Canadian Airborne Forces since 1942

INTO BATTLE, 1944–45: The Normandy invasion

By spring 1944 it was merely a matter of time before the Canadian paratroopers would be tested in battle; the storming of Hitler’s Festung Europa was close at hand. The planning and preparation for the invasion of Europe was now in the final stages, and missions had already been assigned.

The British 6th Airborne Division would be responsible for protecting the east or left flank of the British 3rd Infantry Division, which was to land on Sword Beach west of the little seaside resort of Ouistreham. In their turn, 3 Para Bde were given a daunting series of tasks: destroying the coastal defence battery at Merville, demolishing the bridges over the River Dives in the area of Cabourg and Troarn, and controlling the high ridge centred on the small village of Le Mesnil that dominated the landing beaches from the east. Moreover, Le Mesnil was a vital crossroads on the Cabourg–Caen highway, and thus critical for German efforts to manoeuvre in response to the invasion. The brigade also had the additional responsibility of harassing and disrupting the German lines of communication and defensive efforts to the greatest extent possible.

Brigadier Hill assigned 1 Cdn Para Bn the responsibility of covering the left flank of the brigade’s drop zone and protecting its movements within the DZ. The battalion was also given three primary missions to be carried out in the eastern and central areas of the Robehomme–Varaville–Le Mesnil sector. The battalion’s A Company was responsible for the defence and protection of 9 Para Bn’s left flank during its approach march and attack on the Merville battery. Meanwhile B Coy, with one section of the Para Engineer Sqn, were tasked to blow up two bridges spanning the River Dives. Initially C Coy was given a Pathfinder mission; thereafter it was to destroy a German headquarters and bridge, as well as neutralizing enemy positions at Varaville.

At 2230 hours on 5 June 1944, members of C Coy, 1 Cdn Para Bn emplaned in Albemarles and left from Harwell airfield to commence the liberation of Occupied Europe. These paratroopers were part of the invasion Pathfinder element tasked with locating, securing and preparing the DZs for the main airborne assault. The remainder of the battalion proceeded to Down Ampney airfield and emplaned in Douglas C-47 Dakotas; they were in the air by 2300 hours. The nation’s first paratroopers were about to write a new page in Canadian military history, founding what would become a proud airborne tradition.

The battalion crossed the Channel, and jumped into France between 0030 hours and 0130 hours on 6 June. Like those of virtually all the Allied airborne units that night, the Canadian drops were badly scattered over a wide area as a result of the lack of navigational aids, and of the thick dust and smoke that drifted over the drop zones from the heavy bombing of nearby targets. Heavy enemy anti-aircraft fire also panicked many of the pilots into taking immediate evasive action, which only magnified the difficulty of delivering the paratroopers accurately to their objectives. On the first drop alone, only 30 of a possible 110 paratroopers of C Coy landed on their DZ, and the subsequent drops were no better: the second group, made up of the main body of the battalion, was scattered over an area 40 times greater than planned. To add to the problems, many of the extra leg-bags that the men were carrying ripped open with the shock of parachute opening, scattering the unit’s vital heavy machine guns, mortars and anti-tank weapons across the Normandy countryside. This significantly reduced the firepower available to the airborne soldiers in the critical days that followed.

In the midst of this growing chaos, the physical and psychological toughness honed by careful training showed its value. The paratroopers, as individuals and as a unit, not only persevered but actually flourished despite the unexpected situations and set-backs. By the end of the day their resilience had enabled them to attain all their assigned objectives – with less than 30 per cent of the troops and equipment originally allocated to these tasks. Having completed their allotted missions, the surviving paratroopers dug in to hold the ground for which they had fought so ferociously. The use of the US, British and Canadian paratroopers – essentially lightly equipped assault troops – to hold ground in Normandy against prolonged enemy attacks was a controversial distortion of their proper role; but despite heavy losses, 1 Cdn Para Bn held off all German counter-attacks until the eventual Allied break-out.

By the middle of August 1944 the tide had finally turned in the Normandy bocage country, where the British divisions had held the great majority of the German armour while the US beachhead expanded and created the conditions for the break-out. As part of 3 Para Bde, 1 Cdn Para Bn was back on the offensive for the first time since the Normandy drop. Beginning on 16 August, and continuing for the next ten days, the unit participated in an advance and a series of attacks against the German rearguard, until it was finally pulled out of the line to prepare for planned future airborne operations. On 4 September 1944, 1 Cdn Para Bn began its departure from France, and returned to its adopted home at Bulford Camp three days later. The battalion had unquestionably distinguished itself in its first campaign, though at great cost. During the three-month period between 6 June and 6 September 1944, of the original 547 paratroops who dropped on D-Day, 83 were killed, 187 were wounded and 87 became prisoners of war – a casualty rate of 65 per cent.