Juno Beach

"Juno" was the code name for the second beach from the left of the five landing areas of the Normandy Invasion. The beach was approximately 6 miles (10 kilometres) wide and stretched on either side of the small fishing port of Courseulles- Sur-Mer. Two smaller villages, Bernieres and Saint-Aubin, lay to the east of Courseulles. Smaller coastal villages lay behind the sand dunes and had been fortified by the occupying Germans with casemates and adjacent fighting positions.

View of Mike sector, Juno Beach, from
the casemate of a German antitank gun
in Courseulles-sur-Mer.

The initial hazard for the invaders at Juno, however, was not the German obstacles but natural offshore reefs or shoals. These forced the assault waves to land later in the morning than desired: H-Hour was set for 0745 hours, so that the landing craft could clear the reef on the rising tide. (It was later discovered that some of the "shoals" were actually seaweed.) Elements of the German 716th Infantry Division, particularly the 736th Regiment, were responsible for defence of the area, and the seafront houses offered them excellent observation and firing positions.

Reserve troops of the 9th Brigade come ashore at Nan sector in BemiBres, after the initial assault by the 8th Brigade.