While the fate of Europe was being decided on the beaches of Normandy in the summer of 1944, one unit was preparing to make history. Officially known as the First Belgian Independent Group, the Piron Brigade - or Belgian Brigade - was to leave its mark on the liberation of the continent.

On 3 August 1944, the Belgian Brigade left England. Landing in Normandy on 7 and 8 August, it joined the British 6th Airborne for its first strategic mission: to relieve the paratroopers at the famous Pegasus Bridge.

Under Canadian command, the brigade fought its way up the French coast. Cabourg, Deauville, Trouville... On 25 August 1944, while Paris was celebrating its liberation, Colonel Piron's men liberated Honfleur. Initially tasked with clearing the mouth of the Seine, the unit's mission was redirected on 1? September: heading for Belgium.

On 4 September 1944, the Piron Brigade entered Brussels to the cheers of a jubilant population. After a period of reconstitution, it returned to combat in the spring of 1945. Thanks to the Canadian tanks of the Calgary Regiment, a Canadian tank regiment veteran of the Dieppe Raid, it distinguished itself in the Netherlands, fighting until the final surrender of Nazi Germany.

Born in Namur in 1966, Dominique Henrard spent 37 years in the Belgian Navy (1985-2022). His operational career was marked by major missions on board the logistics ship Zinnia, notably in the Persian Gulf and Somalia. After serving in the Secretariat of the Naval Command and the ABNL Joint Staff in the Netherlands, he turned to heritage in 2004.

Specialising in collections management after training at the CNRS in Villeurbanne, he became head of the Marine section of the Royal Army Museum (War Heritage Institute). A recognised expert, he has curated and coordinated a number of major exhibitions, from the Battle for the North Sea in Bruges to the "From Dieppe to Juno" exhibition at the Juno Beach Centre in Normandy, which will bring his museum career to a close in 2022.

Today, he continues his commitment to safeguarding military heritage as a trustee of the Royal Society of Friends of the Musée de l'Armée.

• the 23 august 2026 from 15:00 to 16:30

• Address: Centre Juno Beach, Voie des Français Libres, 14470 COURSEULLES-SUR-MER
• Phone: View phone number02 31 37 32 17
• E-mail: View email[email protected]
• Website: www.junobeach.org/fr