle and hints to why Juno was the second worst place to land at after Omaha Beach. One of "Hobart's funnies", a Churchill AVRE tank retrieved in 1976, stands testimony to the remarkable Allied undertaking whereas an impressive Cross of Lorraine commemorates Gen. de Gaulle's arrival in Normandy shortly after D-Day.

Juno Beach (Bernieres s/ Mer) - The assault on "Nan White" sector was carried out by Queen's Own Rifles and La Chaudière Regiment, the latter being the only French speaking Canadian unit to land on D-Day. Given the roughness of the seas, the Q.O.R came in late and suffered heavy losses. Nowadays, “Canada House" is probably the most iconic landmark in the area and stands in remembrance of the valiant actions of the Canadian troops on D-Day

Juno Beach (Saint Aubin s/ Mer) – “Nan Red” represented the easternmost landing sector assigned to the Canadian forces. A long German pillbox housing a 50-mm gun helps the visitor understand the bitterness of the fight that involved the North Shore Regiment. Landing alongside the latter on the extreme left, 48th Royal Marine Commando would ultimately push through Langrune and link up with the 41st Commando advancing from Sword to complete, by D+1, the Anglo-Canadian beachhead.

Beny Reviers Cemetery – The first of two Canadian cemeteries created in Normandy during the campaign, this is the final resting place for 2,048 men. Maintained by the CWGC, the graveyard gives the real measure of the Canadian sacrifice. More than 15% of the dead are men who had fallen on D-Day. At Beny were also to be interred some of the 156 Canadians murdered by the members of the SS during the summer of 1944.

Buron, Authie, Abbeye d’Ardenne – Starting from the beginning of the Normandy campaign, these three places became synonymous with murder. The Canadian drive on to Carpiquet Airfield was halted abruptly on D+1 by the intervention of the German 12th SS Division. The stiff German resistance was backed by a series of crimes committed by the members of this “Hitlerjugend” division. At or close to Ardenne Abbey (photo 2), 20 Canadians were executed in cold blood by the sadistic members of the SS. Today, the Abbey and its garden of remembrance tell a very moving story about one of the even darker sides of the war.