70 years ago this Friday, the free nations of the world launched the largest amphibious invasion in history on the beaches of northern France. To mark the occasion, CBC News took pictures of these beaches and the towns inlands from the vantage point of photos taken at the time of the invasion.
Here is the town of Courseulles-sur-Mer. The beach is known by its Allied codename: Juno. Here the Third Canadian Division overcame serious underwater obstacles and fierce resistance to capture the beach on the first day.
If I understand it correctly, the photo on the left shows Germans prisoners being marched off to captivity. Now the beach is a pleasant seaside retreat.
You can see more photos in the series here.
By the way: it was at Juno Beach that Lt. James Doohan of the Royal Canadian Artillery lost a finger.
-via Nag on the Lake