Justin Trudeau, the silver spoon, moppish-haired Canadian Prime Minister, arrived in Europe in luxurious fashion..It was aboard a Canadian Forces Airbus, decked out especially for VIPs — probably one of the few things Mulroney got right..Over in Glasgow at the COP26 climate summit, he is strutting like a peacock, and likely being wined and dined by the best chefs in Scotland..My dad’s cousin, Cpl. Mike Makichuk, arrived in Europe quite differently..In fact, it would be the largest seaborne invasion ever attempted in history. .More than 14,000 Canadian soldiers were set to land or parachute into France on D-Day..And Cpl. Makichuk of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles (RWR) would be part of it.. Screen-Shot-2021-11-04-at-9.40.52-AMCpl. Mike Makichuk .As soldiers waited in their camps in England, they pored over maps, photographs and three-dimensional models of the invasion beaches constructed from information meticulously collected over the previous months. .The models and pictures showed the layout of the Normandy coastline and important landmarks — houses, church spires, headlands — so that every officer and soldier would know their objectives and what awaited them..According to JunoBeach.org, the men of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division and the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade had boarded ships at dawn on June 5, 1944, as Landing Craft (LCA) swung loosely from the davits..This was followed by larger landing craft for infantry and tanks. They passed Portsmouth around 0900. .On the way, subaltern officers and later troops were briefed. This was not an exercise..It’s quite possible that Cpl. Makichuk would have been offered a swig or two of rum to bolster spirits, as the largest amphibious invasion in military history — 6,939 ships and landing vessels — approached the French coast..I sometimes think of this moment, often when I am lying in bed as I replay the highs and lows of my day.. OverlordOperation Overlord .What was he thinking? What was going through his mind, knowing that he was going up against a fortified coastline held by the Nazis..The weather was not great, even though Supreme Commander General Dwight Eisenhower did give Operation Overlord the OK..Strong winds and rough seas caused problems for the landing craft and brought the tide in more quickly than anticipated, making the beach obstacles harder to navigate..At this point, Cpl. Makichuk may have double-checked his weapon, possibly a Thompson sub-machine gun with five magazines carrying 20 rounds of .45 ACP ammunition, or 32 rounds of 9mm ammunition for a Sten gun, which would come on stream later in the war. . JunoCanadian troops hit the beach at Juno .He might have also checked his prayer book, which he kept in a pocket..He would also carry two grenades; the most common type being the No.36M — known as the ‘Mills Bomb.’.The remaining privates would be armed with the 10-shot No.4 Mk I Lee–Enfield bolt-action rifle and the accompanying spike bayonet. .They would each carry 50 rounds of .303 ammunition in five-round stripper clips, as well as one Mills Bomb..According to Legion Magazine, other gear included a Mk III helmet with scrim camouflage, a gas brassard, a lightweight assault respirator haversack with respirator, a rolled camouflage gas cape, a shovel, a felt-covered water bottle and high-top assault boots..The weight of an average soldier’s kit could easily exceed 36 kg, or 80 lbs..Cpl. Makichuk’s mission was to lead a mortar team in the first wave, and he may have formed up with them during the crossing — the mission target was a stretch of sand in Normandy code-named Juno Beach..To brave heavy fire to establish a foothold along an eight-kilometre stretch of coastline fronting the villages of Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer, Bernières-sur-Mer, Courseulles-sur-Mer, and Graye-sur-Mer..The Americans and the British would be landing on other nearby beaches along the 80-km front — the greater purpose being the liberation of north-west Europe from oppressive Nazi occupation..But this would not be easy..The French side of the English Channel had been turned into what was called the “Atlantic Wall” — mile after mile of concrete bunkers, machine gun nests, and other fortifications, according to the Canadian Encyclopedia..Built by the Germans, the latter looked down on beaches strewn with layers of barbed wire, anti-tank ditches, mines and other obstacles..By most accounts, heading toward Juno Beach in an LCA was not pleasant..Many suffered from seasickness caused by the flat bottoms on the smaller boats “bouncing” across the waves, the BBC reported..After a naval and aerial bombardment of German shoreline defences, the first waves of landing craft headed for the beaches, packed with anxious soldiers..The Allied bombardment did little to destroy enemy positions, and soldiers faced resistance as they came ashore on all the beaches, dodging bullets while wading through chest-high seas. .Some didn’t even make it that far, being dropped off in deep water, where the weight of their kit would drown them. Some LCS also hit mines, and were blown to pieces..Lockie Fulton, a farmer’s son from Birtle, Manitoba, describes the scene..“(The English Channel) was terribly rough. A lot of the fellas were seasick. As we got closer, small-arms fire began hitting the front of our craft. Then we hit bottom, the ramp went down, and I jumped into the water up to my waist, loaded with well over 45 kilograms of equipment..“We had to go at least 50 yards before we got out of the sea. It wasn’t a pleasant experience, but we simply struggled through it. You’d see a guy fall next to you. You couldn’t help him, but you’d try to drag him along anyway. It was something to see those bullets skipping at you like stones across the water. I thought if I jumped high enough, I might not get hit.”.In those first waves of assault, almost one in every two men was either wounded or killed..Cpl. Makichuk was in the first wave of the attacking RWR — God knows what was going through his mind in that moment, but his private war would end soon — according to military archives, he would be killed by a mine..He never made it off the beach. And that’s pretty much all we know.. Death-CertificateDeath telegram to Makichuk’s widow .But the Canadians would keep going, successfully capturing their shoreline positions at Juno Beach and penetrating the farthest inland of any of some 155,000 Allied troops who had landed on that day..Total Allied casualties reached more than 10,000, including 1,074 Canadians, of whom 359 were killed. .By the end of the Battle of Normandy, the Allies would suffer 209,000 casualties, including more than 18,700 Canadians. Over 5,000 Canadian soldiers died..Meanwhile, that disgusting party boy — I guess we can call him Climate Boy now — couldn’t care less about the importance of raising the flag before Remembrance Day, casting a pall of disrespect on Canada’s war dead..Trudeau could have easily jumped on his Airbus, made the few-minute flight and paid his respects to the Canadian war dead in France..But I guess the waves at Juno Beach weren’t the surfing kind.. MAKICHUK: Glasgow’s strutting ‘Climate Boy’ shuns Canada’s war deadTrudeau in Tofino .An insult, in all honesty, I can’t comprehend. Beyond shameful..According to the CBC, the PM is now saying says his government is in “discussions” with indigenous leaders, and is confident that flags on government buildings can be raised in time to be lowered for Remembrance Day. .The only “discussions” Cpl. Mike Makichuk had was to take a beach in France and he would give his life for you, me and that useless grand-standing baboon in Glasgow..As my WS editor, Dave Naylor, said to me this week: “Dave, you must be proud (of Mike).”.You’re damn right I am. .They were, and continue to be, our greatest generation..Dave Makichuk is a Western Standard contributor. .He has worked in the media for decades, including as an editor for the Calgary Herald. He is also the military editor for the Asia Times..makichukd@gmail.com
Justin Trudeau, the silver spoon, moppish-haired Canadian Prime Minister, arrived in Europe in luxurious fashion..It was aboard a Canadian Forces Airbus, decked out especially for VIPs — probably one of the few things Mulroney got right..Over in Glasgow at the COP26 climate summit, he is strutting like a peacock, and likely being wined and dined by the best chefs in Scotland..My dad’s cousin, Cpl. Mike Makichuk, arrived in Europe quite differently..In fact, it would be the largest seaborne invasion ever attempted in history. .More than 14,000 Canadian soldiers were set to land or parachute into France on D-Day..And Cpl. Makichuk of the Royal Winnipeg Rifles (RWR) would be part of it.. Screen-Shot-2021-11-04-at-9.40.52-AMCpl. Mike Makichuk .As soldiers waited in their camps in England, they pored over maps, photographs and three-dimensional models of the invasion beaches constructed from information meticulously collected over the previous months. .The models and pictures showed the layout of the Normandy coastline and important landmarks — houses, church spires, headlands — so that every officer and soldier would know their objectives and what awaited them..According to JunoBeach.org, the men of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division and the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade had boarded ships at dawn on June 5, 1944, as Landing Craft (LCA) swung loosely from the davits..This was followed by larger landing craft for infantry and tanks. They passed Portsmouth around 0900. .On the way, subaltern officers and later troops were briefed. This was not an exercise..It’s quite possible that Cpl. Makichuk would have been offered a swig or two of rum to bolster spirits, as the largest amphibious invasion in military history — 6,939 ships and landing vessels — approached the French coast..I sometimes think of this moment, often when I am lying in bed as I replay the highs and lows of my day.. OverlordOperation Overlord .What was he thinking? What was going through his mind, knowing that he was going up against a fortified coastline held by the Nazis..The weather was not great, even though Supreme Commander General Dwight Eisenhower did give Operation Overlord the OK..Strong winds and rough seas caused problems for the landing craft and brought the tide in more quickly than anticipated, making the beach obstacles harder to navigate..At this point, Cpl. Makichuk may have double-checked his weapon, possibly a Thompson sub-machine gun with five magazines carrying 20 rounds of .45 ACP ammunition, or 32 rounds of 9mm ammunition for a Sten gun, which would come on stream later in the war. . JunoCanadian troops hit the beach at Juno .He might have also checked his prayer book, which he kept in a pocket..He would also carry two grenades; the most common type being the No.36M — known as the ‘Mills Bomb.’.The remaining privates would be armed with the 10-shot No.4 Mk I Lee–Enfield bolt-action rifle and the accompanying spike bayonet. .They would each carry 50 rounds of .303 ammunition in five-round stripper clips, as well as one Mills Bomb..According to Legion Magazine, other gear included a Mk III helmet with scrim camouflage, a gas brassard, a lightweight assault respirator haversack with respirator, a rolled camouflage gas cape, a shovel, a felt-covered water bottle and high-top assault boots..The weight of an average soldier’s kit could easily exceed 36 kg, or 80 lbs..Cpl. Makichuk’s mission was to lead a mortar team in the first wave, and he may have formed up with them during the crossing — the mission target was a stretch of sand in Normandy code-named Juno Beach..To brave heavy fire to establish a foothold along an eight-kilometre stretch of coastline fronting the villages of Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer, Bernières-sur-Mer, Courseulles-sur-Mer, and Graye-sur-Mer..The Americans and the British would be landing on other nearby beaches along the 80-km front — the greater purpose being the liberation of north-west Europe from oppressive Nazi occupation..But this would not be easy..The French side of the English Channel had been turned into what was called the “Atlantic Wall” — mile after mile of concrete bunkers, machine gun nests, and other fortifications, according to the Canadian Encyclopedia..Built by the Germans, the latter looked down on beaches strewn with layers of barbed wire, anti-tank ditches, mines and other obstacles..By most accounts, heading toward Juno Beach in an LCA was not pleasant..Many suffered from seasickness caused by the flat bottoms on the smaller boats “bouncing” across the waves, the BBC reported..After a naval and aerial bombardment of German shoreline defences, the first waves of landing craft headed for the beaches, packed with anxious soldiers..The Allied bombardment did little to destroy enemy positions, and soldiers faced resistance as they came ashore on all the beaches, dodging bullets while wading through chest-high seas. .Some didn’t even make it that far, being dropped off in deep water, where the weight of their kit would drown them. Some LCS also hit mines, and were blown to pieces..Lockie Fulton, a farmer’s son from Birtle, Manitoba, describes the scene..“(The English Channel) was terribly rough. A lot of the fellas were seasick. As we got closer, small-arms fire began hitting the front of our craft. Then we hit bottom, the ramp went down, and I jumped into the water up to my waist, loaded with well over 45 kilograms of equipment..“We had to go at least 50 yards before we got out of the sea. It wasn’t a pleasant experience, but we simply struggled through it. You’d see a guy fall next to you. You couldn’t help him, but you’d try to drag him along anyway. It was something to see those bullets skipping at you like stones across the water. I thought if I jumped high enough, I might not get hit.”.In those first waves of assault, almost one in every two men was either wounded or killed..Cpl. Makichuk was in the first wave of the attacking RWR — God knows what was going through his mind in that moment, but his private war would end soon — according to military archives, he would be killed by a mine..He never made it off the beach. And that’s pretty much all we know.. Death-CertificateDeath telegram to Makichuk’s widow .But the Canadians would keep going, successfully capturing their shoreline positions at Juno Beach and penetrating the farthest inland of any of some 155,000 Allied troops who had landed on that day..Total Allied casualties reached more than 10,000, including 1,074 Canadians, of whom 359 were killed. .By the end of the Battle of Normandy, the Allies would suffer 209,000 casualties, including more than 18,700 Canadians. Over 5,000 Canadian soldiers died..Meanwhile, that disgusting party boy — I guess we can call him Climate Boy now — couldn’t care less about the importance of raising the flag before Remembrance Day, casting a pall of disrespect on Canada’s war dead..Trudeau could have easily jumped on his Airbus, made the few-minute flight and paid his respects to the Canadian war dead in France..But I guess the waves at Juno Beach weren’t the surfing kind.. MAKICHUK: Glasgow’s strutting ‘Climate Boy’ shuns Canada’s war deadTrudeau in Tofino .An insult, in all honesty, I can’t comprehend. Beyond shameful..According to the CBC, the PM is now saying says his government is in “discussions” with indigenous leaders, and is confident that flags on government buildings can be raised in time to be lowered for Remembrance Day. .The only “discussions” Cpl. Mike Makichuk had was to take a beach in France and he would give his life for you, me and that useless grand-standing baboon in Glasgow..As my WS editor, Dave Naylor, said to me this week: “Dave, you must be proud (of Mike).”.You’re damn right I am. .They were, and continue to be, our greatest generation..Dave Makichuk is a Western Standard contributor. .He has worked in the media for decades, including as an editor for the Calgary Herald. He is also the military editor for the Asia Times..makichukd@gmail.com