Nova Scotia/Nunavut Command of The Royal Canadian Legion www.ns.legion.ca 109 continued ... Taking advantage of the surprise, the first assault troops silenced the 75-mm and 88-mm guns and ensured access to the beaches. Around 0830 (8:30 am), they were followed by the reserve battalions. At 0910 and 0925, the 19th and 14th Field Regiments landed and positioned their self-propelled guns for combat. The ever-increasing number of troops and vehicles on the beach made circulation more difficult. To solve the problem, Royal Corps of Engineers personnel opened up breaches in the seawall protecting the beach. Our first attempt to deploy the normal unit of four guns in the field role occurred immediately after debarment; it should be recalled that our SPs were carrying extra and unusual loads which temporarily rendered them clumsy in movement as well as critically vulnerable to enemy fire. – Wesley M. Alkenbrack, “First deployment of the 14th Field Regiment” While the fighting still raged, some French civilians left their homes. They were astonished to meet soldiers who spoke their language. Replying to an inquiring villager, a soldier from the Régiment de la Chaudière told him “P’tet ben que oui, p’tet ben que non” (“Maybe yes, maybe no”) with an accent so similar to that of French as spoken in Normandy that the civilian could not believe he was dealing with a Canadian. continued ... Two German officers in a group of prisoners who surrendered to Canadian troops in Bernières-sur-Mer, June 6th, 1944. Photograph by Ken Bell. Department of National Defence / National Archives of Canada, PA-114493. Helped by a sergeant, French civilians walking by a tank in Bernières. Photo by Frank L. Dubervill. Department of National Defence / National Archives of Canada, PA-132725.
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