D-Day: Commonwealth Sectors

41. Casemate WN28

Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandie

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The concrete casemate WN28 at Bernieres was manned by the 5th Company of the 736th Infantry using a 75mm and 50mm gun and three machine guns to defend this stretch of the beach. The surrounding area was once littered with traps and obstacles and wooden lined trenches ran in all directions from the emplacement. When the Wiltshire Royal Engineers landed in sector Nan White, apart from the gun fire peppering the beach the troops had to somehow negotiate the 12 foot seawall. The 80th Canadian Infantry Brigade landed ahead of the Army Vehicle Royal Engineers (AVRE) so using petards, demolition charges affectionately known to the troops as "Flying dustbins", to breach the wall was not possible without the danger of killing friendly troops. So instead they decided to lay assault bridges, brushwood bundles to form a causeway over the anti-tank ditches and coir matted carpeting to cross the soft sand dunes prevalent in the area. It is here that you will find the Canadian Memorial dedicated to the men of the 3rd Canadian Infantry who bravely jumped into the sea that day to assault the beach positions held by the Germans.