On June 6th, 1944, on Juno Beach, a battery of 4 M7 self-propelled guns getting into a firing line was ambushed by a German 88mm gun just south of the village of Bernières-sur-Mer. The result was violent and deadly.
Amazingly, an aircraft circling the sky above the beaches took the last picture of these vehicles moments before the Germans opened fire. Another picture taken later in the day is showing the deadly result, allowing us today to make this impressive sequence.
The second picture clearly shows two of the vehicles burning, while a third one was vaporized by a powerful explosion, leaving a deep crater in the field.
This event lead to the death of 5 men of the 14th Canadian Field Artillery Regiment.
Today, they are remembered by a memorial that was built in Bernières in honor of the fallen of the 14th CFAR.
To learn more about this particular story, visit the battlefield and monument, and understand the challenges faced by the Canadians soldiers on DDay, book a Canadian DDay Tour with me !