In the early morning hours of June 6, 1944, a small detachment of British airborne troops stormed the German defense forces and paved the way for the Allied invasion of Europe. Pegasus Bridge was the first engagement of D-Day, the turning point of World War II.
This gripping account of it by acclaimed author Stephen Ambrose brings to life a daring mission so crucial that, had it been unsuccessful, the entire Normandy invasion might have failed. Ambrose traces each step of the preparations over many months to the minute-by-minute excitement of the hand-to-hand confrontations on the bridge. This is a story of heroism and cowardice, kindness and brutality—the stuff of all great adventures.
Chapter 1. D-Day:0000 to 0015 hours
Chapter 2. D-Day minus two years
Chapter 3. D-Day minus one year to D-Day minus one month
Chapter 4. D-Day minus one month to D-Day
Chapter 5. D-Day: 0016 to 0026 hours
Chapter 6. D-Day: 0026 to 0600 hours
Chapter 7. D-Day: 0600 to 1200 hours
Chapter 8. D-Day: 1200 to 2400 hours
Chapter 9. D-Day plus one to D-Day plus ninety
Chapter 10. D-Day plus three months to D-Day plus forty years
Epilogue: The significance of Pegasus Bridge