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L'assaut final

The liberation of Caen.

The first British troops in Caen pose with the residents in front of the devastated shops.

The Allies had predicted that the great Normandy city of Caen, a major crossroads, would be taken on D-Day. But at the beginning of July 1944, Caen still had not been liberated.

Canada in World War II

Canadian infantry landing at Juno Beach and marching toward Bernières-sur-Mer, 6 June 1944.

L'infanterie canadienne débarque sur la plage de Juno Beach et marche en direction de Bernières-sur-Mer, le 6 juin 1944. Source Archives Nationales du Canada.

On 7 September 1939, the Canadian Parliament met in a special session and two days later gave its support to Great Britain and France, which had been at war with Germany since 3 September.

Normandy - Falaise Pocket

Canadian soldiers entering the city of Falaise. Source: Basse-Normandie Regional Council / National Archives of Canada

Nearly surrounded and under pressure from all sides, two German armies organised their retreat during the Battle of the Falaise Pocket.

Arromanches harbour

Aerial view of Mulberry artificial harbour at Arromanches, September 1944. Source: Imperial War Museum

Operation Jubilee, Dieppe – 19 August 1942

The port of Dieppe and the cliffs seen from beach at Puys, 2002. Source: Private collection

With the German attack on the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941, the Japanese aggression on the American base at Pearl Harbor the following 7 December and the United States' subsequent entry into the war, the conflict became a World War.

Protecting our memorial heritage

Fréjus (on left) - Tunisia (on right)

The origins of remembrance tourism

Between the 17th and the 20th centuries, France was the site of a great number
of armed conflicts which left behind many remnants as a lasting legacy.

La Victoire... et ensuite ?

14 July 1945

Défilé du 14 juillet 1945 à Paris. Vue aérienne de la place de la Bastille. ©ecpa>d

From the Arc de Triomphe to Place de la Nation and taking in Place de la Bastille where the official stand was located, the crowd gathered on the parade route through Paris adorned with tricolours. After an interruption lasting six years the French national holiday was again celebrated with Europe finally at peace and the country liberated.

August 1944 – The 2nd Armoured Division in Normandy

A Sherman M4 of the 12th regiment of Chasseurs d'Afrique of the 2nd Armoured Division landing from a Landing Ship Tank in Normandy in August 1944. Source: U.S. Federal Government, royalty-free

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