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MY RETURN TO NORMANDY- 60 YEARS LATER
by: Herb Danter
As an artillery FOO with the 4th Canadian Armoured Division during the Normandy campaign from June 6th until Aug 10,1944, I was invited, along with another Normandy vet, to be a guest of the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada on their recent D-Day return to Normandy.
I felt very honoured to be accepted by this fine group since the Queen's Own were the first Allied Unit to land on "D" Day and the only Unit (Regiment) to meet it's objective on that fateful day, albeit not without a very high casualty rate. It was a very busy trip for us with what seemed like non-stop parades and ceremonies as the QOR were hailed and honoured in every town, village, and hamlet on the Maple Leaf route through Normandy.
Former FOO in the Royal Canadian Artillery- Mr Herb Danter pictured with the the reknowned 25pdr, this one at Sword Beach is said to have been used during the D-Day landings.
(all photos: J Cowie - some have also appeared in Convoy Magazine #16)
To digress, the weather that we encountered in France was a carbon copy of the weather conditions back here at home during our visit.- Hot, sunny and humid one day and cool and rainy the next. We can blame the proximity of the English Channel for much of that I suppose.
On Wednesday evening 2 June we met as a group in Toronto's Pearson International Airport and departed from the new # 1 terminal with our destination being the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, France. Pearson's # 1 airport not being quite finished, we were bussed over to the #2 or # 3 airport to board our Air Canada's Boeing 767 flight to Paris around 9 in the evening.
Thursday, 3 June - we arrived in Paris in the A.M. and this airport,- the Charles de Gaulle was only half open to accommodate all the regular travellers arriving due to the collapse of half of the roof of the building, so, you can imagine the stress and turmoil that we all went through after a sleepless night aboard the aircraft getting to Paris. Finally, we boarded our coach and after a four hour trip we arrived at our hotel in a small village called Bolbec in Normandy. This little town is about a two-hour drive to Caen and the same time of travel to Juno Beach.
A reflective moment in the bus as old memories begin to return from far in the past, memories of comrades, battles, good times, bad times...just one of several moments when us old soldiers are very much alone with our thoughts
On Friday 4 June - we participated in the cavalcade of Veterans along the Normandy coast, (boy! was it cold) afterwards we paid an emotional visit to the Abbaye d'Ardenne to have a memorial service for 20 Canadian P O W 's that were murdered by the Hitler Jugend Division. Later, we travelled back to visit the Canadian Military Cemetery at Beny-Sur–Mer. We returned to the cemetery the next day (June 5) for “official” Franco-Canadian ceremonies, and on both occasions it was a very emotional experience.
Sunday June 6th of course was “D-Day” with the official Government of Canada ceremony and events taking place. After the necessary speeches by Her Majesty and the Prime Minister of Canada and other dignitaries, we proceeded to Berniers-sur-Mer where the Normandy Veterans were awarded the Normandy Chest Badge to all Veterans of the Battle Of Normandy.
Here I'm laying a wreath in memory to our fallen comrades on behalf of the Limber Gunners Association at the Juno Centre Memorial. "They shall not grow old, as we who are left grow old. At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them". After all this time, every year and on every occasion I hear those words, the faces and memories come back in a flood of emotion.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II speaks to Canadian veterans at the Juno Centre on the 60th anniversary of D-day. Note Canadian Victoria Cross winner Ernest A. "Smokey" Smith at extreme right.
Monday 7 June: We visited Carpiquet where the Queen's Own with four other Canadian Regiments liberated the airport at a terrific cost in casualties.
Tuesday 8 June: We held a memorial ceremony and wreath laying at the Canadian Military cemetery at Breteville-sur-Laize - Cintheaux
Wednesday 9 June: A presentation of Commemorative Certificates to us Normandy Veterans. in the Caen Memorial Centre.
All Normandy veterans received commemorative certificates of thanks at the Caen Centre. Here Herb Danter gets a hearty handshake of thanks. Canadians were involved in extremely heavy fighting in the Caen area.
Thursday 10 June: On this Day we visited Vimy Ridge and it was a cold rainy dismal day, (perhaps appropriate weather as we visited the trenches. Even though I’m a veteran of WWII and had experienced some pretty awful times, I still don't think that any of my comrades, (or myself) would have put up what these poor chaps went through! As we had unpleasant weather ourselves, the day being very cloudy and rainy, we were unable to record our visit, but I'm sure that enough footage of film and recorded history has been done about Vimy that we don't have to worry about any lost footage
Now on Friday 11 June we visited the main "D" Day Beaches, Sword, Gold (Juno) and Omaha (the American sector)..incredible to look at it now, and to imagine and remember what we all went through in what was really an impossible task.
Armed French soldiers patrol the beach area (both on land and in boats) as part of extremely heavy security surrounding the events.
After this we went back to our billets and the next A.M. Saturday 12 June we visited the town of Auguermy where we held a ceremony when the town inaugurated a street to be called the Queen's Own Rifles Of Canada Street. 13 June: Back to Paris and home the next day
Well, here are some general impressions:
As soon as I boarded the Plane for Paris I felt years younger (so long as I didn't look in any mirrors) and remained so during the trip despite a busy 12 day schedule with the lack of sleep and a different diet.
I was certainly impressed by the sincerity of the people of Normandy - Lo! after 60 years they seemed just as grateful as the day they were liberated. They were so kind and obliging to us that you not only felt a great sense of pride in being a Canadian Vet but in a way you also felt humble - it was a funny feeling - hard to describe.
At the Canadian War Cemetery in Beny we were so close to tears that we were almost afraid to look at one another for fear of breaking down - Why!, after all these years with all the ensuing problems that we have faced in losing loved ones at home and with all the other traumatic events that we encountered do we still lose our composure when we pay homage to our Fallen Comrades of 60 years ago? When looking at these same beaches 60 years after the fact - boy! it was hard to bring things into focus - something which I couldn't quite comprehend - bad memories clashed with the good memories so I guess this is where the calvados came to our rescue.(good excuse to imbibe eh?)
Of course we still had lots of FUN - FUN - FUN!. In Normandy we found the calvados (a.k.a. white lightning) to be as potent as ever and we also drank our fair share of the Norman beer. The only thing that I missed was a good large cup of Canadian made coffee - the French drink black thick stuff in small demitasse? cups ( if that's what they're called) with pieces of chocolate and cubes of sugar in the saucers. Oh yes! and don't forget the good Canadian breakfast of bacon/ham/sausages and eggs, toast, home-fries and jam or marmalade.
The famous Hawker Typhoon "Tiffy" in the Caen centre with its 8 x 60lb rockets "I was witness to the destructive power of this plane and rockets in the slaughter of German soldiers, horses, and vehicles along the Caen Falaise road"
We found the people in Paris quite indifferent to tourists (especially Canadian War Veterans) but I suppose this is par for the course in any large City. The only friendly ones seemed to be the Mademoiselles des Boulevards (I'm only kidding - wishful thinking!) Give me the small towns and /or villages of Normandy any day.
Overall, it was a terrific experience - a trip which will probably not be repeated - with WW II Vets involved with anyway. But when you get Home you notice that people (most of them) were unaware of this great event in History. Thanks to our education system a lot of kids and grown ups too don't know anything about the Second World War, nor of Canada's huge and extremely vital contribution toward the final victory.
I guess the people in Normandy through their grateful attitude spoiled us. UBIQUE
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