Storming Juno Page #2

We all knew.

But nobody talked about it.

[SINGING]

...your fag,

[SINGING]

Smile boys, that's the style,

what's the use of worrying?

It never was worth while,

so pack up your troubles

in your old kit-bag,

and smile, smile, smile.

(Laughter)

We had fifteen seconds

to empty the plane.

If you hesitated, the men

behind you would get scattered,

and we'd all be screwed.

Of course the plane had to be

in exactly the right place

at the right time.

Green lights on!

Green on!

Go Go Go

Go Go!

Move it!

Move!

Move it!

Just after I jumped,

I'm thinkin,

"What the hell am

I doing here?"

'D-DAY'.

We launch at dawn.

The plan is to drop into

the sea two miles offshore

and arrive

just before the infantry.

There's no

turning back now.

Listen gonna tell

you straight up,

Army Intel says only

two out of five of us

are going to

make it off this beach.

If we wanna make it, we're

going to have to keep our heads,

stay smart.

Remember that we got one job,

punch through the enemy lines.

Remember that

and we'll be okay.

Paratroopers would

have landed by now.

Each airborne unit had

a specific objective,

knock out a bridge,

or communication line,

to prevent the Germans from

launching a counter-attack

against the beach.

Our job was to

secure the drop zone

by launching a surprise attack

on a German garrison

near a town called

Varaville.

We had to take out their main

gun before the next wave

of twenty-five hundred

paratroopers came in.

If we failed, those boys

would get slaughtered.

I had five minutes to

get to the rally point.

Problem was, I had no

idea where the hell I was,

or how to get there.

First time I get bombed,

it's by our own air-force.

Maybe they missed

their target,

maybe we'd been dropped

in the wrong place.

Maybe both.

Maybe we were all

screwing up.

Punch!

Judy! What?

"Judy!"

Jesus Christ, "Judy!"

Um, "Who won

the Stanley Cup?"

Habs!

Four-games-straight.

You look like

sh*t Hartigan.

You're one to talk.

Any idea where we are?

France?

How the hell do we get

to the rally point?

I dunno.

We'd missed the rendezvous.

I wondered how many

others were lost.

Wandering around the

French countryside.

Or dead.

Dawn.

June sixth, 1944.

At last we could see it.

The long grey

coastline of Normandy.

Then our Navy guns opened up.

Artillery fire

So loud it was like getting

punched in the chest.

We hoped it was doing a

lot worse to the Germans.

Artillery fire

Alright, alright!

One last time.

LCA drops us

here at H-hour.

Katesman!

Chief snipes the machine-gun

position here while me, Apple,

Bashnick and Culty take the

Bangalores and blow the wire.

Here.

Good!

Blow the wire.

Chief!

Section One pushes through

to take the Machine Gun pillbox.

STORK.

We then rally here.

And attack the main bunker,

here, destroying the 88.

Good.

Alright! There'll be

a lot of heavy smoke.

What do you do if you get lost?

Grab STORK and poke his

head through the clouds.

Move up that beach and

keep moving no matter what.

You do not stop to

help the wounded.

No one stops.

Medics take care of that.

Alright?

Artillery fire

Listen.

Given the Naval bombardment,

chances are

nothing will be left.

With seas like this,

launching the tanks

was going to be tricky.

but the time was here

to get em in the water.

The bloody Brit

won't let us launch.

What?

Navy command is

saying it's too rough.

But this is 'bullshit'.

Well Sergeant,

I can see their point.

We've never launched in

conditions like this before.

But sir I...

Four of your

men can't even swim.

Yeah, but I...

Including you.

Major,

I speak for my men.

We'd rather take our

chances out there,

than stay on this

rolling puke bucket.

C'mon sir let us launch.

Those infantry boys they're

going to die without us.

Okay, okay.

Leave it to me.

What about the Brit?

It's not his show.

Sergeant Gariepy.

Bonne chance.

I was thinking,

was that very brave?

or very stupid?

Artillery shots

Bagpipes

Bird, looks like we're

gonna be in the movies.

Yeah, a regular

Gary Cooper huh?

Hi mom!

Bagpipes

Hey Apple, know why bagpipers

are always walkin around?

To get away from that noise.

Bagpipes

Load em in.

Section One!

Loading!

It's about bloody time.

Let's move.

Pick it up.

Pick it up!

Careful with that kid!

After three days at sea,

we finally boarded

the landing craft

that would take us

in to the beach.

Each carried a Platoon

of thirty-six men.

Just little boats made

of plywood and steel.

Bouncing around like a cork.

According to plan, we were to

land on the beach at 'H' hour

just when the Naval bombardment

was scheduled to stop.

We were scared.

Anyone who said he wasn't,

was either a liar

or just plain crazy.

Okay Men, prepare to launch,

prepare to launch.

McGinnis, start er up!

Navy command said it was

too dangerous to launch.

But our C.O.

Decided to push forward.

Everyone in our squadron,

all nineteen tank crews...

Electrics on.

...felt we had to chance it.

Radio check.

Main gun in position!

Ladies, our skirt is up.

Take us in McGinnis!

Aye, aye Captain!

Here we go.

... McGinnis.

Hold steady.

We launched more

than two miles off shore.

The first tank in

our unit to go in.

But I wondered, how many

of us would make the beach?

Dawn.

D-Day.

The first infantry

assault wave

is already headed

for the beach.

Further inland air-borne units

are racing to secure their

objectives to prevent a

German counter-attack

against our beach forces.

Mallon and I

had spent our whole night

dodging enemy patrols.

By sunrise, we finally made

our way to the objective.

The German garrison

at Varaville.

We were so late, we figured

the rest of our unit

had already

knocked out the gun

that threatened

our main drop zone.

Get down!

Get down.

Get down.

Gunfire

Over here!

Gunfire

Hey, Stupid.

Where've you been?

MacPhee, what the

hell's going on?

Makela, take the

Bren gun over there.

Keep your head down.

Why haven't you

taken the objective?

Because of that Pillbox.

The German artillery's back

there, hidden that wall.

Right there?

Yeah.

Where's Macleod?

Major MacLeod is dead.

In the house there.

We were scouting

when the gun opened up.

Jesus --

Where the hell

is everyone else?

only 17 of us made it.

We can't get

past that pillbox.

So go around.

We tried that. There's

minefields on either side.

There's no way in.

Well, I have to do something.

We can't take it.

We're out numbered.

And we got nothing -

no PIATS.

One Bren gun.

Your mortar's the

biggest thing we've got.

Best bet is

just to keep'em tied-up

'till reinforcements

come in.

Bull-sh*t.

We've got to do something.

I'm gonna scout

out the position.

Maybe I can

find a way in.

Okay. See if you can get

up to the rooftop.

Sergeant McPhee

and the others

had kept the enemies

engaged all night.

But sooner or later

German reinforcements

were bound to show up.

Careful in there

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