Second World War (1939-1945)
The Navy in European Waters  - D-Day and the Normandy Landings

Over 100 Canadian warships and some 10,000 Canadian sailors supported D-Day, the 6 June 1944 landings in Normandy. Canadian ships and sailors helped protect the invasion fleet, cleared German minefields, and ferried Allied troops across the Channel.

LCI(L) 249 at Bernières-sur-Mer, 6 June 1944

This photograph taken from landing craft LCI(L) 249 shows the beach at Bernières-sur-Mer, with Allied tanks and troops fighting German defenders.

Taken at about 9:00 AM, it gives a detailed view of the state of the beach a little more than an hour after the first landings. Canadian and British personnel are sheltering from enemy fire behind the sea-wall (centre), while two amphibious tanks remain near the water's edge. LCI(L) 249, already damaged by a mine, is unloading engineers, some of whom carry demolition charges to help clear the beaches of enemy obstacles and defences.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 20020039-001_p20b