by Lance Goddard, published in 2004.
I just love reading about World War 2 and how the Canadians played a pivotal role in the success against the German war machine.
This book, “D-Day: Juno Beach, Canada’s 24 Hours Of Destiny” is a somewhat different tale of that fateful day on the beaches of Normandy. It is a tale broken down by hour (24 of them as the title suggests) starting with the Canadian paratroopers who dropped behind enemy lines in France. And it is told from the eye witness perspective of Canadian troops - the ones who participated on June 6, 1944 - D-Day!
As a Canadian I can’t help but be very proud reading about how our country’s troops took Juno beach to help out in D-Day and secure a foothold in France leading to the defeat of Hitler and the Third Reich. But, at the same time, I can’t help feeling awfully sad as well. Such a horrible price to pay for freedom - but it had to be done and Canada was there, never faltering throughout the entire six years of the war.
Each chapter of this book is broken down into hours, and each hour has eye witness testimony from veterans who were there and taking part. Fascinating and horrifying at the same time.
Did you know that Canadian troops made it the farthest inland during D-Day? Did you know Canadian troops were the only troops to secure all of their objectives for D-Day? Did you know it was the Canadians who were the first troops to liberate a town in France?
Well it is all true, but it came with a price - over 340 dead and 1200 plus wounded - in one day. Some regiments were almost completely wiped out - The Winnipeg Rifles and Queen’s Own Rifles. But they prevailed.
If you want to know what it was like on D-Day, from either the sky, the sea or the beaches, this is the book to read. No glossed over history text, but real accounts of what happened. It’s not pretty, it’s not fun, but it is part of our heritage and should always be remembered.
This book was also part of a memorial museum which was erected on Juno beach as well as a film documentary. The citizens of France, even 50 years later, have never forgotten what the Canadians did for them on June 6, 1944. And we as Canadians should always remember too.
Lest we forget.