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WWII History: The following pictures were taken in Spring 2002 at the WWII Normandy battlefield sites of the British 6th Airborne Division. The photos were made possible by using the excellent, highly accurate and indispensable reference book, Pegasus Bridge, Merville Battery, by Carl Shilleto. This page covers the sites around Pegasus Bridge, which were secured by a glider-borne coup de main party on the first night of the Normandy Invasion. |
- Pegasus Bridge -
The New Pegasus Bridge
(Map Location A)
The first place Allied troops landed during the Normandy Invasion in June 1944 was the Caen Canal Bridge, shown in this photograph below as it looks today. This bridge and the nearby Orne River Bridge were the only spans which allowed access to the invasion beaches from the east. It was vital that they be captured and denied to the Germans. If they could not it was feared that the German panzer armies would be able to sweep down from the east and south and attack the troops landing on the Normandy beaches. Securing the bridges also gave the Allies the ability to break out to the East. The task of securing these bridges was given to a specially trained and reinforced company of glider-borne infantry from the 6th Airborne Division.
The New Pegasus Bridge. View from the south. Gliders landed to the right of the picture.
Led by Major Howard, a company of the 2nd Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry along with Royal Engineers and Glider Pilots, launched a surprise attack on the German defenders of these two vital river crossings. Floating silently down in six Horsa gliders out of the midnight sky on June 5th/6th the coup de main party stormed the bridges and secured both before the Germans could destroy them. The picture below is taken from the German gun pit on the east bank of the canal, near the superstructure of the bridge looking over to the Cafe Gondree on the west bank. It is this location that British troops first attacked, then to sweep across the bridge to secure the buildings on the other side.
The New Pegasus Bridge from the East side of the canal.
With both bridges in hand the small group of British troops dug in to face the inevitable German counter-attacks. Major Howard established his HQ in a German dugout just north of the bridge on the eastern bank. The following photograph is taken from the location of the HQ, looking north up the Caen Canal towards the Channel.
Major Howard's HQ looking north.
The assault force was reinforced some hours later by parachutists from 3rd Parachute Brigade, and the next morning were relieved by the commandos marching from the landing beaches. The bridges had been held. The Allies had secured the left flank of the invasion force in what was one of the most brilliant and heroic actions of the Second World War.
Pegasus Bridge Memorial Plaque
In memory of the action the Caen Canal Bridge was renamed Pegasus Bridge after the symbol of the British Airborne forces. The bridge that now stands on the site is a larger version of the original, which now stands 100 yards to the northeast at the beatiful museum recently completed to commemorate the action. Shown above is the plaque on the current Pegasus Bridge.Glider Landing Sites
(Map Location B)
Three gliders were tasked with landing troops at the Caen Canal Bridge, including one carrying Major Howard. All three landed incredibly close to the bridge, one even coming to a stop within the barbed-wire perimeter of the German defenders. This photograph is taken near the landing spot of the furthest of the three gliders. The stone markers indicating the landing sites for the first and second gliders can be seen even closer to the bridge. The area is swampy and has several small lakes nearby, into which one of the gliders partially landed.
View of the bridge from the glider landing site.
Map of Pegasus Bridge Landing Area.
Letters refer to sections in this article.
At the time Allied bombers were raiding nearby cities and the German defenders of the bridge thought that the sound of the gliders landing was made by pieces of a shot-down bombers crashing nearby. They were taken completely by surprise as the British Airborne troops came running out of the night firing as they ran. The two sentries on the bridge were killed almost immediately, although one managed to launch a warning flare. The German defenders were attacked in their bunkers and dugouts and after a quick and vicious action were dispatched by the Oxs & Bucks. Shown in this picture is a marker for the location of the landing site of the first glider which carried Major Howard, along with a bust of Howard and a plaque commemorating his leadership.
First Glider Marker and Maj. Howard Memorial
The area of the glider landings is now a memorial site, and is very well tended and marked. A stone path leads south from the bridge along the canal and into the reeds. A cut path leads visitors past three stone markers which indicate the landing spots for each of the gliders. A plaque on each marker gives the names of the glider pilots and platoon officers who landed there. Shown below is the marker for the second glider landing spot.
Second Glider Landing Memorial
(Map Location C)
The original Pegasus Bridge was removed by the French government in 1994 and replaced by a newer and larger bridge. The new bridge is also set slightly to the south of the original, although this does not noticeably distract from the historicity of the site. The original Pegasus Bridge was safely kept to the side while a museum was built at the site.
Original Pegasus Bridge, restored on the museum grounds.
The Pegasus Bridge Museum, located just a few yards to the northeast of the current bridge, is now open and welcoming visitors. The original bridge is beautifully restored and located on the museum grounds, as shown in these photographs above and below. Shown in this second photograph is the superstructure of the original bridge. It has been restored and repainted, but scars of the fighting are still visible.
Superstructure of the original bridge.
It is also possible to walk onto the decking of the bridge and retrace the steps of the assault party as they crossed to the west. A number of poppy wreaths have been placed on the site in honour of the fallen. Below is a photograph taken from the decking of the bridge beneath the superstructure on the eastern end.
On top of Pegasus Bridge.
| A tour of the Pegasus Bridge battlefields continues on the next page. |
