Juno and Sword were the last of the  5 D Day beaches that made up Operation Overlord.

Just to note – I am not a military historian, so this is a very brief outline to provide some context to anyone who wants to visit the area. The museums are quite comprehensive and go into more detail if you want to know more!

Date: Tuesday, 6 June 1944

Time: 07:25 (Gold, Juno and Sword deployed at the same time)

What happened:

The 3rd Canadian Infantry Division along with the tanks of the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade and supported on their left flank by the British 48th Royal Marine Commando landed at Juno beach.

The British 3rd Infantry Division, supported by commando units from the Royal Marines and other Allied forces landed at Sword Beach

The primary objective was to secure the beach, move into the surrounding countryside and link up with other Allied units to create a cohesive front.

Places to visit today:

Canadian Memorial at Juno beach – this is a great museum. To enter the museum exhibits there is a short re-enactment of what it felt like to be on a D Day landing craft. The film at the very end is also quite interesting.

Le Grand Bunker Museum – this is a German bunker complex, part of Hitler’s Atlantic Wall and its huge…well le grand is about right! It just highlights how organised the Germans actually were as this bunker consists of multiple floors, including living quarters. I found the collection of German postage stamps from 1942 most interesting….

There are also 2 British memorials at Sword beach to visit.

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