Artillery - Normandy

Canada Post Corporation's tribute to the Canadian war effort continues with four stamps to mark the 50th anniversary of D-Day, June 6, 1944 and the subsequent advance up the European coast. By nightfall of D-Day Canadians were further inland than any other Allied troops, but the next day clearly showed that a long merciless fight lay ahead. Dieppe had shown the need for artillery support, and "Priests" provided it for the assault troops on D-Day. They were self-propelled guns (SPs) - tracked armoured vehicles with 105 mm guns - and they played a significant support role for the forward troops. Later, these "Priests" were replaced with "25 pounders" - 105 mm and 5.5 inch artillery pieces - all of which provided close support through the remainder of the war. After the move inland Canadians participated in a series of desperate battles. Casualties at Caen were higher than on D-Day and except for Dieppe, July 25 was the bloodiest day's work for the Canadian army. About 450 men died and another 1,100 were wounded or captured. Then in August at Falaise in what has been called the Canadian artillery's greatest shoot of the war to that time, there were wholesale surrenders of Germans desperate to surrender and escape the shells that rained down upon them.