June 6, 1944: D-Day

Last evening your entire Company marched up the ramp of the huge LCI. The ship plowed through the waves all night. No one got any sleep. Before dawn you slung your gear up and climbed down into the small LCA barge with the rest of your platoon. The small boat circled the LCI until all the boats were ready.

As you headed towards the distant shore you could hear the massive bombardment. The deafening tearing sound of the big ships' guns firing, the whoosh of the rocket ships, and the drone of thousands of aircraft overhead. "Keep your head down" yells the Sergeant!" The LCA is now bucking sharply as it heads towards the shore. Now you can hear the German guns - the cannons, the machine guns. Great gouts of water fly up as German shells explode around you. One private stands up and peers over the side. His neck snaps back suddenly and he slumps back down again. His friends surround him, but he's dead, shot through the helmet. "Anyone else want to take a peak?" yells the Sergeant. The German guns sound very loud now and bullets ping off the armoured ramp of the landing craft.

Just after 8:00AM the LCA scrapes bottom. Chains rattle as the front gates wings open. "Out, out, out!" yells the Sergeant. Everyone rushes forwards to the opening. You drop into the cold chest deep water and focus on keeping your legs moving towards shore. The noise and chaos almost overwhelms you. You push onto the rocky beach and dive for cover. You've been fortunate, your LCA didn't land right in front of a German position - unlike some of the other Canadian units. Even so, the German guns have left men dead and dying around you. You can't see a way off the beach. There's barbed wire everywhere and a seawall in front of you. Germans fire down from pillboxes and fortified buildings.