History_of_War_43_2017

6
June 1944. Nearly 7,000 vessels
containing 132,000 ground troops
cross the English Channel to take
part in the Allied invasion of western
Europe: the largest naval, air and
land operation in history. Nothing less than the
liberation of a brutally suppressed continent is
at stake and after years of intense planning,
failure is not an option.
Five assault beaches on the Normandy coast
must be taken, including one primarily reserved
for Canadian forces: Juno Beach. However, in
the vanguard of this sector is a 20-year-old
British member of the RAF Beach Squadrons.
Sitting in the cab of his truck and laden with
supplies, the young driver is launched from his
landing craft into deep water. The water rises
almost to his chest but after putting his foot
down on the accelerator, the engine roars into
action and the vehicle lurches onto the beach.
Leading Aircraftman David Teacher was one
of the first men to land on Juno Beach on D-Day
and spent months afterwards in the same
location ensuring that the logistical support for
the Allies in France remained strong. His war
continued to be dramatic beyond Normandy and
as the march east continued, Teacher found
himself fighting among American troops at
Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge before
taking part in the invasion of Germany in 1945.
Now aged 93 and still active in volunteer work,
Teacher’s story is a poignant tale of a young
man’s journey through war-torn Europe and the
courage and horror that he witnessed.
Playing ‘soldiers’ in Palestine
Born into a Jewish family on 29 December 1923
in Hastings, Teacher moved to what was then
the British Mandate of Palestine to live with
his grandparents in 1934. Living in the small
community of Karkur, Teacher experienced a
multicultural environment that was nevertheless
characterised by tensions the British authorities
spent much time attempting to resolve. It was
in Karkur that Teacher first encountered British
armed forces: “Due to the circumstances in
D-DAY, BASTOGNE AND BEYOND
“THERE WERE THOUSANDS
OF SHIPS AND LANDING
CRAFT, BATTLESHIPS,
DESTROYERS, AIRCRAFT
FLYING OVERHEAD… THE
NOISE WAS UNBELIEVABLE.
WHEN THE NAVY STARTED
BOMBARDING… IT WAS
HORRENDOUS”
Canadian and British troops landing
at Juno Beach, 6 June 1944. Teacher
remembers the landings as well organised
and thought highly of the Canadians
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