8th Canadian Infantry Brigade

8th Canadian Infantry Brigade
3rd Canadian Infantry Division Formation Patch
Active	1940–1945
Country	Canada
Branch	Canadian Army
Type	Infantry
Size	Brigade
Part of	3rd Canadian Infantry Division
Nickname(s)	"Water Rats"
Engagements	Juno Beach Normandy landings Battle of Normandy Battle of the Scheldt

The 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division during World War II.

World War II

After training in Britain, the 8th Brigade formed part of the assault forces on D-Day, at Juno Beach. The 8th went ashore in the area Courseulles-sur-Mer, Bernières-sur-Mer and St Aubin-sur-Mer, its task was to clear the beach and establish a beachhead perimeter before moving inland. Clearance of Courseilles was quickly done, thanks to detailed planning. Although the 8th Brigade reached is objectives by D-Day evening, "mopping-up" of by-passed German strongpoints took another ten days.^[1]

Order of battle

• The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada
• Le Régiment de la Chaudière
• The North Shore (New Brunswick) Regiment
• 8 Canadian Infantry Brigade Ground Defence Platoon (Lorne Scots)

Members of the Luftwaffe taken prisoner by the 8th Canadian Infantry Brigade during an attack on a factory in Ranville, 1944.

References

1. Stacey, Colonel C.P. "Canada's Battle in Normandy". The Canadian Army at War. Department of National Defence. Archived from the original on 8 April 2010. Retrieved 26 Feb 2010.