78 years ago today

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Canadian forces disembark on D-Day, 78 years ago today:

https://vimeo.com/683985675

[Ganmain Tony]

Terrific that footage exists...
Thanks very much for sharing it Hanno.

[derk derin]

Thank you Hanno,
I texted the family a good morning this morning and also reminded them of what day it was today!
I hope people still remember the sacrifices that were made back then to protect our way of life and the freedoms we all enjoy today because of what they did back then.
Lest we Forget!
Derk

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Reportedly, this is the only known footage of Canadian troops landing on D-Day.

Watch one soldier patting his mate on his back just before they step out of the LCA.

[Ed Storey]

Canadians today have little appreciation of what is arguably the most famous D-Day cine film as it actually captured the North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment and British Beach Troops from the first wave as they left their respective LCAs to assault the German beachhead defences. The Canadian cine and still photography taken during the assault phase was so dramatic that it was the first imagery seen by the Eisenhower's Headquarters in England and eventually the White House in Washington DC.

The Canadians trumped their other Allied counterparts and part of their success was in how the raw footage was quickly dispatched back to England in Press bags like the one illustrated below.

IMG_6424 copy.jpg

Sadly, poor storage practices in the post-war era lead to a fire which destroyed the original films, including the outtakes, so only copies are left for us to study and enjoy.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Found this caption to go with the footage:

“Canadian troops of the North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment, 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade, 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, disembark from an LCA (Landing Craft Assault) onto Nan Red beach, Juno area, near St Aubin-sur-Mer, at about 8.00am on 6 June 1944, while under fire from German troops in the houses facing them.”

I have also uploaded it to YouTube as in some cases Vimeo requires viewers to log in.

https://youtu.be/lRi80cukb6g