D Day: The First Canadian Parachute Battalion and the Battle for the Village of Varaville 

minor correction: the St Lawrence Seaway ( 01:23 ) was not a thing until the 1950s, and was officially opened in 1959

I really hope one day you can talk about Eugene Gutierrez . First special forces. Devil's bridgade. Veteran. . An amazing person.from McAllen Texas

"Near Manitoba"? Manitoba is a big province! I think you meant "near Winnipeg, Manitoba." I think the jets at that base lent their name to the Winnipeg Jets NHL team.

You mentioned they shipped to England on the Queen Elizabeth. Did you mean the battleship or an ocean liner of the same name?

@@QurikyBark32919 the liner used as a transport.

PPCLI stands for Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry , named for Princess Patricia of Connaught, the daughter of Lord Connaught, a governor general of Canada. They were formed in 1914 and currently are located in Edmonton Alberta and Shilo Manitoba.

I live in Edmonton =) My cousin was a mechaninc (retired) in Princess Pat's CLI. Thanks for the high praise. We certainly appreciate our brethren to the south as well.

@@yegfreethinker please tell your cousin Semper Fi from me. 🇺🇸❤️🇨🇦

As a retired Patricia, I have nothing but respect for the USMC, who I trained with many moons ago in Camp Pendelton. Semper Fi brother.

Had the pleasure of experiencing PPCLI when I was in Combat Support Company, 4 / 9 (Manchus) at Fort Wainwright early '80s. Fine fellows. Certainly knew how to have a good time. And very professional. Also; There was a Canadian in my company in training at Fort Benning summer of '80 - during the Iranian Hostage Crisis. Went air-bourn. Ended up in my battalion (one company of para-troopers). Fine fellow.

1CER 3Troop UNIKOM 91 I'm also proud of my USA military brothers/sisters as well.

Amen 🙏 to that!💛👊👍

If you are familiar with the history youtube channel Animarchy, he constantly likes to note "if you need something that is hair-brained, stupid, impossible, or just plain out of the ordinary... the Brits will almost certainly call for any combination of Aussies, Kiwis, South Africans, and/or Canadians! Cause they will most certainly get the job done!"

When everyone is carrying a hockey stick or a chainsaw you get a polite society, eh?

Because they weren't able to go to Tim Horton's eh?

There is a video on you tube of a US special forces wating a video about Canadians in WW1 he was taken back at the violence the soilders. It's a good watch he said Canadians are easy going till you say war and Canadians become different people.

Don't wish to be a nitpicker, but the math says it was 11 months from D-Day to VE-Day, not 14 months, sir. (6/6/44 - 5/9/45). Thank you for a spellbinding factual story, though. D-Day stories are my TOP favorites.

Lots of towns in France with that name as well as other nationalities. The greatest generation.

My father-in-law was drppoed by accident behind the lines on D-Day. Taken prisoner, only survivor from his plane. Reported KIA. At end of war, was about to be executed under Kommando Order and escaped with 3 other paratroopers. My wife went to school in Normandy in 1976. Met Resistance members that knew of this plane load dropped in wrong area. The French treated her extremely well as she was a Canadian and the daughter of a D-Day paratrooper.🇨🇦

I just watched a documentary on Magellan TV about the battle

@@TheHistoryGuyChannel Magellan tv, eh?😉

I remember on the 50th anniversary South Korea set up a memorial display in Grant Park Mall not that far frtom the former Kapyong Barracks.

PPCLI in WW I have an amazing story of courage were some 500+ men held off a huge number of Germans, scared them so bad they feared them in WW II

Not just Kapyong but the larger simultaneous Battle of Imjin River by the British, Belgians, and Luxembourgers

You shouldn't be! You're legends. !💛

🇨🇦

The uninformed do not think of Canadians as being a potent military force. It is so fitting that the sniper from Canada's Joint Task Force 2, currently holding the longest kill shot at 3,540 m (right at 2 miles to us Yanks), is unnamed. Ten seconds after the shot was fired it could have been heard at the target. Just sayin'.

@@flagmichael most people also don't know that our M1 Garand was designed by a Canadian. The greatest combat rifle ever designed. I believe Canada is the only country to drive out my country's military by force of arms during war of 1812. Our northern brothers are incredible fighters.

Never forget by the British my Friend, WE all know how brave you are and tough.

Just like the Aussies brother, Canadian are not overlooked. All gave some, some gave all

Not so unimaginable! There were 158 Canadians killed in Afghanistan, fighting far away from home.

Throw in some Australians and I'm all ready to surrender!

The elite formations developed a fearsome reputation as shock troops in both world wars

We may need them again,soon,to defeat these traitors, politicians on both sides of our borders. We Patriots are with you...we have extra arms to lend for the fight that's coming! FJB& TRUDEAU TOO!

Eh?......

@@alantoon5708 eh? Get rid of that tyrant! He's a communist trying to destroy Canada...look how he treated the truckers and their families.

Thank you for sharing his story.

Many many years ago I had the honor of spending about a week with guys from Canadian Navy. I have always told people if I ever went back in the Military it would be the Canadian Navy. Professional, cleanest ships I ever saw, lamb chops for breakfast and La Baht’s

Thanks, never heard about this so I had to look it up. A very fitting memorial to Canadians armed forces.

And anybody in the area should visit The Royal Canadian Regiment Museum at (what remains of) Wolseley Barracks on Oxford Street as well.

@@TheLoachman That is a good idea. I don't think of London Ontario as a tourist destination like that other London, but for people interested in Military History, and find themselves in the area, both are well worth the time.

@@TheLoachman excellent museum, well worth the trip. Especially if you have a connection to the Reg’t.

@@chrischarman6479 As I have, by way of the Fourth Battalion. My first time in there was 1973, when it was far less impressive and the building was greatly in need of work as well. A lot of effort and money had been put into both in time for The Regiment's centenary in 1983. The last time that I was there was in 2013 or 2014, and it had been greatly improved again. Following the Freedom of the City of Ottawa parade, part of the centennial celebrations, and post-parade reception at Rideau Hall (the official residence of our Governor-General, for those unaware), there was a barbecue, attended by at least a couple of thousand of us, at Connaught Ranges. As that was winding down, a few of us began planning a move to an alternate objective - the Bare Facts peeler bar in downtown Ottawa. Prince Philip, who was The Regiment's Colonel-in-Chief, was looking a little bored so we approached him and I asked if he would like to join us. "That's jolly decent of you chaps to invite me, but I don't think that my wife would approve".

No need to say anything when the actions speak for themselves.

Battle of the Medak pocket

We don't have a good PR firm .....we must work on that.....

@@suprPHREAK Well said, Sir.

Defence of Hong Kong?

Fantastic comment. Amen to that!💛💛👍

YES! Growing up in 50's and 60's in the shadow of these people. You didn't really think of it at the time, they were just ordinary people in our community. But my hockey coach had been a Lancaster pilot, and another sometimes coach was one of these Canadian paratroopers. Man, that guy who had been a paratrooper was tough as nails.

It's funny you mention cigar box that is what my fathers WWII letters are in. My father was such a kind man everyone who knew him loved him I sometimes find it hard to believe that he witnessed such horror.

@@grynblud I, too, was surrounded by such men. Included among them was a woodshop teacher and former member of the Long Range Desert Group en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Range_Desert_Group, another flew Spitfire IXs and Mustang IVs with 442 Squadron, my Grade 6 Principal was an RAF PW who barely survived the death march when the Germans evacuated the PW camps during the winter of 1944/1945 (he collapsed in the snow from cold, hunger, and exhaustion but was dragged along by comrades in no better condition than himself), and a gym teacher was a Commando. Whenever he got bored with the regular curriculum, he would teach us such things as how to silently knife a sentry in the kidney (easier, quicker, and quieter than the throat). My first Company Sergeant-Major is now ninety-eight, and looks like he could last for another couple of decades. He lied about his age to join, was discovered a few weeks later, did the same thing at a recruiting centre in a different town the following month, went ashore on D-Day and fought through France and Holland. He's still a bit bitter about the Scheldt and despises both Trudeaus.

What is surprising is how many times the Canadians succeeded in such attacks in both WW1 and WW2.

Other way around I would say. So much ink has been spilled on elite units that the run of the mill grunts who just get on with the day to day grind of warfare get ignored.

@@PatGilliland Good point, sir!

I’m American; EVERYONE in my family served in the Army; I was in a car accident. THAT said, The Canadian army has a reputation for being totally FANATICAL during combat, putting up fantastic fight/struggle against the enemy; You guys have a FIERCE reputation!! 👍🏼👍🏼😲👣

Why did you put academics in quotation marks? An academic is a professor at a university. Whether you value their writing, research, or opinions on history does not change whether they are academics. In what way do think academic historians not value the contributions of elite units?

The Italians may not give a toss, but thankfully the Dutch will always remember our sacrifices for their freedom. If only we could teach enough of our own military history to our own children here in Canada, instead of the endless parade of social engineering types of apology based topics that dominate our school systems now. 😮‍💨

​@@daviddunsmore103 In May 1992, a bunch of us on the Canadian Land Forces Command and Staff Course followed the Canadian invasion route from the beaches as far as Falaise, which covered roughly up to D+30. We were accompanied by a historian, three Canadian veterans of the fighting (including BGen (Retired) Sydney Valpy Radley-Walters (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Valpy_Radley-Walters, ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-EGqwW00_mxA.html, ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_Xn7xbIdKJo.html, and others), and a 12th SS Panzer Division Hitler Jugend Officer to provide the opposition viewpoint. It was a pretty rushed and packed three days (we should have had three weeks) with far too many highlights to recount here. I was struck by how many Canadian flags were flying in the small villages we visited, including Buron which has a memorial for the Sherbrooke Fusiliers in its village square. That, and the absence of any French flags, was odd in itself, but there was something else that I could not figure out until after we had returned to Canada - they were all in mint condition, unlike the faded and tatty pink-and-grey flag remnants that were too common here in those days. The Normans in that area had more respect for our flag than most Canadians had then, and they had not forgotten what my predecessors did for them. I cannot remember the name of the cemetery that we visited, but it was immaculately maintained. I have, ever since, wished that every Canadian could have the opportunity to take such a tour. The first time that I ever heard "Rad's" name was when, as an eighteen-year-old Reserve Infantryman (4RCR), I walked past the RCEME shop in Petawawa on a daily basis during the summer of 1974 and could not help but notice a Sherman being painted gold. Finally, curiosity overcame me and I asked; it was to be his retirement gift. We also had brief trips to Dieppe and the Abbaye d'Ardenne en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ardenne_Abbey_massacre while on that tour; much sombriety and sadness at both locations. Standing on the "beach" (stones washed round by the sea) of the former and facing the town, I could feel the shock and horror that the occupants of the landing craft would have felt when the ramps went down. Probably, the nearest possible equivalent achievable in North America would be viewing the Wheatfield, the scene of Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg, which gave me the same shivers a decade earlier. The film Gettysburg depicts it well.

Canadians were not 'liberators' of Sicily.

@@johnkidd1226 What would you call them, then?

My son's grandfather took part in the invasion of Sicily. He would not talk about his experiences there. Said it made his stomach hurt.

Look up the movie - The Devil's Brigade. There's a book by the same name too.

@@PatGilliland although entertaining the movie is only vaguely accurate. A lot of Hollywood involvement. Having said that, it is no reflection of the courage and sacrifice made by this experimental special forces unit. Both Canada and the US learned a lot about special operations forces and both countries are very proficient.

Very very true. ! 💛💛

There is a Canadian vet from the 1st Can Para, ( now deceased ) by the name of Jan De Vries who was born in Holland and came to Canada when he was around 14 yrs old. I’m proud to have met him.🇳🇱🇨🇦

A few years ago, when I lived in Edmonton, AB, there was a celebration of Netherlands Liberation Day. There was a young woman carrying a sign that said simply, 'Thank you, Canada'!

And as much as I love the movie A Bridge too Far nothing is mentioned about them at all.

@@geraldjohnson4013 I had the privilege of knowing to gentlemen who jumped into Arnhem. Neither were Canadian at the time. Nonetheless, I feel lucky to have known them both. Men who risked their lives for my relatives and who knows, without them, I may never of existed?

@@robertdeen8741 Market Garden. British 1st Airborne caught the lion's teeth from the Waffen SS. I knew about Canadians in Operation Overlord but I didn't know that they were the pathfinder group of the British 6th Airborne Division.

Tho the Italy campaign was not a sunny trip it was a slow bloody campaign

It was stated in one history book, that smiling Albert Kesselring, always wanted to know where the Canadians were, because that was where the break out was going to happen.

Today’s Canadians cower in fear when a truck beeps its horn.

Tyranny at home...

I'm retired RCN... I have had the pleasure to serve alongside my American cousins in the US Navy and US Marines. Allies forever!

🇺🇸 💓 🇨🇦

About 25 years ago I flew in the jump-seat of a C-47. It had a plaque in the cockpit that read that this aircraft towed gliders for the RCAF at Normandy.

You loyal Canadians need to take back your country from Trudeau! He's becoming like Hitler and the rest of the dictators! Same for Let's Go Brandon!

@@Chris_at_Home that's really cool

And rightly so sir. rightly so! God bless you all . You did us and yourselves proud in both world war's . From a great full Brit. One love Canada. 💛👊👍

God bless the memory of your uncle

@@crankycanuck2066 thank you. Appreciate you.

More brothers than friends, for those who have served in our respective Armed Forces and had the privilege and honour of working together at various times in various places. Your guys under our command in Kandahar were treated exactly the same as our guys, and those who were killed were included on our memorial there. It was brought back to Canada when we left.

Thank you for your service to your country. It is appreciated greatly by the common Canadian, more than you could know. We owe you a debit for representing us without regard for your safety. Something that is not easily repaid.

That plan didn't even survive contact with the slipstream.

There was also a bit of a recurring theme in both world wars of Commonwealth countries troops having to survive contact with being under British command.

@@Thermalions I don't think anyone had an easy time of surviving British command. Though in WW2 they got a lot more timid. How long did it take them to take Caen?

My father also served with 1 Can Para, earning his wings at Shilo in Feb. 1944. He was only 20 when the war in Europe ended. My wife and I visited the museum at CFB Shilo in 2018, hoping to see the jump tower. All that was left was a chunk of scrap metal standing in a corner. I have my father's copy of "Out of the Clouds" in front of me, several ticks beside the names of comrades he must have served with, in Appendix "D".

@@ArbutusWVI I also have my dad’s copy …and mine. I was on an exercise in Shilo back in ‘85 but there was nothing left other than postcard pictures of it. My father trained in Ringway. Petawawa has a good museum if you ever get down that way.

@@chrischarman6479 Thanks for the info. I've seen the small display at the National war museum in Ottawa, but did not know about anything in Petawawa. We are in BC, so we don't make it back east that much. I would very much like to retrace Dad's Steps through Europe, all the way to Wismar, before I get too old. Did your father ever attend any of the reunions?

@@ArbutusWVI I have the same plan! He attended one reunion after the war but then no more. He once told me the ones he wanted to talk to were never going to be able to come back. He discussed going to Europe but in the end couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Canadian historians can also forget British and Polish troops serving under Canadian command.

The same thing happened to my father-in-law, Gordon Breen (wounded in the back). Was dropped off course beside a German tank unit. They were a tough bunch.

There seems to be mystery surrounding the debacle that was Dieppe. There is a rumor that the real purpose of the raid was to retrieve a decoding device held well inside German held territory. The Enigma device, so the story goes, was grabbed and successfully brought back to England. A heavy toll for a gadget.

American commandos were actually formed after their own forces dating back from the civil war and the Texas Rangers(one riot - one ranger).Also took some of Skorzeny/Fallshimjager units lessons

Probably meant to say Winterpeg, err, I mean Winnipeg.

@@esitu5655 😆

My dad was in the 1st Canadian airborne division McLeod was my namesake Herbert Patrick McLeod Mathers

@@patrickmathers976 Most likely 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, if during he War. We have never had an Airborne Division.

I have a family member who was captured at Verrieres and escaped with a McLeod from the Essex Scottish.

The National Personnel Records Center fire of 1973,[1] also known as the 1973 National Archives fire, was a fire that occurred at the Military Personnel Records Center in the St. Louis suburb of Overland, Missouri, from July 12-16, 1973. The fire destroyed some 16 million to 18 million official military personnel records. The NPRC, the custodian of U.S. military service records, is part of the National Personnel Records Center, an agency of the National Archives and Records Administration of the General Services Administration.[2]

♥

Mark Felton made a video about that.

@@vincentlefebvre9255 Yep. Saw that.

The Canadians were specifically asked for this mission by British high command. Apparently they wanted the best chance of success so called on these guys. Must have had a reputation.

It’s an amazingly humble experience. Our tour bus was able to hit all the beach heads in one morning. Most places have houses and resorts on the cliffs now. I was impressed with the flags and monuments to our soldiers. I just can’t imagine jumping into darkness, in a foreign country, foreign language, with little to no communication or reinforcements.

I did my ''pilgrimage'' 16 years ago. From Cherbourg to Caen on bicycle visiting most of the attractions. I highly recommand you spend as much time as you can, there is so much places to see. Quick side note: I truly love the town of Bayeux for the tapisserie that tells the storie of William the Conqueror. Enjoy!

Please go, its a very nice time. Just a heads up, the beaches were (for me) a tad underwhelming. as they are simply beaches with a town and tourists around them. not to knock it or say that its pointless to see; its still amazing to know what happened and what took place. but places like Point Du Hoc were much more visual in what happened and give you more of a total picture. because the waves have done what they always do, polishing everything down to the way it was before we showed up.

My girlfriend and I toured the Normandy Beaches in July, 2015. As I was struggling in my lowest gear on the road that now climbs up the escarpment at Omaha Beach I though “at least nobody’s shooting at me”. . .

Better hurry before it becomes history

Hi My uncle was also with the Canadians in Italy. He was killed in his tank at Casino. I went to visit his grave site. He and one other soldier in his tank were so badly burnt that they had to be buried with their plaques together because they could not tell whose body was whose. The sacrifice these young (19 year olds) and your uncle made is unfathomable. It is heart breaking when you stand in the sea of graves. It was nice to see your message and know others remember. Take care

@@stephenobrien2676 Been there! And Campobosso (city) nearby is nicknamed 'Little Canada', for they still remember the Canadians who liberated them. There is a pillar monument to Canada in the center of town carved with battle scenes. My Grandfather left the area after WW1 and I'm so glad he made Canada his home. Never went back, even for a visit, but that's another story....

There are many of us in UK that do recognise Canadas efforts and love them for it, but you are correct, they have never received the recognition they deserved. Channels like this do at least expand peoples knowledge, and that's good.

Even as a Canadian I did not know that last fact. That is interesting. It does make sense as a big part of our contribution to the war effort was getting supplies across the Atlantic without those pesky u-boats sinking too many ships.

It should also be noted in the book of obscure facts, that the RCAF, was fourth largest air force at the end of the war. When a friend and I toured the beaches at Normandy, we planned for two days. We would have needed at least a week to see all the important places. Don't forget to visit the smaller cemeteries. Not only is it a sign of respect and remembrance, but you learn about the local battles, and by reading the stories on the markers, you learn which units these brave soldiers fought in and how old they were.