# HOLDING JUNO (Book Review)



## Danjanou (19 Nov 2006)

When dawn broke June 7th, 1944 the soldiers of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division found themselves in a precarious position. The day before they had been a major part of the massive allied invasion of France. Storming ashore at Juno beach the Canadians had moved father inland than any other allied force that day. Now 4 hours later they discovered the downside to that achievement.

The Third Canadian Division and the attached tanks of the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade held a precarious wedge in German occupied France. A sliver of land the defending Germans were more than eager to remove. 

To their West was a tenacious at best link with the British forces that had landed at Gold Beach and to the East nothing. A large gap existed between the Canadians and The British beachhead at Sword, A gap full of German forcers that had launched a furious counter attack in the waning hours of D-Day.

All three of the British and Canadian beachheads had failed to link up with their American counterparts who had landed at Utah and Omaha.  Overall the success of the Normandy landings held on by delicate thread.

*Holding Juno* is Mark Zuehlke's Account of the desperate battle to maintain the Juno beachhead in the week following the D-Day landings. It is his follow up to his account of the invasion, *Juno Beach*.

Originally Zuehlke had hoped to cover the initial Canadian landings and the subsequent battles to secure and exploit the beachhead in a single volume. The amount of material available and the sheer scope of the telling of the invasion ensured that he could only cover that single days events in one volume.

*Holding Juno* carries on immediately after the events in Juno Beach, starting with account of German night patrols and probes on the tired Canadian positions commencing at Midnight and continuing on until dawn on June7th.

For the most part it is the tale of the ferocious battles fought between the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division (3CID) and their attached tanks of the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade (2 CAB) and the 12th SS Panzer Grenadier Division, the Hitler Jungend Division. These desperate attacks and counter attacks took place in the small villages and hedgerows between the beaches and the city of Caen. The Germans were determined to throw the invading Allies back into the sea and almost succeeded. The Canadians were equally determined to hang on and as history shows they did.

Zuehlke also continues the story of the First Canadian Parachute Battalion continuing to fight a desperate defensive battle to the east of the invasion beaches as part of the 6th Airborne Division. The Paratroopers holding the area around the Orne River have to an extent been reinforced and supported by advancing British troops. However there defensive position is still far from a sure thing. And will remain so for a week until the allied breakthrough. 

Some of the losses suffered during the Invasion have been made up, as scattered groups of paratroopers dropped in the wrong location have finally been able to link up with their units and/or find their objectives. Like their countrymen to the west though they are tired and short on food and ammunition and the German&#146s facing them are continually being reinforced.

*Holding Juno* also covers the Canadian contribution to the desperate battles in the air and the sea to maintain the Normandy Bridgehead. Canadian pilots and aircrew in the RCAF and RAF fly numerous missions both interdicting enemy forces moving forward, and close support to their own troops. Their sorties are not limited to actions over land either. Other men and planes help to maintain the naval shipping corridor across the English Channel

The Royal Canadian navy was also active in maintaining this logistic lifeline. Every night, destroyers and smaller torpedo boats joined their American, British and Polish counterparts in beating back vicious hit and run attacks by German surface ships and U-Boats.

As in *Juno Beach* makes much use of primary sources in his work, unit histories battle diaries and personal accounts and interviews with participants. This coupled with his writing style makes for a fast reading and exciting tale. It often reads more like a novel than a work of history. Almost all of the individuals we were introduced to the earlier book are here again with the continuation of their stories on the liberation of France.

Again this volume is fairly well illustrated with black and white photos and battle maps at the beginning, which easily help one to follow the attacks and counter attacks of the second week of June 1944.

Most of the book though as noted though covers the vicious battles between the 3CIB and the 12th SS Panzers. Zuehlke covers the seesaw battles in and around Beny Sur Mer, Buron and Authie. It was here that the infamous massacres of Canadian Prisoners of War took place at the hands of members of the 12th SS Panzer Division. 

The 12th SS Hitler Jungend Division as their name implies were recruited from young men who had served in the Hitler Youth. For the most part the members of the Division were young men in their early twenties or even teenagers. In theory they were not much younger than the bulk of the Canadians they faced who were had been that aged when they&#146d joined up three to five years earlier. The difference was that the members of the 12th SS had been subjected to a decade of Nazi indoctrination including the concept of their own superiority.

These youthful fanatics were for the most part led by veteran officers and NCOs with years of combat experience in Russia and elsewhere to add a leavening of experience to their youthful enthusiasm. 

The leading elements of the 12th SS moved into the Normandy sector on June 7th and immediately began their counterattacks to reach the beaches. The 26th SS Panzer Grenadier regiment under the command of Kurt (Panzer) Meyer launched a series of attacks against the leading elements of the 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade (9CIB).  After the skirmishes, large numbers of the North Nova Scotia Highlanders who were captured were executed. Over the next few days members of the 26th and 25th SS Panzer Grenadiers also executed other Canadians mainly from the Regina Rifles and the Royal Winnipeg Rifles. Most agree the totals were in excess of 175-200 Canadians shot with little or no provocation.

Zuehlke presents a thesis as to why this happened. The 12th SS were fanatics heavily indoctrinated and youthful most seeing combat for the first time. They had been told the importance of their mission; either breakthrough to the beaches or Normandy would be lost. They had been told they outnumbered the Canadians, and were better equipped both of which were true. As part of their Nazi indoctrination they had also been told they were superior to any other enemy soldiers and that when attacked most enemies would run away or surrender rather than fight them.

The Canadians didn't run. They stood their ground and fought, blunting all the attacks thrown against them and preventing the Germans from breaking through to the beaches. Only when surrounded and out of ammunitions did some of the isolated units surrender. The Canadians were under the impression that the rules of war and the Geneva Convention would apply to them. 

The Hitler Jugend enraged at their failures to break through, took out their frustrations on the Canadians. The worst incidents occurred in the area controlled by the third battalion of the 26th SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment. This battalion unlike the others in the Division did not have any combat veteran officers and NCOs leading it and offering a steadying influence on. Its commanders were for the most part SS political appointments.

General Meyer, who later commanded the entire 12th SS Panzer Division, was tried as a war criminal and condemned to death by a Canadian court. His sentence was commuted and served nine years in prison in Canada and England.

Contrary to popular belief after the massacres the Canadians did not issue orders that no SS prisoners were to be taken as Zuehlke takes pains to point out.

The battle for the Juno beachhead lasted a week. The tenacious defence of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division provided the time to land the men and materials that would allow the allies to break out and eventually liberate France and then the rest of Western Europe, an operation that the newly formed 1st Canadian Army would play a not insubstantial part in. One hopes that Zeuhlke's future projects will include a chronicle of these events.


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## daftandbarmy (19 Nov 2006)

I just bought it last week and have flipped through it quickly. Looks pretty good in general although it gets off to a slow start. I enjoyed the description of the the repulse of the 12th SS counter attack. I had no idea the Germans used so many tanks at night. Remarkable nerve shown by the Canadians in taking them out at close range.


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## Danjanou (20 Nov 2006)

daftandbarmy said:
			
		

> Remarkable nerve shown by the Canadians in taking them out at close range.



Agreed,  engaging Panthers at extreme close range with PIATs and in more than one case tossing mines in front of, and or on them takes brass ones to a new plane. In one instant one soldier pushes his PIAT out of aloop hole in a farm wall anmd engages Panthers on the road on the othe rside of the wall. In another a CSM mines the entrance to a farm courtyard as the tanks are coming through it and stops one. 

Not taking anything away from the exploits of Pte EA (Smokey) Smith but I was surprised that no VCs were awarded/considered for this or any of the other incidents of individual heroism one comes across in the Normandy battles.


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## Old Sweat (20 Nov 2006)

To be awarded the VC, one has to be recommended for it. As you may know, a British CSM, named Hollis I believe, was awared one for his actions on D Day. I have not come across any recommendations for Canadians except for a member of the HLI of C, who was killed at Buron in early July, and of course Currie of the South Albertas who received the award at St Lambert sur Dives.

The remark about the 3rd Battalion, 26 SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment towards the end of your review is incorrect. The unit was implicated in two incidents of mass murder. In the first, a body of prisoners were being marched to the rear when the party was halted and machined gunned on the orders of SS Colonel Wilhelm Mohnke, the regimental commander. In the second incident three prisoners were shot in the battalion lines, again as a resullt of a direct order by Mohnke, who actually drew his pistol and gave a junior officer the choice of killing the prisoners or being shot down himself. After the war, the battalion commander and the junior officer mentioned above were court-martialled and executed by the British for these murders.

As for Mohnke, who had also been implicated in the murder of British POWs in 1940, he was later promoted to brigadier general and put in charge of the guard detail at the Fuhrer bunker. He was captured by the Soviets and held until the mid-1950s. Mohnke was never prosecuted and died in bed a few years ago. Hardly seems fair, does it?


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## daftandbarmy (20 Nov 2006)

My father was at D-Day in support of 9 Inf Bde and he assured me that this incident, as well as the one involving the Winnipegs later on, set the tone for their future relationship with the SS i.e., not a very cordial one. He was a FOO at Falaise, and was quite happy to wipe out many of them there.


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## Danjanou (20 Nov 2006)

Zuelhke does note in the book that the Canadian’s when they became aware of the 12th SS shooting their comrades, were very reluctant to take prisoners themselves. There were no official orders re treatment (or mistreatment) of enemy POWs issued by 3CID either before or after the Invasion. 

Meyer supposedly stated that one pf his rationales for executing Canadians is that one of the captured Canadian’s had a written order on him stating no German Prisoners were to be taken. This was a falsehood. After I’m sure more than one SS prisoner put his hands up to slowly.

I’m also aware and the book does note that several other German officers were implicated in war crimes for these incidents. I singled out Meyer as he was the senior officer present/convicted and was CO of first 26th Pnz Gren Regt. And later promoted to command 12th SS Pnz Div. As CO of the regiment he also was present and gave the execute order at one of the incidents.


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## Old Sweat (20 Nov 2006)

The following is a compilation of Canadian prisoners murdered by 12 SS Panzer Division in Normandy. There probably were some others that escaped notice. Read: Location, Date, Number, Unit(s) Responsible.

Authie Area; 7 June; 17; III/25 SS PGR (3rd Battalion 25 SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment)

Road between Authie and Buron; 7 June;22; III/25 SS PGR

Abbey d'Ardenne; 7 June; 17; HQ 25 SS PGR; 17 June; 2; HQ 25 SS PGR

Chateau d'Audrieu; 8 June; 26; 12 SS Recce Bn

Fontenay-le-Pesnel; 8 June; 35; II/26 SS PGR

Moulin Farm; 9 June; 3; II/26 SS PGR

Haut-du Bosq; 11 June; 3; HQ 26 SS PGR

Bretteville L'Orgueilleuse; 8-9 June; 13; unident 12 SS Pz Div

Norrey en Bessin; 9 June; 1; 12 SS PZR (Panzer Regiment)

Le Mesnil-Patry; 11 June; 1; II/12 SS PZR; 8; II/26 SS PGR; 2; 12 SS Pnr Bn (Engineer Regiment); 2; unident 12 SS Pz Div

Mouen; 17 June; 7; 12 SS Pnr Bn

From the above we can see that the majority of the panzer and infantry battalions of the 12th SS Div were not involved in the murders, although I can not say whether this was from lack of opportunity or not. 

Of interest are the excuses offered by the mouth breathers who attempt to clear the division's name such as the captured order referred to above. As well, the actions of a two-vehicle patrol of the Inns of Court Regiment, an armoured car regiment, on 8 June have often been cited. On the morning of 8 June this patrol captured the commander and some of the staff of the artillery regiment of the Panzer Lehr Division and apparently tied the commander to the front of a scout car as a shield before shooting the other Germans. It should be noted that this patrol was operating behind the German lines and was trying to return to safety. However, reprisals were forbidden by the Geneva Convention and a number of murders had already been committed before the units of 12 SS Pz Div learned of the incident.


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## Danjanou (20 Nov 2006)

Old Sweat said:
			
		

> From the above we can see that the majority of the panzer and infantry battalions of the 12th SS Div were not involved in the murders, although I can not say whether this was from lack of opportunity or not.



Minor Point but the 25th and 26th SS Panzer Grenadier Regiments were the two main mechanized infantry units in 12th ss Panzer Division.

Total Order of Battle at Normandy was as follows:
Division Stab 
SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 25 (Mech Inf Regt 2 Bns)
SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment 26 (Mech Inf Regt 2 Bns)
SS-Panzer Regiment 12 (Tank Regiment 2 Bns)
SS-Panzer Artillerie Regiment 12 (Arty Regt)
SS-Kradschutzen-Regiment 12 
SS-Aufklarung-Abteilung 12 (Recce Bn)
SS-Kradschutzen-Regiment 12 
SS-Panzerjäger-Abteilung 12 (Lt Inf Bn)
SS-Werfer-Abteilung 12 
SS-Flak-Abteilung 12 (AA Arty Bn)
SS-Pioneer-Abteilung 12 (Engineer Bn)
SS-Panzer-Nachrichten-Abteilung 12 
SS-Instandsetzungs 12 
SS-Nachschub Truppen 12 
SS-Wirtschafts Battalion 12 
SS-Fuhrerbewerber Lehrgange 
SS-Kriegsberichter-Zug (mot) 12 
SS-Feldgendarmerie-Kompanie/Trupp 12 (MP Coy)
SS-Feldpostamt (mot) 12


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## Old Sweat (20 Nov 2006)

My reference to units was in reference to the two tank and six infantry battalions in 12 SS Panzer and 25 and 26 SS Panzer Grenadier Regiments. Please note that Waffen SS panzer grenadier regiments had three battalions - in the case of the Hitler Youth Division five motorized and one (III/26 SS PGR) mechanized. One of the panzer and two of the panzer grenadier battalions were linked to the murder of prisoners by the Allied investigations. For a discussion of the incidents see _Conduct Unbecoming: The Story of the Murder of Canadian Prisoners of War in Normandy_ by Howard Margolian, ISBN 0-8020-4213-9.


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