German Defences--The Atlantic Wall
The Germans used millions of slave labourers during four years of occupation to construct the 'Atlantic Wall' - a modern fortification system along the coast of France. The fortifications consisted of a series of reinforced concrete gun emplacements supported by well protected infantry strong-points and heavy machine gun nests overlooking the beaches. These were surrounded by trenches with mortars and machine guns. The beaches were strewn with obstacles and mines. Tetrahedral obstacles - three iron bars intersecting at rights angles had been constructed on the beaches. Fields of barbed wire and mines covered the land past the beaches. Also the seafront houses provided excellent observation and firing positions for snipers. There were 32 static infantry Divisions of widely varying quality defending these fortifications along the French and Dutch coast. This first line of defence was backed up by Panzer Divisions (armoured and motorized divisions) positioned inland from the Atlantic wall. The strategy was, if the Atlantic wall were breached, theses elite formations of crack mobile troops would strike as soon as possible after the landing and throw the Canadians and the Allies back into the sea. Within striking distance of the coast were five first-class divisions: the 21st Panzer Division with an estimated 350 tanks, the 12th SS with 150 tanks, the Panzer Lehr Division in the Le Mans area and two more tank divisions in the Seine. The proximity of 12th SS and 21st Panzer Divisions made it difficult for the British and Canadians to capture their objectives of Caen on D-Day.The coastal defences along Juno beach were defended by 3 battalions of the 716th Infantry Division with a strength of 7,771 soldiers all ranks. Although the division was made up of ordinary second rate troops, they proved to be strong defenders when concealed and protected by the coastal fortifications. The German plan was for the 716th Division to delay the Allied advance with artillery, mortars, mines and anti-tank guns until reinforcements from the 12th SS and 21st Panzer Divisions positioned near Caen could arrive. The 12th SS Division positioned 50 miles behind the coast had 20,540 men and a full establishment of 150 tanks. The 12th SS was a fanatical Hitler Youth formation raised to believe in the German master race and the Fuhrer. Two thirds of these soldiers were18 years of age and had received sophisticated battle training starting at the age of 16. They were a dangerous combination of patriotism, self righteousness and brutality. Colonel Kurt Meyer commanded three battalions of the 25th Panzer Grenadier Regiment. Meyer and the 12th SS would become the nemesis of the Canadian Army in Normandy.
9th Brigade (http://members.shaw.ca/junobeach/juno-4-11.htm)
The 9th Brigade consisting of the Highland Light Infantry, Stormont Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders, and North Nova Scotia Highlanders regiments landed later in the morning. The Sherbrooke Fusiliers tanks (27th Armoured Regiment) provided tank support to the brigade.
At 10:50 a.m. Divisional Headquarters ordered the 9th Brigade to land. The preferred plan was to land the 9th Brigade at St.Aubin and Bernières and alternatively Courseulles. Then the 9th Brigade would pass through the lead brigade and head to the divisional objective, the high ground around Carpiquet airport. Based on the information General Rod Keller had received, he made the decision to land the 9th Brigade at St.Aubin and Bernières. He did not know at the time the Navy had closed Nan red beach at St. Aubin because of the enemy gun still in action there. The entire brigade was forced to land at Bernières and the resulting traffic jam on the one road leading to Beny-sur-Mer caused a critical delay for the 9th Brigade's advance.
The North Nova Scotia Highlanders, commanded by Lt.-Col. C. Petch, landed at 11:40 a.m. The narrow beach was already packed with troops from 8th Brigade. The narrow streets were jammed with impatient troops, bicycles, vehicles and tanks. At 12:05 Brigade Headquarters reported, "Beaches crowded, standing off waiting to land"; but fifteen minutes later it signalled that the brigade commander had landed and the units were moving to their assembly area near Beny.
The severe congestion around Bernières slowed the movement and the battalions halted on the outskirts of the village. The North Nova Scotia Highlanders who were in the lead, did not move on towards Beny until 4:05 p.m. They were accompanied by the 27th Armoured Regiment (The Sherbrooke Fusiliers Regiment), commanded by Lt.-Col. M. B. K. Gordon, and were followed by the other battalions of the brigade, The Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders (Lt.-Col. G. H. Christiansen) and The Highland Light Infantry of Canada (Lt.-Col. F. M. Griffiths).
At 6:20 p.m. the North Nova Scotias and the Sherbrooke Fusiliers Regiment tanks, acting as the brigade's advanced guard, moved off from the assembly area at Beny to pass through the Queen's Own and the Chaudière and carry the advance southward. Three companies of the Highlanders rode on the Sherbrookes' tanks. Machine-gun fire held up the advance along the way and in the vicinity of Colomby-sur-Thaon 'A' Company met opposition which caused further delay. The North Nova Scotia's reached Villons-les-Buissons by 2000 hours and ran into more German resistance. It was now evident that the advanced guard units could not reach their objective in the Carpiquet area before dark. They received the order to halt and begin digging in. The infantry and tanks accordingly formed a fortress in the area Anisy-Villons-les-Buissons. The brigade's other battalions were still in the assembly area at Beny.
They were less then 4 miles from Carpiquet airfield, the final divisional objective. But with the rest of the brigade strung out on the road from Beny, and the fear of a counter attack from either the 12th SS Panzer or 21st Panzer division, it was decided to secure their positions and the bridgehead.
The 9th Brigade consisting of the Highland Light Infantry, Stormont Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders, and North Nova Scotia Highlanders regiments landed later in the morning. The Sherbrooke Fusiliers tanks (27th Armoured Regiment) provided tank support to the brigade.
At 10:50 a.m. Divisional Headquarters ordered the 9th Brigade to land. The preferred plan was to land the 9th Brigade at St.Aubin and Bernières and alternatively Courseulles. Then the 9th Brigade would pass through the lead brigade and head to the divisional objective, the high ground around Carpiquet airport. Based on the information General Rod Keller had received, he made the decision to land the 9th Brigade at St.Aubin and Bernières. He did not know at the time the Navy had closed Nan red beach at St. Aubin because of the enemy gun still in action there. The entire brigade was forced to land at Bernières and the resulting traffic jam on the one road leading to Beny-sur-Mer caused a critical delay for the 9th Brigade's advance.
The North Nova Scotia Highlanders, commanded by Lt.-Col. C. Petch, landed at 11:40 a.m. The narrow beach was already packed with troops from 8th Brigade. The narrow streets were jammed with impatient troops, bicycles, vehicles and tanks. At 12:05 Brigade Headquarters reported, "Beaches crowded, standing off waiting to land"; but fifteen minutes later it signalled that the brigade commander had landed and the units were moving to their assembly area near Beny.
The severe congestion around Bernières slowed the movement and the battalions halted on the outskirts of the village. The North Nova Scotia Highlanders who were in the lead, did not move on towards Beny until 4:05 p.m. They were accompanied by the 27th Armoured Regiment (The Sherbrooke Fusiliers Regiment), commanded by Lt.-Col. M. B. K. Gordon, and were followed by the other battalions of the brigade, The Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders (Lt.-Col. G. H. Christiansen) and The Highland Light Infantry of Canada (Lt.-Col. F. M. Griffiths).
At 6:20 p.m. the North Nova Scotias and the Sherbrooke Fusiliers Regiment tanks, acting as the brigade's advanced guard, moved off from the assembly area at Beny to pass through the Queen's Own and the Chaudière and carry the advance southward. Three companies of the Highlanders rode on the Sherbrookes' tanks. Machine-gun fire held up the advance along the way and in the vicinity of Colomby-sur-Thaon 'A' Company met opposition which caused further delay. The North Nova Scotia's reached Villons-les-Buissons by 2000 hours and ran into more German resistance. It was now evident that the advanced guard units could not reach their objective in the Carpiquet area before dark. They received the order to halt and begin digging in. The infantry and tanks accordingly formed a fortress in the area Anisy-Villons-les-Buissons. The brigade's other battalions were still in the assembly area at Beny.
They were less then 4 miles from Carpiquet airfield, the final divisional objective. But with the rest of the brigade strung out on the road from Beny, and the fear of a counter attack from either the 12th SS Panzer or 21st Panzer division, it was decided to secure their positions and the bridgehead.
On D-Day the 716th Infantry Division took the main weight of the Canadian assault and was virtually destroyed. By evening they had lost 80% of their artillery. The 21st Panzer Division was into action early on D-Day, unsuccessfully attacking the British Airborne to win back some of the bridges at Ranville-Benouvile. In the early afternoon the 192nd Panzer Regiment of the Division counterattacked the British on the west side of the Orne river. Parts of the regiment broke through to the coast but by 2100 hours had been stopped by the British. Having lost 25 % of its armour and no prospect of reinforcement, the regiment fought its way back to Caen.
At 1505 hours General Speidal ordered the 21st Panzer Division, 12th SS Division and Panzer Lehr to be grouped under 1st Panzer Corps for a coordinated attack at the Anglo-Canadian bridgehead. The plan to rapidly commit armoured divisions to prevent the Allies from consolidating their positions had assumed that the armour would be in position and coastal defences were capable of holding the allied advance. By this time however, the Canadians had decimated the German regiments defending the coastal positions and advanced miles inland. With the 21st engaged against the British and the reserve divisions arriving in pieces it became difficult to launch this coordinated counter attack.
The German Counterattacks
The 12th SS moved forward towards the front starting at dawn on D-Day but air attacks slowed their advance. The division's vanguard, the 25th Panzer Grenadier Regiment, commanded by Colonel Kurt Meyer moved into the area west of Caen. Meyer established his headquarters in the Ardennes Abbey on June 7 (D-Day + 1) and discovered the Canadian 9th Brigade advancing toward Carpiquet airport. The 25th Panzer Grenadiers attacked the exposed Canadian flank with two battalions supported by tanks. The Germans struck with great force and in vicious close quarter battles forced the Canadians out of Authie and Buron after heavy losses in tanks and men.
In defence, the Canadians infantry proved as stubbornly ferocious as the Germans, especially once they were able to bring their artillery to bear. In Normandy artillery was the most lethal weapon on both sides, causing three out of every four wounds. Supported by the big guns of a British cruiser, and the 12 remaining Sherbrooke Fusiliers tanks, the 9th Brigade fought their way back in forcing the Germans in turn to withdraw from Buron. The vanguard of the 9th Brigade was decimated. The North Nova Scotia casualties were 84 killed, 30 wounded and 128 captured. The Sherbrookes casualties were 26 killed and 34 wounded along with 28 tanks destroyed or damaged. The Germans had also paid, the Sherbrookes claiming to have destroyed up to 35 German tanks, thus reducing the effectiveness of the 25th Panzer Grenadier Regiment.
At dawn on June 8th the 26th Panzer Grenadier Regiment of the 12th SS attacked the Canadian 7th Brigade that had advanced up to the Caen-Bayeux road. The Germans attacked the town of Putot-en-Bessin with two battalions and surrounded the Winnipeg Rifles. The Canadian Scottish supported by the 1st Hussars moved back into the village under a creeping artillery barrage. After two hours of fierce fighting the Canadians recaptured Putot-en-Bessin and linked up with the remnants of the Winnipegs still holding on.
A third German battalion attacked Bretteville. The Regina Rifles stubbornly defended the town and the battle raged all night in the village streets. At dawn the next morning the 12th SS retreated after suffering heavy losses. To stop the German counter attack the Canadians paid a high price. The Winnipeg Rifles lost 256 men including 105 killed. The Canadian Scottish lost 125 men, including 45 killed while the Regina Rifles losses were smaller.
Many of the Winnipeg Rifles had been taken prisoner and were among the 45 Canadians executed by the 12th SS at the Abbey of Ardenne on June 8th. The previous day, 23 Canadian prisoners from the North Novas and Sherbrookes were shot by the men of the 12th SS. After the war Kurt Meyer would be held responsible for these war crimes and sentenced to death, a sentence later commuted to life imprisonment.
BURON Calvados - 5 km north-west of CaenThe revenge of the Highland 
Light InfantryOn 8 July 1944, the Ist British Corps launched the Operation Charnwood, the objectives were the German positions north and north-west of Caen. Buron had been already the field of fierce fighting on 7 June, the Canadians had been badly mauled. On 8 July, artillery preparation was heavy, 80,000 shells were fired within five days in the Caen sector. At dawn the Canadians of the Highland Light Infantry, of the 3rd Infantry Division, spanned an anti tank ditch in front of Buron, they fought hand to hand with the SS grenadiere. At 4:30 pm a shell fell on the Canadian staff and caused several casualties. In the evening the Canadians counted their losses : 262 men. The following day the attack was renewed and Buron was finally taken to the SS around 10:00 pm, the town was strewn with dead Canadian and German bodies.
Light InfantryOn 8 July 1944, the Ist British Corps launched the Operation Charnwood, the objectives were the German positions north and north-west of Caen. Buron had been already the field of fierce fighting on 7 June, the Canadians had been badly mauled. On 8 July, artillery preparation was heavy, 80,000 shells were fired within five days in the Caen sector. At dawn the Canadians of the Highland Light Infantry, of the 3rd Infantry Division, spanned an anti tank ditch in front of Buron, they fought hand to hand with the SS grenadiere. At 4:30 pm a shell fell on the Canadian staff and caused several casualties. In the evening the Canadians counted their losses : 262 men. The following day the attack was renewed and Buron was finally taken to the SS around 10:00 pm, the town was strewn with dead Canadian and German bodies.===================================================================
July 1941
HLI sails for Great Britain from Halifax.
1941-1944
Training in Britain. Regiment is trimmed from its original 1200 to just over 800 men.
June 6, 1944
The Highland Light Infantry lands in Normandy as the reserve batallion.
July 8, 1944
HLI takes the village of Buron NW of Caen suffering heavy casualties.
October 1944
Battle of the Scheldt: HLI part of the Third Division clearing of the heavily guarded approaches to key Belgian port of Antwerp (one of the few not destroyed by the Germans)
Winter 1945
Clearing of the Rhine River in Germany
Spring 1945
Liberation of Holland
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