Ranville War Cemetery, located near Caen in Normandy, is the final resting place of over 2.000 Commonwealth soldiers from the Second World War, including 90 unidentified. The cemetery also holds 323 German graves and a few from other nationas. Among the Canadians buried here are nine Royal Canadian Air Force members, three CANLOAN officers, and 57 soldiers of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion.

The 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, part of the British 6th Airborne Division, was the first Canadian unit to enter France on D-Day invasion. On 6 June 1944, approximately 450 Canadian paratroopers dropped behind enemy lines in the early hours, scattered by strong winds across a wider area than planned. Despite being dispersed and with 84 captured, they succeeded in their critical missions: destroying bridges over the Divette and Dives rivers and capturing a key German position near Varaville. Ranville, the first village liberated on D-Day, stands as a tribute to their courage, with a memorial to the British 6th Airborne Division.

Among those buried here is Warrant Officer Nathan L. Berger, a 23-year-old wireless operator from Montreal. He was killed during Operation Tonga on the eve of D-Day when his Dakota aircraft, delivering British paratroopers, was shot down near Colombelles. Berger died with nearly his entire crew and passengers, and after an initial communal burial, was reinterred at Ranville.

Another Canadian buried at Ranville is Wing Commander Lloyd Vernon Chtampadburn, one of the RCAF’s most decorated young leaders. Born in Montreal, Chadburn overcame early setbacks to become the youngest RCAF wing commander at 23. He earned distinction for his leadership during the Dieppe Raid and received multiple honors. He died in a mid-air collision just days after D-Day in 1944, aged 24.