You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed Men of an airborne unit use a German half-track motorcycle to carry their ammunition and supplies in the Carentan area of Normandy in June 1944 France — Shortly after D-Day in 1944 the American soldiers heading out to more fighting against Adolf Hitler’s forces couldn’t help but notice the hungry French boy by the side of the road brightly-colored spheres from their pockets and deposited them in Yves Marchais’ hands The 6-year-old boy had never seen the strange fruits before where food was rationed and terror was everywhere the young Marchais counted them all — 35 — and dashed home for his first taste of oranges But also seared into survivors’ memories in Normandy are massive Allied bombing raids that pulverized towns burying victims and turning skies fire-red The 80th anniversary this week of the June 6 Allied invasion on D-Day that punched through Hitler’s western defenses and helped precipitate Nazi Germany’s surrender 11 months later brings mixed emotions for French survivors of the Battle of Normandy They remain eternally grateful for their liberation but cannot forget its steep cost in French lives Marchais remembers his family’s house in Carentan shaking during bombardments that sounded “like thunder” and how his mother stunned him by gulping down a bottle of strong Normandy cider when they were sheltering in their basement declaring as she finished it: “That’s another one that the Germans won’t drink!” Some 20,000 Normandy civilians were killed in the invasion and as Allied forces fought their way inland sometimes field-by-field through the leafy Normandy countryside that helped conceal German defenders Only in late August of 1944 did they reach Paris Allied casualties in the Normandy campaign were also appalling with 73,000 troops killed and 153,000 wounded Allied bombing was aimed at stopping Hitler from sending reinforcements and at prying his troops out of the “Atlantic Wall” of coastal defenses and other strongpoints that German occupation forces had built with forced labor The list of Normandy towns left ruined and counting their dead grew with the Allied advances: Argentan Leaflets scattered by Allied planes urged civilians to “LEAVE IMMEDIATELY YOU DON’T HAVE A MINUTE TO LOSE!” but often missed their targets a woman in the bombarded port city of Cherbourg described Allied pilots as “bandits and assassins” in a June 4 letter to her husband who was being held prisoner in Germany it’s shameful to massacre the civilian population as the supposed Allies are doing,” reads the letter which historians Michel Boivin and Bernard Garnier published in their 1994 study of civilian victims in Normandy’s Manche region “We are in danger everywhere.” NORMAN LOSSES ‘SWEPT UNDER THE CARPET’ French President Emmanuel Macron paid homage to civilian victims in commemorations on Wednesday in Saint-Lo recalling how the Normandy town became emblematic of losses from Allied bombing when it was razed on June 6 and 7 according to Boivin and Garnier’s study Playwright Samuel Beckett dubbed Saint-Lo “The Capital of the Ruins” after working there with the Irish Red Cross Macron said Saint-Lo was “a necessary target” because Allied bombers were aiming to prevent German reinforcements from reaching the invasion beaches and described it as “a martyred town sacrificed to liberate France.” Those killed in Saint-Lo included Marguerite Lecarpentier’s older brother Henri was 19 and he’d been helping another man pull a teenage girl out from under debris when the town was bombarded again Marguerite’s father later identified her brother’s body “because of his shoes When her family subsequently fled Saint-Lo they crossed through what was left of the town “It was terrible because there was rubble everywhere,” Lecarpentier recalled Her mother waved a white handkerchief as they walked “because the planes were constantly flying overhead” and “so we’d be recognized as civilians.” Lecarpentier speaks without rancor of Allied bombing “It was the price to pay,” she said “It can’t have been easy,” she added “When one thinks that they landed on June 6 and that Saint-Lo was only liberated on July 18 and they lost enormous numbers of soldiers.” University of Caen historian Francoise Passera co-author of “The Normans in the War: The Time of Trials 1939-1945,” says Normandy’s civilian casualties were overshadowed for decades by the exploits of Allied soldiers in combat and their sacrifices she noted that it wasn’t until 2014 that a French president — Macron’s predecessor François Hollande — paid national homage to Normandy’s civilian dead because France had been bombed by its liberators “this was not a subject that could be raised very easily by French authorities,” Passera said “Civilian victims were swept under the carpet somewhat to not offend the Americans,” she said “And to not offend the British.” D-Day and its aftermath were “a bit of a confusion of feelings,” she said “We cried with joy because we were freed but we also cried because the dead were all around us.” MARQUETTE – Submissions are in for the 2025 Blueberry Festival poster contest Copyright © 2025 Ogden News Publishing of Michigan Click on the photo under “Image Gallery” to see more photos The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) had 42 operational squadrons overseas on D-Day—June 6 These 42 also included a Home War Establishment unit which operated Canso aircraft; it had been “loaned” to Royal Air Force (RAF) Coastal Command meaning that they took part in combat operations either on D-Day or during the subsequent campaign Hundreds of Canadian aircraft were in the air on D-Day and thousands of RCAF men and women served in Canadian or other Commonwealth units Of the 23 Canadian airmen who were killed on D-Day The remainder served with RAF squadrons and units The following Second World War 400-series RCAF squadrons were not involved in D-Day which operated Canso aircraft was overseas having been “loaned” to Royal Air Force (RAF) Coastal Command The RCAF squadrons involved in D-Day carried out the following missions D-Day and air power Operation Overlord: D-Day remembered D-Day and the Battle of Normandy Sweden – Trelleborg Sealing Solutions has started production of seals at a new facility at Condé sur Noireau is to maintain the company’s position in the European aerospace sealing market that the business area’s manufacturing engineering support and sales structure had been realigned to be more in line with the international aerospace business facility employs around 100 executives and skilled workers It was built in a €5-million investment funded by Trelleborg in conjunction with the Calvados council and the community of municipalities of the county of Condé The new unit replaces an existing facility in the area “Demand for high-performance sealing solutions is favourable in the aerospace industry,” said business area president “This facility will be an effective resource for our existing and future aerospace customers,” he said adding: “The choice to keep aerospace manufacturing in France shows Trelleborg’s commitment to the aviation industry within the country.” Trelleborg Sealing Solutions has more than 15 manufacturing facilities focused on production for aerospace “We’ve seen a trend for our aerospace customers to become fewer and larger through mergers and acquisitions,” said Michel Prouff Prouff went on to say that his aerospace marketing unit was set up to address issues surrounding different locations of manufacturing and engineering “Our expert local engineers can work with our customers’ engineers in their local language,” he said adding: “Then our international logistics network can ensure delivery from our worldwide manufacturing facilities supplying components that comply with all required aerospace standards.” A subscription to European Rubber Journal includes: Already a subscriber? Log in here marks the 75th anniversary of D-Day—the Allied invasion of Normandy The successful invasion marked the turning point in the Second World War Bomber Command was placed under the control of the United States’ General Dwight D Until this date it had been pursuing a strategic campaign against Germany itself directed by Air Chief Marshal Arthur Harris from his headquarters at High Wycombe Unacceptable loses early in the war had resulted in the Royal Air Force (RAF) opting for a policy of night-bombing to increase the bombers’ chances against German fighters Due to the difficulties associated with identifying precise targets at night The very nature of this type of bombing cast doubts as to its suitability in support of D-Day but Eisenhower felt he needed the extra “punch” that the more than 1,400 bombers which called for heavy strikes against rail communications in France in preparation for the invasion a series of test attacks were launched against six major marshalling yards The success of these missions indicated that the techniques developed for night bombing allowed the squadrons to make Bomber Command found its scope of operations expanded to include strikes on coastal defences and supply depots Bomber Command’s 83 squadrons operated from their airfields in eastern England flying over enemy territory night after night Fourteen of these squadrons were Canadian with all but one (405 Squadron) belonging to No They found themselves in the thick of it right from the beginning D-Day encompassed two sorties: the first on the night of June 5-6 and the second the following night The night before the invasion found the Canadian squadrons out in force as Bomber Command put on a maximum effort Lancaster bombers from 408 and 419 Squadrons departed in the dark from their fields at Linton-on-Ouse and Middleton St They were soon joined by Halifax aircraft from 420 and 434 Squadrons at Tholthorpe; 424 and 433 at Skipton-on-Swale; 427 and 429 at Leeming; and 425 had already departed enroute to making the evening’s targets in Normandy The RCAF aircraft were part of a total force of just over 1,000 aircraft that Bomber Command dispatched to attack coastal batteries at Fontenay The Germans were caught totally by surprise and there was an almost complete absence of German night-fighters to plague the 551 Lancasters 412 Halifaxes and 49 Mosquitos that appeared over their targets the weather was another matter and only two of the targets were free of cloud This meant that most of the aircraft dropped their bombs on a navigation fix The German gunners that evening did not realize it but they had been the recipients of a record breaking event as approximately 4,500 metric tonnes of bombs were dropped on them—the greatest tonnage in a single night to that point in the war Although not all of the guns were destroyed the overall mission was judged as successful with only three aircraft lost One of them was an aircraft belonging to 426 Squadron piloted by Flying Officer Joseph Francis Terence Beesley had successfully completed the sortie when it exploded in mid-air near Norfolk England Ontario; bomb-aimer Richard Reginal Irvine Ireland; and Pilot Officers Roy Frank Carol the Canadian aircrew were greeted with the news that the invasion was on Initial euphoria quickly turned to a realization that the squadrons could be called upon for additional missions at any time One squadron War Diary reported that all of its 15 aircraft had returned from the attack on the coastal batteries between 5 a.m these same aircraft were ready to go out again the tired aircrew would wait until much later in the day before venturing once more over occupied France 1944 were rail and road centres behind the Normandy battle area 418 Halifaxes and 58 Mosquitos—took to the air All of the targets that night were located near French towns and there were numerous civilian casualties The RCAF squadrons were directed toward the Norman towns of Condé-sur-Noireau and Coutances Allied bombers dropped almost 4,000 tonnes of bombs on the various targets Given the number of Canadians serving in non-RCAF squadrons additional casualties were inevitable in support of D-Day including Flying Officer Arthur Hugh Grange On his third mission over enemy territory on D-Day 29-year-old Flight Sergeant Morris Campbell Murray was one of seven airmen killed when their 76 Squadron Halifax was hit by flak during an attack on coastal batteries near Mont Fleury was killed with his six crew-mates from 97 Squadron when their Lancaster was shot down during an attack near Cherbourg Another 97 Squadron aircraft was lost that evening when Lancaster ND 739 was shot down by a JU88 night-fighter Among the dead was 21-year-old Flight Lieutenant Herbert William Rieger Bomber Command remained at Eisenhower’s disposal until September when it returned 24,600 sorties were flown and approximately 79,000 tonnes of bombs dropped to support the landings and subsequent fighting Eisenhower had no doubts about the value of their contribution to the success of the land battle Although casualties on D-Day had been light they began to climb as the Luftwaffe recovered from the initial onslaught The invasion of Normandy might have marked the beginning of the end