T.Robert Fowler
  • Home
  • My Bio
  • My Books
    • First Chapter - Courage Rewarded
  • My Articles
  • Author Events
  • Blog
  • Contact Me

Remembering June 6, 1944 - Courage on Juno Beach

6/6/2017

0 Comments

 
As another anniversary of the landing on the beaches of Normandy in 1944 is marked on the calendar, we should pause to remember some of those men who showed remarkable courage on that day but have since been forgotten. Sixty five men received immediate awards for valour under fire on Juno Beach: 53 to men of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, 7 to those in the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade, and 3 to the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion.

Picture

Lance-Sergeant Walter Douglas Armstrong of the Regina Rifles is one of those who showed great determination as he faced his first test of combat. Despite heavy machine gun fire on the beach, he crawled forward until he located the enemy position that was pinning his unit down. Then he led two of his riflemen to clear out the enemy weapon trench, which allowed his company to move forward into one of their objectives, a building on the battalion’s flank. Armstrong was wounded in the leg during this advance, but did not reveal his injury when asked if he had been hit.  After taking out a German light machine gun position, he then crawled back to his company under fire, pin-pointed another machine gun position and then crawled to a position when he could support his unit with fire while it did a flanking movement against further  enemy opposition. Armstrong remained commanding his men, leading them forward, until later in the day he finally was ordered to go back to the beach dressing section for medical attention by his company commander. It was men like Lance-Sergeant Armstrong that ensured the Canadians captured their objectives on Juno Beach that day and advanced inland

0 Comments

    Author

    T. Robert Fowler, author, Canadian military history

    Archives

    October 2018
    December 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    November 2014
    August 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

    Categories

    All
    Afghanistan
    Canadian Forces
    Courage
    Coyote
    Decorations
    Kandahar
    Medals
    Rcd
    Royal Canadian Dragoons
    Smv

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • My Bio
  • My Books
    • First Chapter - Courage Rewarded
  • My Articles
  • Author Events
  • Blog
  • Contact Me