1
THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT OF JUNE 5TH, 1944, over a thousand Allied bombers pounded the German defenses between Cherbourg and the mouth of the River Dives. Lancaster, Halifax, and Mosquito bombers transformed the lush Norman countryside into a lunar landscape. Shortly after midnight, amid the confusion and spectacle, three Horsa gliders crash-landed in a narrow triangular field that lay next to a swing bridge over the Caen Canal at Bénouville. Three assault platoons, commanded by Major John Howard of the 2nd Battalion, Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, stormed the bridge to overpower the German garrison in a coup-de-main operation.
As gunfire echoed around the bridge, the German defenders were caught by surprise.
A Horsa glider of the type that landed Major
Howard and his men near Bénouville.
A Very light, fired by a German sentry, revealed camouflaged troops with blackened faces charging toward the bridge. Lieutenant Brotheridge stormed across the bridge with his platoon in full battle cry. The brilliant glare of the flare also revealed the sentry’s position. Brotheridge cut him down with a sharp burst of fire from his Sten gun. The Germans returned fire. Within seconds Brotheridge, too, was mortally wounded – the first British soldier to spill his blood on French soil in the Normandy invasion.
As the battle raged, another British attack was launched on the bridge over the River Orne. Within ten minutes both bridges had been captured and the troops began digging in and setting up a defense perimeter. Their orders were to await reinforcement from the rest of the 6th Airborne Division, which would soon be landing in and around the drop zones east of the River Orne. Also arriving soon would be the inevitable counter-attack by the Germans.
It was imperative that these two bridges remained intact and in British hands. If this could be achieved then the advancing Allied armies, already aboard their ships and nearing the Normandy coast, would better be able to establish and expand their own bridgehead after landing on the beaches at daybreak. The 6th Airborne Division area of operations would act as a pivot from which the Allied forces could sweep their way around from the Cotentin Peninsula, across the French countryside, toward the Seine and Paris and, ultimately, Hitler’s Third Reich.
The Germans had been caught completely by surprise, not least the Bénouville garrison commander, Major Schmidt, who had decided to spend the evening in the nearby village of Ranville with his girlfriend. As commander of the garrison whose task it was to defend the bridges, Schmidt had not even put the demolition charges in place beneath the bridges that evening. Such nonchalance was evident straight up the German chain of command. Even Rommel, who had returned to Germany to try to persuade Hitler to release two more panzer divisions along his front, decided to combine his trip with a visit to his wife who was to celebrate her birthday on June 6th. Such were the conditions caused by the unsettled; no one, least of all the troops on the ground, expected an attack.
Major General “Windy” Gale, divisional commander of the British 6th Airborne, had several other tasks to complete before dawn, not least of which was silencing the heavily fortified German coastal battery at Merville. Despite a raid by a hundred Lancasters dropping 4,000-pound bombs, the guns of the battery were still undamaged beneath their massive reinforced concrete casemates. The task of destroying the guns was assigned to Lieutenant Colonel Terrance Otway, who would lead the men of the 9th Parachute Battalion (Para Bn) on one of the most daring raids of the whole invasion. Despite the loss of their supplies and heavy equipment, and with over three-quarters of his paratroopers still missing after a disastrously scattered drop, Otway decided to attack the battery with his meager force.
EYEWITNESS
In the Parachute Regiment, giving up is not an option.
Lieutenant Colonel Otway, commander, 9th Para Bn
Otway’s command made its way through the darkened countryside to the battery’s perimeter wire. Here they waited tensely for the arrival of three gliders, due to land within the grounds of the coastal battery. The surprise arrival of the gliders, loaded with combat troops, was expected to create panic and confusion among the 130-strong German garrison; Otway would then launch his assault across the barbed wire entanglements and minefields of the fortified perimeter defenses.
As the time of the attack approached, only two gliders could be seen circling above the battery (one having lost its tow shortly after take-off), but the star shells – which the ground troops would use to illuminate the area for the glider pilots – had been lost in the drop. Under fire from German anti–aircraft guns, one of the glider pilots mistook a nearby village for the battery and headed off in the wrong direction. The second glider headed for the battery but was caught in crossfire from German anti-aircraft guns, which caused the glider to overshoot its landing zone into a nearby orchard.
A Horsa glider of the 6th Airborne Division. With Horsas, it was sometimes difficult to distinguish between a landing and a crash.
Otway decided to waste no more time and launched his attack. Two gaps were blown in the barbed wire with Bangalore torpedoes and his men charged through. In the confusion, many of the men ran over the uncleared minefield with the inevitable horrific results. Hand-to-hand fighting ensued and chaos and confusion seemed to reign. At this point, however, the months of hard training gave the attackers the edge and the German garrison was finally forced to surrender. After spiking the guns (which happened to be 100mm field guns and not the 150mm guns that had been predicted by Intelligence), Otway gave the order to withdraw. Only about 80 of the 150 men who had begun the assault were capable of walking out of the area with him. The rest lay dead or wounded.
Elsewhere, on the eastern flank of the 6th Airborne Division, the extent of the scattered parachute drops was becoming apparent. Many paratroopers had landed far from their designated drop zone and some of the least fortunate had landed in the flooded waters of the Dives Valley. Overburdened by their heavy equipment, which weighed in excess of thirty-five kilograms (eighty pounds), some subsequently drowned in the cold, dark waters of the river.
EYEWITNESS
I found I was oscillating badly when my chute opened, rigging lines twisted as well. 
Remembering the drill, I kicked like mad and pulled down hard on my front lift webs. I thought I was reasonably in control, when splash, I’d landed in water! It was pitch black, I was flat on my back, being dragged by my canopy in water a foot or so deep. Struggling to release my parachute harness, and trying to keep my head above water, I lost my Sten gun. After freeing myself of the parachute I searched in vain for my gun. Getting accustomed to the light I waded to dry land. Lots of trees, so I realized that I was nowhere near the dropping zone allocated to 3rd Parachute Brigade H. Q. Company. I had no radio, no gun, no small pack, soaked to the skin, no idea which way I should go, but I did have eight Sten gun magazines in my pouches!
Signaller David “Dai” King, 53rd
Airlanding Light Regiment, Royal Artillery
Spread over an area in excess of 50 square miles, several groups made up from men of various regiments and battalions, formed together to complete the other primary tasks essential
Movie idol Richard Todd, a
former Lieutenant in the 7th
Parachute Battalion.
to the success of the landings. As the 3rd Parachute Brigade headquarters were being set up on the high ground near Le Mesnil, the 5th Parachute Brigade began to establish its own headquarters in Ranville. From Ranville, the southern part of a ridge that ran in a semi-circle from the village of Sallenelles through Bréville and Le Mesnil toward Colombelles, would be taken and defended. Here reinforcements would assemble, ready to assist the gliderborne troops at the bridges over the River Orne and the Caen Canal. The bridge over the Ornewas later renamed Pegasus Bridge in honor of the 6th Airborne Division; the bridge over the Caen Canal was renamed Horsa Bridge after the type of glider used in the landings.
The 7th Para Bn, (which included a young officer, Richard Todd, an actor who had put his career on hold to join the Red Berets), had been reduced to less than a quarter of its strength as a result of the scattered drop. Without pause, the unit’s commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Pine–Coffin, gave the order to move off to their objective, Bénouville, where they were to relieve Major Howard’s men on the bridges.
Colombelles was taken and held but at the cost of numerous casualties. Despite this, the airborne troops continued to fight tenaciously and held their ground even after the seaborne forces and additional airborne reinforcements arrived later in the day.
EYEWITNESS
“A" company at Bénouville, with all its officers killed or wounded, was to hold out for seventeen hours, even though reduced to a strength of less than twenty. From time to time we could hear an officer's voice rallying his troops with shouts of encouragement. We did not realize until later that he was lying wounded by the window of a house in the village, with one leg blown away.
Lieutenant Richard Todd, 7th Para Bn
The 6th Airborne Division was also under orders to delay any German advance or counter-attack from the east. To achieve this, five bridges had been selected for demolition in the Dives valley. The bridges at Troarn, Varaville, and Robehomme, and two more at Bures, were all successfully destroyed by the Royal Engineers, who were supported by stragglers from various parachute battalions and units.
As late as 0500 on D-Day,
Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt (right)
with Obergruppenführer Sepp Dietrich.
after the capture of the Merville Battery and the blowing of the bridges over the River Dives and River Divette, von Rundstedt’s headquarters was still in total confusion, unable to make sense of his field commanders’ conflicting reports. Already the Luftwaffe had been sent to intercept the ghost invasion force in the Pas de Calais (payloads of aluminium foil dropped over the channel had created that blip on the German’s radar screens), while dummy parachutists gave the impression that the invasion was taking place between Le Havre and Rouen. The 21,000 strong 12th SS Panzer Division (Hitler Jugend)*, the 21st Panzer Division, and the Panzer Lehr Divisions were now on full alert but still awaiting orders as to where to strike.
As dawn broke, the breathtaking sight of thousands of Allied ships on the horizon combined with devastating naval and aerial bombardment insured that the German commanders nearest the landing beaches could have no doubt as to where the invasion would take place.
Several hours later British commandos, led by the eccentric aristocrat, Lord Lovat, made their way from Sword Beach to link up with the airborne troops at Pegasus Bridge. Wearing his green beret and distinctive white woollen pullover, Lovat strode, walking-stick in hand, toward the canal bridge. His men marched proudly toward the bridge as though oblivious to the mortar, shell, and sniper fire around them.
EYEWITNESS
I first knew that the invasion had begun with a report that parachutists had dropped near Troarn a little after midnight on 6 June. Since I had been told that I was not to make a move until I had heard from Rommel’s headquarters, I could do nothing immediately but warn my men to be ready.
General Edger Feuchtinger, commander, 21st Panzer Division
Lovat’s piper, Bill Millin, then began to play his bagpipes to signal the airborne troops of their arrival. After crossing both the bridges, the commandos moved on to strengthen the airborne troops on the high ground near Amfreville. The commandos and airborne troops took heavy casualties capturing and holding the ridge. By evening, after the arrival of the 6th Airlanding Brigade brought in by an awesome armada of over 250 gliders, the troops of the 6th Airborne Division had established a sizable bridgehead and additional supplies and reinforcements were already being brought in over the Pegasus and Horsa Bridges.
Horsa gliders after landing on D-Day. Note special D-Day invasion stripes.
In the days that followed, the 6th Airborne Division continued to fight off German counter-attacks and hold its front line. However, one area proved to be a constant thorn in the side of the divisional commander – the village of Bréville. Situated on high ground between the Château St. Côme and Amfreville, the Germans had consolidated their positions in Bréville and their resistance was proving too strong to penetrate. They enjoyed a commanding view of all the Allies’ movements east of the River Orne and on the plain toward Caen. So long as the Germans held this high ground they threatened the Allied advance both east and south.
“Windy” Gale decided that this threat to his front line could no longer be tolerated. On June 10th, three battalions of the 51st Highland Division, (known as the “Highway Decorators” for the unceremonious daubing of their divisional “HD” sign on buildings where they had fought) were brought forward to reinforce Gale’s depleted airborne troops. An attack against Bréville was put in at first light on June 11th by the 5th Battalion, The Black Watch. Having previously fought in the vast open spaces of the North African desert, the dense Norman Bocage disoriented the Scots. Attacking from the direction of the Château St Côme, through the lines held by Otway’s 9th Para Bn, they were massacred by a constant barrage of German mortars, machine guns, and SP (self-propelled) guns. With over 200 casualties, the Scots retreated totally demoralized. Later, Montgomery sacked their commander, Major General Erskine, for failing to inspire his men.
“Windy” Gale decided to change tactics. Using his reserve battalion (the 12th Para Bn), a company from the 12th Devonshire Regiment, and a troop of Sherman tanks from the 13th/18th Hussars, he decided to catch the Germans off guard. This time he would launch an evening assault after a preliminary artillery bombardment. The troops made their way through the commando positions at Amfreville toward the start line in the nearby orchards. As the men waited nervously for the attack to begin, some of the shells and mortars fell short of the targets and landed among the waiting troops killing, among others, the commanding officer of 12th Para, Lieutenant Colonel “Johnny” Johnson. After a few terrifying minutes the barrage abruptly ceased. The attack on Bréville began.
Bréville with a 13th/18th Hussars Sherman tank in the foreground. June 13th, 1944.
The British troops, flanked by Sherman tanks, cautiously advanced across the waist-high cornfields toward the shattered and burning remains of the village. Swirls of thick acrid smoke polluted the air and hung in a pall above the devastated German defenses. The German soldiers initially fought back but soon realized their position was untenable and began retreating. Bréville was soon in the hands of the airborne troops.
EYEWITNESS
We were on our feet and continued our advance . . . . On our way we passed many dead and a stream of our men coming back toward us: bloody faces, limp arms, staggering and weaving. Some collapsed and remained still, some crawled on hands and knees.
Major Simm, second in command, 12th Para Bn
In the center of the village, the crossroads and village green were covered with a tangled mass of German weapons and partially buried corpses. Illuminated by the flickering light of the burning church and houses, the scene was further dramatized by an eerie lament from the church organ as the flames fanned air through its pipes.
The morning after the battle, 6th Airborne troops in Bréville.
As the troops began to set up their defenses, a password was relayed back to headquarters to lay down defensive fire while the troops consolidated their positions. The password was misinterpreted over the crackling wireless set, however, and seconds later a second pre–assault barrage was fired into the shattered remains of Bréville. For the second time that evening British troops were killed and wounded by friendly fire, though some of the more fortunate managed to find protection in nearby craters and ditches. When silence returned and the dust settled Colonel Parker, deputy commander of the 6th Airlanding Brigade, set up a command post in the village. There, among the carnage from a week of fighting, the airborne troops and the tanks of the 13th/18th Hussars dug in against the expected German counter-attack. It never came. On this part of the front at least, German resolve had been broken. The Bréville gap had finally been closed and the 6th Airborne Division’s bridgehead was now secure.
As the American, British, and Canadian Armies advanced southward into the Norman countryside through the rest of June, July, and into August, the 6th Airborne Division remained static; holding the line but constantly penetrating the German lines with reconnaissance patrols. The Germans continued to counter-attack along the front but each time were repulsed. Nevertheless, constant shelling and mortaring by the Germans took a steady toll of about 300 casualties per week. Not until Caen had fallen and the Canadian offensive, Operation Tractable, had been launched and was finally pushing the German forces back toward Falaise did the 6th Airborne Division receive orders to drive the Germans back over the River Dives.
On August 7th, Gale had been informed by his commander, Lieutenant General Crocker of I Corps, that the Germans were preparing to withdraw and that Gale and his men must drive them back toward the mouth of the River Seine. This would not only protect the left flank of the Canadian offensive but, by keeping pressure on the retreating Germans, the Canadians could also accelerate their advance toward the Falaise and the Seine.
Reinforced with a Dutch and a Belgian brigade, and commandos from No. 1 and No. 4 Special Service Brigades, the airborne division began their offensive across the flooded meadows of the Dives valley. Aptly named Operation Paddle, the offensive began on August 17th after the Germans were finally seen retreating. With much of the area still underwater (a legacy of Rommel’s anti-invasion defenses), Gale chose to make his main advance along a route that ran from Troarn toward Dozulé and Putot en Auge. From here the advance would continue over the River Touques at Pont L’Évêque; through Beuzeville, Pont Audemer, over the River Risle, and finally to the mouth of the River Seine.
At the same time the 6th Airlanding Brigade, the Dutch Princess Irene Brigade, and the Belgian Piron Brigade would move northeastward through their front line at Sallenelles toward Merville and begin clearing the remaining German positions along the coast toward Cabourg. To the east, No. 1 Special Service Brigade attacked Bavent as the Canadian paratroopers moved from Le Mesnil through the Bois de Bavent. In Bures the 3rd Parachute Brigade crossed the river (though this was delayed as the Royal Engineers had to rebuild the bridge they had destroyed back on June 6th). To the south No. 4 Special Service Brigade took Troarn and advanced toward Dozulé.
The 3rd Parachute Brigade made swift progress from Bures until they came to the deep tidal canal between Goustranville and Putot en Auge. As the area was under German observation from the heights around Putot en Auge, Gale decided to launch a night offensive and to coordinate his attack with the 5th Parachute Brigade, which had been held in reserve.
Late on the evening of August 18th, the 3rd Parachute Brigade launched their offensive on the four bridges over the Dives Canal (now called Le Grand Canal). After four hours of fighting, all four bridge sites had been captured, with the Germans only managing to completely destroy two of the bridges. The 3rd Parachute Brigade crossed the canal and advanced to the railway line that was the start line for the second offensive. The 5th Parachute Brigade then leap-frogged the 3rd and launched their attack on the village of Putot en Auge. Here they met strong opposition and a determined German rearguard on the heights in and around Putot en Auge, which overlooked the main road (now N-175) from the south.
The 9th Para Bn (commanded by Major Napier Crookenden after Lieutenant Colonel Otway had been concussed and later evacuated) managed to cross the damaged railway bridge over the canal (now replaced by the A-13 Autoroute de Normandie bridge) and moved on to take the nearby railway station. By the time 13th Para Bn of the 5th Parachute Brigade had arrived, the incoming tide had caused the water level to rise, making any crossing too hazardous to attempt. Instead, the 13th Para Bn used the second bridge that had been captured by the 1st Canadian Para Bn and moved toward their start line along the railway line. Here they were to remain in reserve until the 7th Para Bn had taken its objective east of Putot en Auge. In the meantime, the 12th Para Bn, on the right flank, would take the village. The 13th Para Bn would then proceed through the 7th’s positions and take the high ground beyond, known as Hill 13, which overlooked Dozulé.
The 7th Para Bn, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Pine-Coffin, encountered some German anti-tank positions as they made their way toward their objective. Dealing with these defenses and the ambush of a German patrol delayed their advance for more than an hour. More time was lost circumventing some of the impenetrable hedgerows. By the time the 7th Para Bn crossed the railway line, daylight was beginning to creep across the horizon. The troops hastened their advance, but as they made their way along a hedgerow they were spotted by a German observer. Lieutenant Thomas of “B” Company was leading his platoon at the head of the battalion’s advance when a machine gun opened fire. He fell, seriously wounded, and the rest of the men dove for cover. The company was now pinned down behind the hedgerow. A section was immediately dispatched to neutralize the machine gun. When this was accomplished, the company prepared to move on but it was reported that troops had been seen advancing across a field to their left heading directly for their position.
Since he was now running behind schedule, Pine-Coffin assumed that it was the men of the 13th Para Bn approaching in preparation for their advance through his position. But as the advancing figures approached through the twilight and morning mist it became apparent that they were German. This time the hedgerow worked to the advantage of the British, concealing the paras from the advancing patrol. They hastily prepared an ambush and waited for the Germans to walk into their trap. Pine-Coffin could have ordered the massacre of the patrol, but instead decided to give the unsuspecting Germans a chance to surrender. Lieutenant Mills, who spoke fluent German, ordered the enemy troops to halt and lay down their weapons. The unsuspecting Germans stopped in their tracks and looked around in astonishment. Totally flustered, they tried to assess their predicament. One of the German soldiers decided to deal with the situation himself and threw himself to the ground, firing his machine gun into the hedgerow. The paras returned fire with a devastating enfilade. The Germans who survived the onslaught surrendered or ran back into the gloom of the early dawn.
The 7th Para Bn then continued their advance and managed to take their objective without encountering any further difficulties. In the meantime, the 12th Para Bn attacked and captured Putot en Auge taking 120 Germans prisoner.
As the 13th Para Bn moved up to begin their attack on Hill 13, they had to cross over half a mile of open country in daylight. With no other cover available, Lieutenant Colonel Peter Laurd explained to his company commanders that their only option was to run like hell across the open space and hope that the German observers, not expecting such a bold maneuver, would be slow in responding. The gamble paid off. Most of the battalion got across safely before the Germans opened fire and wounded half a dozen paras. “A” Company immediately launched an assault up the hill while “C” Company attacked on the flank. The paras charged into the German positions with bayonets fixed, but as soon as they reached the top of the hill, German reinforcements launched a fierce counter-attack.
Most of the men in the leading assault platoons from “A” Company were killed or wounded and the remaining support platoons were forced back down the hill, then up and over onto the reverse slope of a nearby ridge. The paras took cover in the grassy slopes of the ridge and waited for the advancing Germans to come into view. An artillery officer, who had crossed the open ground in his Bren gun carrier, immediately called on his gunners to lay down a barrage. The shellfire stopped the Germans barely 100 yards from the paras’ positions. Seizing the initiative, Lieutenant Colonel Laurd ordered “C” Company to launch an attack on the German right flank, but the Germans were already prepared for such an attack with a well-situated machine gun and “C” Company was unable to make any headway. With the ridge offering a commanding view of the German positions, Brigadier Nigel Poett, commander of the 5th Parachute Brigade, ordered the 13th Para Bn to consolidate their defenses and dig in.
The battle for Putot en Auge had been successful and the paras had accounted for over 200 German troops and a substantial amount of enemy equipment. The paras themselves had sustained 114 casualties and the troops were now exhausted, having been in action for nearly forty-eight hours.
EYEWITNESS
So we stayed where we were. I had a company commanders’ meeting and in the middle of it, so tired was I, that I went to sleep as I was actually talking. They left me sleeping and left word that I was not to be disturbed. I woke up two hours later and the meeting was resumed with my apologies.
Lieutenant Colonel Peter Laurd, commander, 13th Para Bn
The paras held their positions, under constant shell and mortar fire, for the rest of the day, which added to their growing list of casualties. As evening approached on August 19th, the commandos prepared to take over the advance. Mills-Roberts’ No. 1 Special Service Brigade moved north to the area around Brucourt in order to mop up any remaining German resistance. No. 4 Special Service Brigade launched an attack on Hill 13, with No. 46 RM (Royal Marine) Commando leading the assault. Since there was no moonlight that evening, their journey across the fields and through the thick hedgerows and small copses, was slow and ponderous with the officers having to rely on their compass bearings to navigate. As the commandos began their ascent of the hill they came across a badly wounded German soldier who had been left behind after the fighting the previous morning. As the wounded soldier was lying just in front of the German positions, there was a danger the Allied position would be compromised, so one of the officers crept forward and silenced him. The commandos then moved on. As they came to the top of the hill, the night sky was illuminated by a Very light and a German machine gun opened fire. Blue and green tracer fire flashed above the heads of the commandos as they lay prostrate, but the Germans had clearly not seen them and the firing eventually subsided. Captain Pierce then ordered his men in the lead troop to storm the hilltop. After the hill was captured, and reinforced by the rest of the brigade, No. 48 (RM) Commando pushed on to occupy and set up their headquarters on another piece of high ground just past Dozulé. It was decided that with the Commando units under strength, Dozulé was too heavily defended to attack.
General Gale, meanwhile, moved the 6th Airlanding Brigade from their positions near Cabourg and pushed on, bypassing Dozulé. Then, in the early hours of August 21st, the sky above Dozulé began to glow as orange and yellow flames rose from the village. The Germans had decided to retreat and razed the village to the ground as they left. The commandos moved in and occupied what was left.
Passing through the commandos, the 6th Airborne Division Armored Reconnaissance Regiment pressed on with the aid of their Cromwell tank squadron. Also in support were the Dutch and Belgian Reconnaissance units. The reconnaissance units continued to drive the Germans back until they encountered a stiff German rearguard at the village of Annebault. The terrain in this part of Normandy was ideal for defense with heavily wooded areas, rolling hills, and steep valleys. Despite being supported by armor and artillery, the German positions were eventually overrun when the 3rd Parachute Brigade launched an attack on the village.
The recce units then moved up through Annebault and advanced toward Pont L’Évêque. In morning sunshine along the route the troops were greeted by the local French, who were overjoyed at the departure of the Germans and eager to show their gratitude by plying their liberators with fresh milk, cakes, fruit, and Calvados – the potent local brew.
They reached Pont L’Évêque by midday on August 22nd, and the 5th Parachute Brigade prepared for an attack. The terrain around and in the village made it obvious that this was not going to be an easy battle.
On the main road from Caen, the village is nestled in a valley with hills on either side that rise to over 130 meters (400 feet). The River Touques divides itself and flows through the village in two separate channels 70 meters apart. On the eastern side of the village, a railway line ran along an embankment from which the whole valley could be observed and, in the village itself, the narrow streets were lined with ancient timbered buildings that could very easily be set alight.
EYEWITNESS
We spoke to them and they clustered round. They told us of the horrors of Boche occupation . . . the Boche’s manner: their possessiveness and the underlying fear of the sadistic cruelty in them that the French hated . . . [a] girl’s father had quite suddenly been seized and put into a concentration camp, and her eldest brother had soon followed him. The blessed relief of freedom which our advance had brought touched them deeply. These Norman folk were not over-demonstrative, but their hearts were sound and brave.
Major General Richard “Windy” Gale, CB, DSO, OBE, MC. GOC
6th Airborne Division.
The plan was for the 13th Para Bn to establish a bridgehead across both channels of the river, while the 12th Para Bn would attempt to cross the shallow fords believed to be south of the village and take the railway embankment and the area known as St Julianê. The assault was to take place in the evening, but Gale, acting on recently gathered intelligence, believed that German movement was scarce enough to warrant an immediate attack in daylight. A smoke screen and artillery barrage were laid down and the assault began in the mid-afternoon.
With “A” Company in the lead, the 12th Para Bn moved off across the open ground in search of the fords. As they approached the river they came under German fire. Despite a search they could not locate the fords. Unable to inform battalion headquarters of their predicament (because their wireless set had been hit), Captain Baker led nine of his men to the water’s edge and swam across the river while the remainder of his company sheltered in the ditches. “B” Company, which was following up, was pinned down by machine gun fire from the overlooking hills on the eastern side of the valley and was unable to make any progress.
Captain Baker and his small assault force were having more success and had managed to dislodge the Germans from the railway embankment, but they soon ran short of ammunition. With the smoke screen now dispersing, Captain Baker gave the order to pull back, and as the men swam back across the river the Germans re-occupied the railway embankment. With two companies pinned down on their start line, Brigadier Poett called off the attack and the paras had to sit tight until nightfall before they could withdraw. The attack had cost the 12th Para Bn fifty-six casualties.
In the meantime, the 13th Para Bn had crossed the first river bridge in the village. The Germans, however, were well-positioned along the main street and had used incendiary bombs to set fire to some of the buildings hampering the paras’ advance. As the paras struggled to fight their way through the village, Royal Engineers hastily constructed a ford over the western branch of the river by pushing rubble into the water using an armored bulldozer. Once the ford was completed, four Cromwell tanks from the reconnaissance regiment crossed the river and took up positions around the church, engaging German machine gun posts and pillboxes on the far bank of the river. During this fighting one of the tanks was knocked out by a German anti–tank gun.
The raging fire and intense heat from the surrounding buildings was beginning to make life particularly uncomfortable for both paras and tank crews alike. Unable to make any headway across the eastern bridge, the Allies decided to set up a defensive perimeter where the fire was less fierce and wait for the flames to subside before launching any further attack.
The 13th Para Bn had lost thirty-nine men that day. Though no record of the total number of casualties for the Germans was kept, it was later discovered that at least 127 had been killed during the fighting and that the German medics had been working throughout the night collecting the wounded from the ruins of the village.
By the following morning the fire had died down and another attack was in preparation. A reconnaissance patrol was able to cross the eastern part of the river and it was decided that there was a good chance that a bridgehead could be established. Immediately, the 13th Para Bn was ordered to cross the river. All that remained of the bridge was a twenty-four meter (eighty foot) length of steel girder that was only twenty centimeters (eight inches) wide. Despite this, the men managed to cross and the street fighting began. By midday the German resistance was again proving too strong and well-established to infiltrate and the Germans were also constantly counter-attacking. With the town once again in flames, this time behind the advancing paratroopers, there was a chance that the paras could become cut off. Poett decided to send the 7th Para Bn forward to establish a firm base so that the 13th Para Bn could pull back and reorganize.
Throughout the night the 7th Para Bn actively patrolled across the river and discovered that the Germans had finally decided to withdraw and were now in retreat, leaving behind them a trail of demolished bridges and cratered roadways.
Using the Pont Audemer road (N-175) as their main axis, the 6th Airborne Division moved forward, meeting more opposition when they reached Beuzeville. To the north the coastal areas had been cleared by the 6th Airlanding Brigade, with the help of the Dutch and Belgian brigades, and the unit had reached the mouth of the River Touques at Trouville. The whole division was now advancing along a sixteen-kilometer (ten-mile) front, hoping that a final push on the night of August 25th toward Pont Audemer would cut off those German troops retreating from the Allied formations pushing up from the south. Though no large numbers of Germans were captured, Pont Audemer was taken and by August 27th a line had been secured that stretched from the town, along the River Risle, and up to the coast.
The Germans had been pushed back across the River Seine and the seventy-two kilometer (forty-five mile) advance of the division had liberated more than 650 square kilometers (400 square miles) of Normandy. Lieutenant General Crerar sent his congratulations to the commander of the 6th Airborne Division:
EYEWITNESS
Desire you inform Gale of my appreciation of the immense contribution 6 Airborne Division and all Allied contingents under his command have made during recent fighting advance: the determination and speed with which his troops have pressed on in spite of all enemy efforts to the contrary have been impressive and of greatest assistance to the army as a whole.
Signal sent from Lieutenant General Crerar, commander of the First Canadian Army, to Lieutenant General J Crocker, commander of I British Corps.
The 6th Airborne Division returned to England during the first week of September to prepare for their next operation. During nearly three months of fighting in Normandy, the division had suffered 4,450 casualties of whom 821 were killed, 2,709 wounded, and 927 listed as missing.
CIRCUIT ONE
Circuit one. Caen-Bénouville-Merville.
FROM THE PORT OF CAEN (Ouistreham) take the D-514 to Bénouville. Alternatively, if staying in Caen, take the D-515 to Ouistreham then follow the signposts for Bénouville, which will take you onto the D-514. Go straight across the roundabout/rotary in Bénouville and make use of the parking lot (kindly provided free of charge by Madame Arlette Gondrée) on the right hand side of the road, just before the Café Gondrée.
From here you may pay a visit to the Café Gondrée (between March and November), the first house to be liberated in the Normandy landings. Inside there is a wealth of memorabilia, photographs, and exhibits donated by veterans of the 6th Airborne Division, as well as a wide range of books and souvenirs for sale. In addition, the Café Gondrée Annexe will provide additional exhibits for viewing as well as a conference and briefing room for visitors, schools, and colleges when it opens.
Opposite the Café Gondrée, next to the café and Restaurant Les 3 Planeurs [The 3 Gliders] is a centaur A-27M Cromwell tank. Across the new Pegasus Bridge (the original is next to the Airborne Museum on the east bank of the canal) there are three memorials that mark the site of the original glider landings, as well as a bronze bust of Major John Howard who led the 2nd Battalion Oxford and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, and attached Royal Engineers, in the capture of Pegasus Bridge. In addition, numerous memorials (including one at Horsa Bridge, over the River Orne, 400 yards further along the D-514) dedicated to the men and units that fought in this area dot the immediate vicinity.
From the parking lot take the D-514 across Pegasus Bridge and Horsa Bridge, then take the second exit on the roundabout signposted Ranville (D-37). Head toward the church in the center of the village (clearly visible from the road) and drive counter-clockwise around the church wall and park opposite the entrance to Ranville War Cemetery. A walk around this part of the village will again reveal memorials and information notice boards about the 6th Airborne Division and their operations.
Over 2,500 Commonwealth soldiers are buried in the cemetery, which also includes 322 Germans (far left corner). The majority of the 6th Airborne Division’s dead now rest here and this war cemetery is still often referred to as the “Airborne Cemetery.”
Madame Arlette Pritchett-Gondrée
outside the Café Gondrée, the first house
to be liberated in the Normandy
landings.
In the churchyard, around the inside of the perimeter wall, there are more burials of Commonwealth soldiers, including the final resting place of Lieutenant Brotheridge, who was fatally wounded at Pegasus Bridge. The rebuilt church (the original was destroyed during the fighting around Ranville) also has a beautiful stained glass window dedicated to the airborne troops.
From Ranville drive back to the roundabout/rotary on the D-514, take the next exit on your right (still the D-514) and continue along the road. At the top of the hill, to your right, is a vast open area of arable farming land. This was one of the four main drop and landing zones used by the 6th Airborne Division and the area where the 5th Parachute Brigade and 6th Airlanding Brigade landed on June 6th, 1944. It is here that each year, on the anniversary of the landings, the Parachute Regiment organizes a parachute drop and display on this drop zone which, until 1994, included D-Day veterans.
Continue along the D-514 and into Sallenelles. This is where the Belgian Piron Brigade first went into action. A memorial on a stone pillar, about thirty-five meters (100 feet) on the left after the crossroads, is dedicated to the first Belgian soldier killed in Normandy. 450 meters (a quarter of a mile) beyond Sallenelles, as you continue toward Merville-Franceville-Plage, there is the former German radar station, which has now been transformed into a nightclub and discothéque.
An interesting diversion for the battlefield tourist is a visit to the massive German concrete bunkers that are dotted all along the shoreline just before Merville. Take the first turn on the left signposted Base Nautique de Franceville. Continue along the narrow road and track until you arrive at the parking lot in the Estuaire de L’Orne. From here the concrete bunkers can clearly be seen still dominating the mouth of the estuary.
Return to the D-514 and continue into Merville. At the first set of traffic lights follow the signs for Musée de la Batterie de Merville. Park in in front of the museum, in the circular area around the memorial to the men of the 9th Para Bn. The No. 1 casemate of this former German coastal gun emplacement has now been turned into an excellent museum (open April to October) that includes weapons, uniforms, and other memorabilia. There is also a selection of books, videos, and other souvenirs on sale.
Upon leaving the museum turn right, then right again, onto the D-223 until this road reaches the crossroads in Bréville. This was the scene of bitter and costly fighting by the 51st Highland Division, the 13th/18th Hussars, and the airborne troops. From the crossroads you can appreciate why the Germans were reluctant to give any ground here: this area offers a commanding view over Ranville, the bridges, and the land beyond. In the churchyard, next to the crossroads, there are the graves of two men from the 6th Airborne Division (the rest are buried in Ranville War Cemetery). When visiting any village in Normandy, look out for a white and green Commonwealth War Graves Commission plaque beside the entrance to a cemetery or churchyard. This signifies that Commonwealth troops are buried somewhere in the grounds.
At the crossroads turn left (D-37b) past the Château St Côme to the next crossroads at Le Mesnil. This was the area held by the 1st Canadian Para Bn who, during the static period up until the breakout in August, held this area against heavy German counter-attacks. This area was also where the 3rd Parachute Brigade set up their headquarters in the pottery to the right and the 224th Parachute Field Ambulance set up their Main Dressing Station in a farm adjacent to the pottery. In just fourteen days, beginning on June 6th, the medics here carried out over 112 major operations and treated over 800 casualties.
Continue to drive straight over the crossroads (still the D-37b) and turn left at the end of the road (D-37) and follow the signs for Troarn. Turn left at the crossroads in Troarn and drive through the village along the N-175 (on the right in the village is the local tourist information center signposted Syndicat d’Initiative). Continue to the bridge over the River Dives at St Samson. This is the site of one of the four bridges destroyed by the Royal Engineers on D-Day to delay the Germans from counter-attacking the airborne troops. This was also the route, (and from Bures two kilometers to the north), from which Lieutenant General Richard Gale launched his offensive during the breakout.
Continue along the N-175 toward Dozulé. The nearby village of Putot en Auge can be reached by taking a right turn onto the D-49. At the town hall in Putot en Auge there is a memorial plaque, unveiled on the 50th anniversary of the action there, dedicated to the 6th Airborne Division. Beyond the village, to the east, is Hill 13, which was eventually taken by the Commandos.
Return to the D-175 and continue east through Dozulé and Annebault. You are now using the same road along which the 6th Airborne Division Armored Reconnaissance Regiment led the way in their Cromwell tanks in the advance toward Pont L’Évêque. Though many of the black and white timber buildings in the village were destroyed during the fighting, some have been restored, including the church around which the tanks of the recce squadron and paras fought as they tried to push the Germans back. Also in Pont L’Évêque is another tourist information office, from which details of accommodation and sites of interest can be obtained.
From Pont L’Évêque you can follow the route, along the N-175, that the 6th Airborne Division took through Beuzeville to their final battle at Pont Audemer. Today there is little evidence of the skirmishes and battles that took place. What is still visible is the terrain and farm land over which the Allied troops had to fight forcing the Germans to retreat. Though the bomb and shell craters have long since been filled in, the countryside, in places, still remains much as it was back in 1944.
* It should be pointed out that Sturmbahnführer Bremer’s Reconnaissance Battalion of the Hitler Jugend had already taken 6th Airborne paratroopers prisoner by 0130 and the divisional commander Brigadeführer [Brigadier General] Fritz Witt had guessed that this was the real thing.