​​The villages of Authie and Buron in Normandy were the sites of two fierce battles between Canadian and German forces during the summer of 1944. The first occurred on 7 June, the day after the D-Day landings, when Canadian troops from the 9th Infantry Brigade advanced inland from Juno Beach. Their objective was to push toward the Carpiquet airfield and link up with British forces.

​In Authie, the North Nova Scotia Highlanders were isolated and overwhelmed by a German counterattack. Over 100 Canadians were captured, and many were later executed by German forces, including members of the Hitler Youth—an atrocity now remembered as part of the Normandy Massacres.

​A month later, Buron and Authie again became key objectives during Operation Charnwood (7 to 9 July), a major offensive to seize Caen. Canadian and British forces launched a large-scale assault to break through German defensive lines and secure critical villages north of the city. Authie, was heavily defended. Canadian units advanced under intense fire, clearing the village street by street. By 9 July, the German forces had been driven out, and the village was firmly in Allied hands.

​The liberation of bothAuthie and Buron was a key step in the capture of Caen and the broader Allied advance through Normandy. Though costly, these battles demonstrated the determination and effectiveness of Canadian forces and stand as a tribute to the soldiers who fought and died there—particularly those lost in the initial attacks and those murdered after capture.​