“Hard fighting would follow for those who landed on 6 June, but by the end of the month the soldiers
of 3rd Division and 2nd Armoured Brigade had beaten off the German armour which threatened to penetrate
the Mue Valley and reach the Channel Coast. They were now veterans.” The Expert: Dr. Stephen Harris,
CD, PhD, Directorate of History and Heritage, Canadian Armed Forces
It began on Juno Beach, and it continued at Buron, Autie, Carpiquet, Caen, Falaise. The D-Day landings of
June 6, 1944, were a success. But the costly path to victory in Normandy would take Canada’s troops through
towns and villages, where they became embroiled in a battle of attrition against some of the enemy’s best
troops: the elite Panzer divisions. Steeled by combat experience, the wary soldier from the 2019 Proof Dollar
is now the image of steely resolve on this 1 oz. pure silver coin. The latest instalment in the
Second World War: Battlefront Series commemorates the 75th anniversary of the Normandy Campaign
(June 6-August 30, 1944). While this coin shows Canadian troops advancing beyond the beaches, D-Day
and the beginning of the Liberation of Western Europe are represented by sound waves that stand in for
the “V” for “Victory” radio signal.
Commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Normandy Campaign with this poignant coin.
Designed by Brad Anderson, the reverse finds a Canadian infantry soldier advancing during the
Normandy Campaign (June 6-August 30, 1944). He is flanked by an LCA carrier used at Juno Beach,
and a Sherman III D-Drive tank that symbolizes Canada’s armored divisions. To mark the beginning
of the Liberation of Western Europe, the air is filled with the “sound” of victory ringing out in the form
of sound waves, which represent “V” for “Victory” in Morse code—a nod to D-Day radio broadcasts.
The obverse features the effigy of King George VI by T. H. Paget.
It marked the opening of a Second Front and the beginning of the Liberation of Western Europe. But if
the D-Day landings caught the enemy unawares, the push inland brought Canadians face to face with the
backbone of the enemy fighting force.
Moving through the Mue and Orne river valleys, the 3rd Canadian Division and 2nd Canadian Armored
Brigade fought to protect the beachhead and prevent a counter-offensive, but their advance was stalled by
the enemy’s armored reserves.
The Canadian spearhead suffered heavy losses at Buron and Authie, where it first encountered the 12th
SS Panzer Division; and it was forced to retreat from Putot-en-Bassin before recapturing it. On 11-12 June,
Canadian and British units were able to push the Germans out of the town of Rots, but the Canadian attack
on Le Mesnil-Patry was repulsed with heavy losses. Although they continued to fight forward, that was the
last major attack that month.
With the bridgehead finally secure, in July 2nd Canadian Infantry Division and 4th Canadian Armored
Division joined the fray as 21 Army Group clawed its way forward. There was heavy fighting for Caen, on
the approaches to Falaise, and in the final battles that trapped what remained of the enemy forces in Normandy
and opened the way to the Seine. Total casualties between D Day and 23 August numbered 18,444, of
which 5,021 were fatal.
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