The plot of land where the Juno Beach Centre was built is surrounded by an area known since 2004 as Juno Park.
The park was the scene of intense combat during the landings on June 6, 1944 and still contains many remnants of the defenses that were built on the site as part of the Atlantic Wall. Known to the Germans as Stütztpunkt (Strongpoint) 31, this 1,500m stretch of beach contained some 30 bunkers and defensive positions, including three anti-tank guns and twelve machine guns. To the Canadian soldiers landing on D-Day, it was known as “Mike Red Sector, Juno Beach”. On the morning of June 6, 1944, it was B Company, Royal Winnipeg Rifles and A Squadron, First Hussars who led the assault on this well defended position. Within two hours of landing, they had declared the area to be clear of resistance.
The R666 bunker located in front of the Juno Beach Centre was uncovered and its access was cleared with the creation of Juno Park in 2004. This bunker was a German observation post that was part of the Atlantic Wall defense system. In 1944, it contained radio equipment that allowed its occupants to communicate with other bunkers and coordinate the defense of the beach. A machine gun post was positioned on the top of the bunker. A steel dome (removed in the late 1970s) protected the observing soldier. It is a great example of the German strategy to fortify the port of Courseulles.
In 2014, the underground Command Post of the 6th Company, 736th Infantry Regiment of Hauptmann Grote, which controlled the site in 1944, was opened to the public. This German Command Post was originally connected to the observation bunker by a covered tunnel. This bunker had been inaccessible for much of its life, its entrance hidden by the movements of the sand dunes. It was only in 2010 that the bunker was re-discovered and cleared by a small group of volunteers. After which it was restored and secured by the town of Courseulles, in partnership with the Juno Beach Centre, in order to be made accessible for visitors. Built in 1941, this older structure showcases how the defenses on this site evolved over time, how construction techniques were perfected and how the defenses were augmented over the years of occupation in the early 1940s.
The remnants of the original harbour defenses of the port of Courseulles form a unique heritage site on the Landing beaches as major parts remain buried under sand dunes, which have been moving forward since the end of the Second World War, unlike elsewhere on the coast. In 2015, a German machine gun emplacement, also known as a Tobruk, was uncovered on the grounds outside the Juno Beach Centre, and has since been excavated extensively by a team of volunteers. The Tobruk has been open and accessible for public since 2019. Rehabilitating this unique heritage site enables it to grow as a memorial, as well as a historical and tourist site.
Since 2004, the Juno Beach Centre’s Canadian guides have conducted guided tours of Juno Park, leading visitors through the remains of the Atlantic Wall, and recounting the history of the D-Day Landings. The guided tour gives local context specific to Courseulles and the Battle of Normandy, and complements the visit of the museum which conveys the role of Canada throughout the entire Second World War.
The bunkers today are only accessible as part of this guided tour offered by the Juno Beach Centre, in order to ensure that they remain protected and in good condition for years to come. The Park itself is open access to anyone that wishes to visit and pay their respects on this historic site. A series of informative panels explain not only the historical significance of the area, but also the modern-day geography and wildlife.
Come experience all that Juno Park has to offer!
The 25 Pounder Mark II Quick Firing Field Gun (25 Pdr) presented in front of the Juno Beach Centre remained in service in Canada until 1956. It arrived at the Juno Beach Centre to be inaugurated on June 6, 2010. It was the standard Field Gun for the Canadian Artillery in the Second World War, with its initial issue occurring in England in 1940. The guns were fitted with a muzzle brake in 1943. The unique platform allowed the gun an unprecedented 360 degrees of traverse. A self-propelled version mounted on a Ram tank was made in Canada and equipped all Commonwealth and Polish armoured divisions. Canadians used the 25 Pdr in action in Sicily, Italy and North West Europe 1943-45 and in Korea 1951-53.
The 40 mm BOFOR gun in front of the Juno Beach Centre was donated to the museum by the 4th Air Defence Regiment of Canada, by the initiative of Brigadier-General Beno. Installed in front of the Centre, near the 25 Pounder gun inaugurated on June 6, 2010, it sports the colours of the 32nd light anti-aircraft artillery battery of the 4th ARC. Arriving on June 4, 2011 from New Brunswick where it was restored, this Second World War gun was inaugurated by the representatives of the Canadian Artillery after the June 6, 2011 ceremony at the Juno Beach Centre.