Roundabout 9th Brigade Authie

Four large red maple leaves are placed on this roundabout. The maple leaf refers to the national symbol of Canada, which appears on the Canadian flag.

These were placed in memory of the 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade, which landed in Normandy on June 6, 1944, during Operation Overlord.

The battles for Authie and Buron were pivotal episodes in the Canadian struggle for Caen in June–July 1944. On 7 June, the North Nova Scotia Highlanders and the Sherbrooke Fusiliers advanced inland but ran into the 12th SS Panzer Division. At Authie, the Canadians were surrounded and overrun; many were captured, and some were executed in one of the campaign’s most notorious atrocities. Buron, attacked at the same time, also fell back into German hands after fierce fighting, halting the Canadian drive toward Caen.

For the next month, both villages formed part of the German defensive ring. They were finally retaken during Operation Charnwood on 8 July, when Canadian infantry and armour, supported by heavy bombing, secured Authie and Buron in hard fighting. The victories opened the way to Caen but came at heavy cost, symbolizing both the brutality of German resistance and the persistence of Canadian forces in Normandy.

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar
• Photos: Koos Winkelman

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