Wn13 Pont sur le Canal ("Pegasus Bridge")

Index The Original Bridge. The New Bridge. The 6th June 2010 memorial service. The German Defence. The Allied Attack. The Wars End. All there were, were two bridges. One over a canal and a another over a river. They were given the code names Ham & Jam by the Allied planners. These two bridges would have been the only way the elements 21st Panzer Division would be able to attack the Allies after the assault landings had started. By crossing these bridges and hitting the Allies in their flank. So a small glider force of infantry was tasked on D-Day morning with capturing and holding them until relieved by ground forces from Sword beach. Only then would the flank be secure.

The canal today with the Gondree Café.

Three gliders in the early hours of D-day landed close to the Pont sur le Canal and overwhelmed the small garrison of infantry. The bridge over the River Orne was taken by two of the three gliders and was found not to be defended. Next paratroops of the Sixth Airborne landed to the east of the canal/river around the Ranville area to cut of any advances made on the bridges and cover the eastern flank. At 6.30am the Americans started landing on Utah Beach and then it was Omahas turn. Next the British with Gold, Canadians at Juno and then more British on Sword Beach. Commandos under the Lord Lovet with his famous piper landed just after after the initial assault and moved off south skirting any opposition. . They arrived at the bridge slightly late and passed over to hold the far side around Sallenelles. Airborne troops then started to move out from their assembly areas around Ranville and gradually took over the defence from the 2nd (Airborne) Battalion, Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry and relived them. For Major Howard and his men, It had been a very long long day.

Route of the Commando advance The Commandos under Lord Lovat fought there way from the beach to St Aubin and then on to the bridge. Red Arrow. The Germans attacked from Caen through the village of Benouville. Yellow Arrows.

The original Bridge now in the grounds of a very good museum. A Bascule (Rocker) bridge built in 1935 across the Caen Canal 3.5miles inland from the sea. By 1944 it became a very important river crossing for D-day to secure the eastern flank of the landings. A parachute and glider force was due to land to the east of the river around the village of Ranville, but the bridge needed to be taken and holding before the airborne and seaborne forces landed.

The deck plate where the actioned happened. Maj. Howard and his Ox & Bucks landed on the far side, took the bridge and advanced across to secure both banks. There main objective on the night was first to take the bridge and destroy the pill box defence. The second to cross the bridge and cover the south of the road and the third to cover north of the road.

The original Bridge. Shrapnel and bullet holes are all over the bridge.

The new bridge, slightly bigger than the old one but was built to looks the same. The French war memorial where the new control tower for the bridge, is where the pillbox defence used to be.

The new bridge looking very good in the autumn sun.

The new bridge. Bf65a emplacement with a 5cm KwK L/60 Pak.

The new bridge.

6th June 2010 memorial service. In 2010 we just happened to be around for the memorial weekend.

6th June 2010 memorial service. Maj. Howard's daughter who has attended many of the 6th of June memorial days.

6th June 2010 memorial service. The West Yorkshire Police band playing Nimrod.

6th June 2010 memorial service.

6th June 2010 memorial service. West Yorkshire Police band leading the march past.

6th June 2010 memorial service. The few, rear right Albert Smith, Brian Pridey at the front and Pat Turner?? in the light suite.

The German defence. The 5cm KwK L/60 showing the original camouflage paint.

The German defence. The layout of the defence.

This is the second bridge 'Jam', a central pivoting type I believe designed by Eiffel.

The target. The defending troops although alerted to the fact something was going on, never heard a thing. When the three gliders were released from the Halifax tugs, these planes went on and bombed a gun powder factory and the noise covered the sounds of the landing gliders. The gliders came in silently and then crashed down, skidding along. The first straight into the defence barbed wire, the second to its right rear and the third, screamed in (or thats how they said it felt) and landed near the pond where one of the pilots catapulted out through the windscreen into the water. Also one of the soldiers fell out and drowned in the pond.

The German defence. Reconnaissance photo showing the bridge and two houses on the far side. They were removed later in April/May 1944 to allow the 5cm KwK a better view covering south and north. With the start of 1944 and Rommel taking over as inspector of defences on the Atlantikwall, things started to move. Here the 5cm gun could not fire in a 360° as and the houses demolished. A small pill box defence was built into the bridges control room overlooking the canal and trenches extended both sides of the road.

The Allied attack Training for operation Dead Stick started by the OX & Bucks attacking the two bridges at Exeter, England. The bridges here look very like the ones at Benouville and for training purposes were perfect. The bridge supervisor at Exeter was not at all happy at first about having a load of squaddies running around and firing blanks and flairs. But he came around later to assist them in any way he could. It was good practice.

The Allied attack The above Google image may not look like much but zoom in below where it says Martin Down NNR and you will see a long mound. This is the BUTTS and moving to your left you will see square blocks. These are where soldiers would lay out in lines shooting at targets on the Butts. This is where the Ox and Bucks came for their last exorcise to hone their shooting skills and adjust their gun sites.

The Allied attack RAF Tarrant Rushton was a nearly brand new aerodrome on a plateau to the the east of Blandford Forum. It is still there with its last two T2 hangars and a perimeter track with three runway layout. This picture was taken on the 22 April 1944 as training was going on. There were two squadrons of Halifax bombers converted to tow gliders and also drop agents and arms to the European underground. It would have been buzzing with RAF types and a mix of airborne and agents. Quite an eclectic mix.

The Allied attack To the south of RAF Netheravon in Wiltshire is a small wood and the six gliders and crews practiced their landings here, day and then night for operation ‘Dead Stick’. A layout of the canal was made using sheep hurdles and palling fences. When the gliders landed they could conveniently be towed by tractors up onto the airfield and the Halifax pilots towing them back to RAF Tarrant Rushton.

From the film The Longest Day, the glider landing.

The Allied attack A Halifax bomber and a Horsa glider taking off at RAF Tarrant Rushton. My father in law remembers these heavy bombers taking off and flying around towing gliders and then a few hours later returning and landing. But on D-Day morning, he said the air started to fill with the roar of aircraft engines and it went on for several hours. Then very it went very quiet. They had all left. Later in dribs and drabs, planes started to return and after some piece and quite it all started again as the next operation took off. That was the re supply of Airborne forces in the late evening of June 6th.

The Allied attack A Horsa Glider coming into land with its barn door flaps down.

The Allied attack The three glides that landed early on June 6th very close to their target.

The Allied attack 1,2 & 3 the three gliders at Pegasus bridge and A & B the two gliders for the river bridge. The third glider landed some way away.

The Allied attack During the battle a sniper firing from the building across the river was causing casualties. So two of the Ox & Bucks decided to fire the 5cm KwK at the building. They let loose a few rounds but Maj. Howard told them to stop. It turned out it was a maternity hospital..

The Allied attack In Bénouville, junction of the commandos with the paratroopers of the 6th Airborne, here the commandos wear the beret and paras the helmet.

The Allied attack From the film ‘The Longest Day’ a very good scene showing Lord Lovet of the Commandos and Major Howard meeting on the bridge. On capturing the bridges the success signal ´HAM & JAM’ was sent out by their radio operator, the codes for the bridges.

The Allied attack A PIAT anti-tank weapon like this one was used on vehicles and tanks attacking Benouville from the south. One also destroyed a river gun boat that tried to attack the bridge.

The Allied attack Another view of the three gliders and looking to the right is the building with bricked windows of the bridge control building to make it a small pill box defence.

The wars end. A picture of Maj. Howard, his wife, young daughter and son visiting the bridge. Note the buildings behind that were fortified just prior to D-Day.

The wars end. Piece at last.

The wars end. This lovely old man full of medals, what did he do??