Day One
The western flank: Operation Tonga (Pegasus, Merville Battery) and Sword Beach
Day One’s tour begins where the first of the combined Allied forces to take part in Operation Overlord began their campaign and explores how the eastern flank, such a strategically important area, was secured by British Airborne troops. It finishes on Sword Beach the landing site of the British 3rd Infantry Division who were tasked with landing and moving inland to capture the City of Caen. Top Tip – pack a picnic lunch and finish up in St Aubin for dinner on the prom as the sun sets. |
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Please drive carefully at all times and respect the landowners of any private land mentioned.
Please use Google Maps (entering the underlined places) or your own map to navigate between destinations - the directions in italics are intended as back up and guidance.
Please use Google Maps (entering the underlined places) or your own map to navigate between destinations - the directions in italics are intended as back up and guidance.
The tour starts with the story of the capture of what became known as "Pegasus Bridge" at the Musee Memorial Pegasus,
which is located at Benouville, just east of the Orne Canal and west of the bridge over the River Orne.
(To get there, just enter "Memorial Pegasus" into Google Maps.)
Park in the museum car park, (POINT A walking route) but before you go in,
visit the site of the glider landings, Pegasus Bridge and the Café on foot using the walking route ABCD.
which is located at Benouville, just east of the Orne Canal and west of the bridge over the River Orne.
(To get there, just enter "Memorial Pegasus" into Google Maps.)
Park in the museum car park, (POINT A walking route) but before you go in,
visit the site of the glider landings, Pegasus Bridge and the Café on foot using the walking route ABCD.
Background:
When planning the Normandy landings, securing the left (from the invaders’ perspective) or eastern flank was an essential strategic aim. The area sat to the north and east of the main city port of Caen which lay 14km inland from the coastal town of Ouistreham, the two being connected by the Caen Canal and Orne River. The only crossing points of these vital waterways were bridges located about halfway up, between the localities of Ranville and Bénouville and they became the main objectives of the 6th British Airborne Division in their mission – codenamed “Operation Tonga” to secure the left flank.
The order of mission, signed by General Gale commanding the 6th Airborne Division, was to “capture intact the two bridges of the Orne and the canal of Caen, Bénouville and Ranville … The capture of these two bridges, which will be known as operation Deadstick, is based essentially on the surprise effect, the mission execution speed and the determination to overcome counterattack will be expected and we will have to hold our positions until the arrival of the changing troops“.
The operation was meticulously planned and rehearsed: men were to land in gliders, close to the bridges and spring a surprise assault on the bridges which they would then have to hold until relieved. Two virtually identical bridges in England were used to train a hundred or so soldiers, all volunteers under the command of Major John Howard. Jim Wallwork, one of the pilots of the three Horsa gliders who were take part in the assault (each transporting about 29 soldiers with their equipment), said: “We carried out many landing exercises, some in normal day conditions, others also in daytime but with tinted windows, and finally night workouts.
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Alongside this assault, many other airborne missions were planned to secure minor bridges and other strategically important points and disable German defences on the eastern side of the Orne, most notably the Battery at Merville which protected Sword Beach where the British 3rd Infantry Division were to land at dawn.
At 22:56, on the night of June 5th, 6 Handley Page Halifax Bombers took off from RAF Tarrant Rushton in Dorset, towing six Horsa Gliders carrying Howard’s men chosen from D Company, 2nd Battalion of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry and sappers from the Royal Engineers of 249 Airborne Field Company. They were the “coup de main” force aiming to capture the bridges at Benouville. A few minutes later, 6 Armstrong Whitworth Albemarles also took off carrying pathfinders of the 22nd Independent Parachute Company to mark 3 drop zones for the British Airborne troops destined for the eastern flank. Howard and his men, aboard their six gliders, were released at a height of 8,000ft from the Halifax bombers that had towed them over the channel. One drifted off course due to a navigational error and landed 7 miles away, but five landed as planned, silently in a five-minute period from 00:15 to 00:20, three landed near the Caen canal bridge (codename Pegasus Bridge) just feet away from their objective at 00:16 and the other two 150m from the Orne River bridge. |
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To visit the bridge, walk out of the museum carpark, rejoin the main road, turning right towards the bridge.
The gliders landed on the left just before the canal. (POINT B walking route) Cross the road to access the area.
The glider landing sites are clearly labelled along the pathways along the east of the
canal just south of the bridge that crosses the canal – it is a short and interesting walk.
The gliders landed on the left just before the canal. (POINT B walking route) Cross the road to access the area.
The glider landing sites are clearly labelled along the pathways along the east of the
canal just south of the bridge that crosses the canal – it is a short and interesting walk.
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Lance Corporal Fred Greenhaigh of No14 platoon was knocked unconscious on crash landing and was thrown out of his glider only to drown. Once on the ground, the troops emerged and swiftly and silently prepared to assault the German positions. To distract attention away from the landings, an allied air attack on a cement works a few miles upstream was carried out and any unusual sounds heard by sentries were put down to that, meaning that the attack came as a total surprise. At the canal bridge, Howard’s me attacked the German defensive positions manned by 50 men belonging to the German 736th Grenadier Regiment. They attacked sentries and threw grenades into a concrete bunker believed to hold the triggering equipment for the bridge demolition charges. As the men stormed across the bridge, they suffered their second casualty when Den Brotheridge who led the charge was hit in the back of the neck by machine gun fire and never regained consciousness. He was buried in the Cemetery at Ranville, which is further along this itinerary. |
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Meanwhile, at the Orne River bridge, a machine-gun nest was suppressed with mortar fire but no other defenders were found, and the two platoons captured the bridge before radioing Howard and informing him of their success.
Both bridges had been secured within fifteen minutes, at the cost of only a small number of casualties. It was also discovered that the bridges had not been rigged with explosives as believed. Howard ordered his signalman to transmit the code words 'Ham' and 'Jam’ indicating that both bridges had been taken. He also blew his whistle to inform all Allied soldiers in the area of his men’s success: on drop zone “N”, north of Ranville, General Nigel Poett commanding the 5th Para Brigade who had just landed on their mission heard the sound of his whistle.
Both bridges had been secured within fifteen minutes, at the cost of only a small number of casualties. It was also discovered that the bridges had not been rigged with explosives as believed. Howard ordered his signalman to transmit the code words 'Ham' and 'Jam’ indicating that both bridges had been taken. He also blew his whistle to inform all Allied soldiers in the area of his men’s success: on drop zone “N”, north of Ranville, General Nigel Poett commanding the 5th Para Brigade who had just landed on their mission heard the sound of his whistle.
Return to the road and cross the bridge to the Cafe Gondree on the left.
(POINT C walking route)
(POINT C walking route)
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The bridge over the canal is not the original one – that is now in the Museum (we will visit next), but the replacement is similar. The house on the left is “Café Gondree” and was arguably the first building in France to be liberated on June 6th, although some say it was a small tram station just beyond it. The coffeehouse was then owned by Georges Gondree and his wife Therese, who welcomed and assisted the liberators on June 6th. They had hidden 98 bottles of champagne underground in his garden and dug them up on June 6th, serving the liberators and the forces that arrived later in the day. The kind hospitality offered to the British soldiers by the Gondrée Family continues to this day. Ever since, when veterans have returned to Normandy to mark the anniversary of the battle, no man of the 6th Airborne Division has had to pay for a drink at the café and champagne is served to them on June 5th. The café is owned nowadays by Arlette a fiery character known as “Madame”. The cafe is a bit expensive but worth a visit and contains many souvenirs of the veterans of 6th Airborne who have visited over the years and maintained a close relationship with the family. Howard’s men dug in, expecting a counterattack at any time, waiting for reinforcements to arrive. Several German units stationed nearby investigated but mistook the gunshot for a training exercise. At 01:30, a light armoured vehicle attempted to drive onto the bridge, but was destroyed by a PIAT gun. Unsuccessful German mortar attacks continued until dawn when the naval bombardment and then landings began. At 10am two German minesweepers came down the canal from the coast fleeing the assault at Ouistreham, one was sunk by Howard’s men, the other fled. The bridge was also attacked from the air with one Junker 88 bomb ricocheting off the bridge into the canal. At last reinforcements arrived. At 13:32 British soldiers of the 1st Special Service Brigade commanded by Lord Lovat accompanied by the famous bagpiper Bill Millin arrived, famously apologising for being 2 minutes 30 seconds late. Around 4pm, the French volunteers of Kieffer’s 4 Commando reached the bridge, but lost two men to snipers. When the Warwickshire Regiment arrived, Howard was relieved. |
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Cross back over the bridge, return to car park and visit the museum. (POINT D walking route)
The museum, one of the top 5 in Normandy, tells the story of the assault on the bridge and the British 6th Airborne. There are outstanding exhibits; period documents, films, the original Pegasus Bridge, memorials to those who took part and a replica Horsa Glider. Guided tours available and access to information via QR code labels.
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Point lettering then re-starts (POINT A driving route). You are heading to Ranville War Cemetery next.
(Re-join the main road and turn left to cross the River Orne where the second bridge was captured.
At the roundabout take the exit signposted Ranville D37 and at the next roundabout take the
3 o’clock exit and turn left at the next junction into the main square) .
The British Cemetery is on your right (POINT B) .
(Re-join the main road and turn left to cross the River Orne where the second bridge was captured.
At the roundabout take the exit signposted Ranville D37 and at the next roundabout take the
3 o’clock exit and turn left at the next junction into the main square) .
The British Cemetery is on your right (POINT B) .
Ranville was the one of the first villages to be liberated by troops of the 6th Airborne Division, who landed nearby on DZ-N by parachute and glider. Many of the division's casualties are buried in Ranville War Cemetery and the adjoining churchyard. A visit is a perfect opportunity to reflect on the losses suffered during the early hours of June 6th 1944.
The CEMETERY contains 2,236 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War, 90 of them unidentified. There are also 323 German graves and a few burials of other nationalities. The CHURCHYARD contains 47 Commonwealth burials, one of which is unidentified, and one German grave. Look out for the graves of Den Brotheridge and Fred Greenhaigh mentioned earlier. Also buried there is Private Emile Servais Corteil, the 19-year-old son of Servais Corteil, and Jessie Amelia Corteil, of Watford, Hertfordshire. He was the dog handler for A Coy, 9th (Essex) Parachute Battalion and jumped on D-Day with his 'Para Dog' Glen. Both Emile and Glen landed safely but Emile was killed later on the same day and Glen died at his side.
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From the cemetery, you are going to pass through the British Drop Zone N (POINT C) and then visit Merville Battery,
the site of another famous battle that took place in the early hours of June 6th.
So, return to Rue Airbornes and turn right past the nursery, cross the D37 onto the D223
the site of another famous battle that took place in the early hours of June 6th.
So, return to Rue Airbornes and turn right past the nursery, cross the D37 onto the D223
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Drop Zone N spans the D223 near Ranville. You could stop here for a picnic lunch and read about it if you like. It was one of 3 British drop zones used on June 6th. The pathfinders of the 22nd Independent Parachute Company, tasked with marking out the drop-zones and landing-zones to be used by the rest of the airborne division, were due to land just after Howard. However, due to a combination of heavy cloud cover and poor navigation, only one pathfinder team was dropped correctly. The remainder had to make several passes and even then, many were dropped off course. Pathfinders assigned to DZ N were dropped wide and did not manage to get to the drop-zone for thirty minutes. To make matters even worse, one of the teams assigned to DZ K, accidentally dropped onto DZ N and without realising their error, set up radio beacons and markers and caused a number of airborne troops to drop in completely the wrong area. The pathfinder team assigned to mark out the drop-zone area for the unit tasked with the crucial destruction of the Merville Battery (which would fire at the landings on Sword Beach) was all but wiped out when an air-raid by RAF Avro Lancaster heavy bombers missed the artillery battery itself and bombed the area the team was in. As a consequence, many of the British paratroopers landed in the wrong location. |
Follow the D223 all the way to Descanneville where you turn left onto Rue Alexandre de Lavergne.
Merville Battery (POINT D) is located down the second turn on the left.
Merville Battery (POINT D) is located down the second turn on the left.
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The plan was to take the battery with 650 men, anti-tank and anti-mine equipment, jeeps, sappers and medical support from 224th (Parachute) Field Ambulance. With the so many problems hindering the airborne drop, it is perhaps not surprising that Lieutenant Colonel Terence Otway, who was in charge of the assault on the Battery found himself short of men and equipment. By 2:50am, Otway had only assembled 150 men, but despite being hopelessly under-equipped and undermanned, he had to press on.
Major Alan Parry was tasked with leading the main assault on the battery and gave command of the four assault groups to split up along two paths through the minefield to reach the four casemates. The assault groups encountered heavy resistance from German machine gun positions defending the battery and despite heavy casualties and fire from another nearby battery, the men of the 9th Parachute Battalion managed to reach the casemates and used their personal Gammon bombs to destroy the artillery thus silencing the guns. Otway lost nearly half of his already diminished force taking the Battery but saved many lives of the men who would storm Sword Beach later that day.
The museum has continued to expand in recent years and is the stand-out example of a German Battery. A visit gives you a real understanding of how they worked and a genuine appreciation of the bravery of Otway’s men as they took on a mission designed to be carried out by 5 times the number of well-equipped men.
We are now going to drive back via Pegasus Bridge to Sword Beach, the landing beach that the Merville Battery was built to protect.
next stop is Musee du Mur de Atlantique.
Return to Avenue de Alexandre Lavergne and turn left until you reach the D514.
Turn left and follow the road back over Pegasus and join the main
Caen-Ouistreham dual carriageway taking signposts for Ouistreham.
At the Rdpt de la Paix branch off right along the D84 past the port until it becomes La rue de dunes.
Take the Bd Boivin Champeux and then Avenue de la Plage until you get to the Musee du Mur de Atlantique. (POINT E)
Return to Avenue de Alexandre Lavergne and turn left until you reach the D514.
Turn left and follow the road back over Pegasus and join the main
Caen-Ouistreham dual carriageway taking signposts for Ouistreham.
At the Rdpt de la Paix branch off right along the D84 past the port until it becomes La rue de dunes.
Take the Bd Boivin Champeux and then Avenue de la Plage until you get to the Musee du Mur de Atlantique. (POINT E)
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If you have time, a visit to this Bunker gives an insight into how well Sword beach was defended by the Atlantic Wall. |
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Rejoin Av de la Plage and turn left along the Bd Maritime, pausing to look over Sword Beach. (POINT F)
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Sword Beach, stretching 5 miles from Ouistreham to Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer was the code name given to this sector, the most easterly of the landing beaches lying just 9 miles north of Caen which it would be hoped, with the help of the 3rd Canadian Division who would have landed on Juno Beach, would be taken on D-day itself. Taking Sword was to be the responsibility of the British Army with assistance from the Royal Navy and elements of the Polish and Norwegian Allied Navies and they were to link up with The assault on Sword began at about 03:00 with the aerial and naval bombardment of German coastal defences and artillery sites. The landing was to be concentrated in front of Hermanville-sur-Mer. At 07:25, the landings began with the amphibious DD tanks of the 13th/18th Hussars; they were followed closely by the 8th Infantry Brigade, and by Royal Engineers in specialized vehicles nicknamed 'Hobart's funnies'. The coastline was littered with wooden stakes, mines, obstacles called hedgehogs, and Dragon's teeth, while along the top of the beach, the Germans had constructed a network of trenches, gun pits, mortar pits, and machine gun nests. Barbed wire surrounded these positions and lined the beach. Engineers began clearing mines and obstacles under a fire from Périers Ridge just south of Hermanville where just one of the German gun emplacements was located. Resistance on the beach was initially fairly strong, with many casualties and wrecked vehicles piling up on the beach. However, with the support of so many armoured vehicles, the British were able to quickly secure the immediate area. By 09:30 the engineers had cleared seven of the eight exits from the beach, allowing the inland advance to begin. To the east, British and French commandos overcame tough resistance in the seaside town of Ouistreham, but by 1pm as we have discovered, they reached the bridges on the River Orne and the Caen Canal, joining Howard and his 6th Airborne troops, who had seized them shortly after midnight. To the west, commandos of the 4th Special Service Brigade advanced to secure Lion-sur-Mer. However, any moves inland were being met with strong resistance. During the afternoon, the 21st Panzer Division, based around Caen, launched the only major German counterattack of D-Day. It soon became apparent that the British would not be able to meet the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, to make immediate assault on Caen. In fact it was not until 18th July that the city eventually fell. The total casualty figures for D-Day were not recorded at the time and are difficult to confirm in full. Around 1,300 British soldiers became casualties. Other Allied and German casualties are not known exactly. https://theddaystory.com/sword-beach/ |
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A lovely way to end the tour is to drive along the whole length of Sword Beach and have an evening meal in St Aubin-sur-mer, where there is a pedestrianised promenade or digue along a beautiful stretch of beach with many very reasonably priced family eateries.
Head for Parkplatz 2 Rue Eugène Meriel
Continue along the D514, keeping on the seafront sections if time allows and go into
St Aubin parking at Parkplatz 2 Rue Eugène Meriel. (POINT F)
Walk down onto the digue via le Place de General de Gaulle, onto Promenade Guynemer and turn left.
Continue along the D514, keeping on the seafront sections if time allows and go into
St Aubin parking at Parkplatz 2 Rue Eugène Meriel. (POINT F)
Walk down onto the digue via le Place de General de Gaulle, onto Promenade Guynemer and turn left.
There are many restaurants and bars with outside tables with fantastic views over the beach – many offering a selection of wonderful local seafood. It is the stretch of beach captured in the following photograph taken in June 1944 from the bunker at the west end of the digue. Note the crashed plane and abandoned tank.
Seeing the present-day beauty of the beach, and young children playing in the golden sands there certainly focusses the mind on the value of peace and the sacrifices of the men who landed on Sword Beach to liberate this part of the world from the Nazis.
