On June 6th, 1944, a combined force of American, British and Canadian troops landed on the beaches of Normandy. The Allied invasion of occupied France was a turning point in the war against Hitler's Germany. From a tactical view, Canada's role was limited; strategically, it was pivotal. Canada's infantry and armoured regiments were thrown against Germany's elite troops and tank divisions. The price they paid was enormous.

During that fateful summer, men untrained for combat were sent to battle, and men unfit for command were left in charge. At the front, Canada's best reporters - sworn into the army for reasons of security - were prevented from telling the true story. In Desperate Battle: Normandy 1944 describes the tragedies that befell many of Canada's troops during the weeks that followed the D-Day landing.

Although the invasion occured almost 50 years ago, aspects of this campaign are still being scrutinized by military analysts. In Desperate Battle: Normandy 1944 combines archival film, dramatic re-enactments and eye-witness accounts to provide startling information about atrocities inflicted on both sides, the horrific conditions faced by the soldiers, and the bravery of men compelled to fight, and die, for their country.

In Desperate Battle: Normandy 1944 is the third film in the three-part series The Valour and the Horror. The series examines Canada's contribution suring the Second Wrold War from a critical viewpoint. Many of the events described are not familiar to most Canadians, and all share a tragic theme - that the lives of Canadian soldiers and airmen, and countless others, were sacrified unnecessarily.

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