Remembering the Holocaust and Juno Beach

When we made the decision to go to Paris and meet up with one of our dear friends there, a bucket list item we all had in common was making a pilgrimage to Normandy and the beaches where D-Day took place. Jean and I had an interest in World War II history and have been avid readers of the politics and battles of this event since our teens. Coincidentally, when we met in our late 40s, both of us had read some of the same books and had also visited Dachau concentration camp outside of Munich. I had also been in air cadets and a reserve force officer, so had developed much interest in military history and had been privileged to hear stories from many veterans over the years. I had also learned that one branch of my maternal grandparents may have had Jewish ancestry several generations back but, with all the progroms against Jews in Europe, had converted to Catholicism for survival - their names were Sarah and Levi, not common for German Catholics.

Before going to Caen and Juno Beach in Normandy, we had walked through Cimetière du Père-Lachaise in Paris, the final resting place of notable personalities - Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Gertrude Stein, and many others. We managed to find the grave site of Edith Pilaf. There were also several memorials to the victims of deportations and the Holocaust; one for almost every concentration or death camp that French Jews had been sent to - Dachau, Ravensbrűck, Bergen-Belsen, Auschwitz-Birkenau, and so forth. There was also a memorial to the non-Jews who had been sent to the various camps. I remember well my visit to Dachau at the age of 16 and the huge impression it made on me and my friend, Judy; we both experienced a profound heaviness as we walked through the grounds, the restored barracks, the gas chamber area, and crematorium. Hard to explain, but one could almost feel a spiritual gloominess and sadness…in a way, a presence of some design. Here in the cemetery there was a similar surreal sense when viewing each of the memorials that, with age and more enlightenment through reading (and movies like Schindler’s List), forces one to reflect on the general lack of humanity that led to such a tragic circumstance back in the 1940s. And a recognition that, despite the suffering and loss the Holocaust caused, the lack of humanity continues in the world around us…the Ukraine, Gaza, Myanmar, parts of Africa, and in so many places.

We also visited the Memorial of the Martyrs on the L’Ile de France (Paris) that commemorates the deportation of 200,000 people by the Vichy regime to the concentration camps never to return. Earth from each of the camps and ashes from the crematoria were brought back and placed in urns within the memorial shrine, a very sobering reminder of the human loss. Everything about the design from the darkness to the tight space and austere concrete walls is symbolic of being confined and feeling the unknown; it also forces a silent atmosphere as visitors file through in quiet reflection. Another stop we made was the Shoah (Holocaust) Museum and memorial where no pictures are allowed inside and the names of the known victims are inscribed on granite walls organized by year and in alphabetical order - the largest deportations from France occurred in July 1942 after the Wannsee Conference. I scanned the walls looking for surnames that might be close to my maternal lineage and there were a few with the closest being Donnenwurt. Whether or not this person was a distant relative was not as important as knowing that they had been rounded up, deported, and exterminated simply because of heritage and an irrational hatred. The Shoah Museum is located in the Marais that, back in the day, was one of the flourishing Jewish quarters in Paris - a neighborhood that has little left to remind us of the rich culture that once was there. On a couple long walks we did see small groups of Hasidic and other identifiable Jewish people in parts of the city and it was refreshing to see that, in spite of the atrocities of WWII, the Jewish culture has survived and continues to flourish in Paris.

There is a strong link between the Holocaust and the landings in Normandy on D-Day, in that it was through the latter the concentration and extermination camps in Western Europe were discovered and liberated. It should be noted that the treatment of Jews by Nazis in Germany and occupied areas was already know although the extent of the atrocities were, apparently, not yet known. 

Early in the war, Hitler and high command envisioned an invasion of Britain and, so, had not set up significant coastal defenses. However, Britain did not cave to aerial bombardments and was not invaded, and the USA had entered the war at a time when Germany was starting loose on other fronts. D-Day was the largest military operation in history opening another front in the war against Nazi Germany, the other two being Italy by Western allies and the east by Russia. There were five landing zones code named as beaches - Utah and Omaha where the Americans landed, Sword and Gold for the British, and Juno where Canadians would make their first of several contributions to the liberation of Europe. And where the Canadian military would demonstrate its abilities that helped the Allies get a foothold on continental Europe.

Before spending time in the Juno Beach Centre, a well-organized museum and interpretative facility, we went on a tour of the grounds and two German bunkers that were part of the defense system. The first bunker was set back well off the beach and, being one the original installations, was not constructed to be a first line defense as it was mainly for observation and communications; it had been built at a time when it was thought that Britain would acquiesce or be subjugated to Germany’s occupation. Although underground, it was surprisingly spacious but also not solidly constructed incorporating parts of demolished homes and other leftover materials from the area. There was ample space for sentry accommodations, munitions storage, and command post. Unlike bunkers that would be added later this one was not meant to withstand heavy bombardments but then it was not thought this would not be necessary. It was also not designed to withstand a land assault with multiple openings where grenades or flamethrowers might be used.

The second bunker was a much more solidly built installation with thicker concrete walls and ceiling, and there were security features to protect soldiers inside and alternate escape routes. The space was also much more compact that included bunk areas for the sentries and a lookout turret where firearms could be used to shoot towards the beach. The delightful guide who provided a historical account of the bunkers recounted that, by this point, military engineering had developed an IKEA-like catalogue of bunker models so that there was consistency in construction and efficiency in construction. While these bunkers were relatively small there were other models that were bigger and designed for other defensive purposes such as heavier guns. Going through the two bunkers one could well imagine the circumstances German soldiers lived within - tight cramped quarters, monotonous tours of observation, and the perpetual fear of having to face down a full-scale invasion. And that invasion was to come on June 6, 1944, when the Canadians landed on Juno Beach and were successful in securing their beachhead in approximately two hours.

A stroll around the grounds and down to the beach was quite a poignant moment. The beach, itself, was quite expansive in both directions and likely has changed since the original D-Day invasion. Our visit was April and so, unsurprisingly, the cool strong wind from the English Channel may not have resembled that of the invasion although we know that the weather at the time was pretty rough forcing a delay of 24 hours before the bombardments and landings began. While the bunkers would have been the first line of defense whereby the Allies would encounter resistance from German forces there were other defensive features on the beach that would have slowed the advance down. For instance, mines and concrete barriers designed to damage or sink landing craft were placed far out from the beaches and would have been hard to navigate depending on the tide. Then other obstacles, such as mines and barbed wire, would have had to been negotiated while also dealing with firepower trained on the beach. One can imagine the horrific and stressful scenes that played out on this beach and the others along the rest of the Normandy coast. And how the bravery and tenacious actions of our military forces resulted in the first steps of liberating Normandy and France.

The Juno Beach Centre museum is a worthwhile must-see providing a detailed and somewhat interactive learning experience. The exhibits and tour through the main hall is very informative, providing insights on the planning and execution of D-Day while highlighting some of the main achievements of both Canadian units and individual personnel during this historic event and throughout WWII. Beside the heroic feats and triumphs that Canadians had made at Juno Beach, the stories told of sacrifice and the human tolls on the military that day - for the veterans who would eventually return home and, of course, those whose lives were lost during the invasion and their families who would grieve the losses.

Each year, in my own way, I try to honour the occasions of November 11, D-Day, and VE-Day in whatever way I can, usually watching the coverage live on TV but always with reflection of the persons who lost their lives and those who lost their physical health and/or mental health. As a cadet and, then, as a reserve member I had the privilege to work with Legions, interact with veterans, and take part in remembrance services often playing the bugle for Last Post and Reveille or as a parade participant. My dedication to this is in appreciation of the sacrifices made to defend the rights and freedoms I am able to enjoy today, but also for the liberty that was afforded to the peoples of Europe, such as those impacted by the Holocaust.