Pegasus Bridge - 'Operation Deadstick' Part One

[Phil Perry]

Pegasus Bridge - 'Operation Deadstick' Part One

 

 

 

The Assault and Capture of Pegasus Bridge. 6th June 1944

 

Operation Overlord, the D-Day Invasion of Normandy was the most complex and meticulously planned combined military operation in history of warfare. What is the most remarkable factor of the whole, enormous enterprise, was the fact that so many were involved in the planning and nothing was leaked. No briefcases were left on trains. No one misspoke to reporters from the Daily Wail and there were no embarrassing pillow talk or Turkish bath incidents. Of course the whole enterprise was protected by a bodyguard of lies and misinformation, but those are other stories. I am writing this from a reverse Stephen Spielberg perspective as I am only concerned with the British and Canadian sectors of the landings. The forces of the British Empire were by far the most numerous. They had the hardest tasks to complete and a failure of any part of the British plan would have resulted in overall failure of the enterprise. The British and Canadian troops faced by far the stiffest opposition and would draw in the bulk of the German counter attacks.

 

The British and Canadian forces would land on three broad, shallow beaches of the Normandy coast, codenamed Gold, Juno and Sword, which were on the Eastern flank of the landing grounds. They would come ashore on the neat but well-defended Normandy holiday resorts. Beyond these towns was open fields with dense hedgerows and the town of Bayeux on the British right flank and the city of Caen on the left flank. Further inland the countryside became a tangle of narrow country lanes, topped with high, dense hedges known as the Bocage. Running down the British left flank were the parallel waterways of the Caen Canal and the Orne River.

 

 

During the planning of Overlord the significance of the waterways on the eastern flank became obvious, particularly the two bridges over the Orne and Caen Canal at Ranville. The night before the amphibious assault, airborne forces would be dropped on the eastern flank to prevent a German counter attack across the waterways and also to destroy the huge German gun battery at Merville, which could have bombarded Sword beach. Crucial to the plan were the two bridges as the Allies could use them to break out, or the German to counter attack in with their armour. If these bridges were not captured, the airborne troops could be pinned down with their backs to the Orne River, cut off from the main British forces. The British parachute and glider assault would be conducted by the British 6th Airborne Division and was given the codename Operation Tonga.

 

Clearly then, key to the success or otherwise of Operation Tonga, was the capture and holding of the two bridges at Ranville. Major General Gale, commander of the 6th Airborne Division decided that the only way to capture the bridges intact was by a glider coup de main assault. The operation to capture and hold the bridges was given to the men of D' Company, 2nd (Airborne) Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, part of the 6th Airlanding Brigade of the 6th Airborne Division. They were led by Major John Howard and the assault group comprised a reinforced company of six infantry platoons and an attached platoon of Royal Engineers. Although he didn’t then know what the target was, Howard trained his men hard, always at night, in bomb-damaged ruins and using live ammunition. When more information was provided, the company went through two exercises to capture bridges over the Exeter Ship Canal. When Major Howard was eventually told of the target, he refined his plans. Each bridge would have to be taken simultaneously, necessitating two landing zones, X-Ray for the Caen Canal Bridge and LZ York for the Orne Bridge. Any explosive charges found on the structures were to be disarmed by the engineers.

 

 

The bridges were guarded by 50 men of the 736th Grenadier Regiment based at Ranville. They were a static formation that had been based in Normandy since 1942. The Division’s eight infantry battalions had to defend 21 miles of the Atlantic Wall and it was poorly equipped with foreign, captured weapons and conscripts from Poland, Russia and France. Their orders were to blow the bridges if it looked as though they would be captured. However, the 21st Panzer Division moved into the area in May 1944 and the 192nd Panzergrenadier Regiment was based at Vimont just east of Caen. The Regimental Commander, Colonel Hans von Luck trained the regiment in anti-invasion operations. Although the Division was equipped with older PzKw MkIV tanks, the men were veterans of the North African campaigns. Additionally there were two SS Panzer Divisions based less than a day’s march from the area. The bridges themselves were well-defended. On the west bank of the canal bridge there were three machine gun emplacements, with a further machine gun and anti-tank gun on the east bank. To the north were three further machine guns and a concrete bunker. An anti-aircraft tower dominated the southern flank and there were sandbagged trench systems along the banks.

 

Major Howard was finally told the exact details of his mission on 2nd May 1944, which was to seize intact and hold until relieved, the swing bridge over the Caen Canal and the Steel Bridge over the Orne River. He and his men were to hold the bridges until relieved by the main part of the 7th Parachute Battalion. Meanwhile, the crack pilots of the Glider Pilot Regiment had been training to land their Horsa Gliders, wearing dark goggles to simulate landing at night. They made practice landings on a small strip of land and practiced instrument flying using stopwatches for course changes. By May 1944 they had carried out fifty-four training sorties in all weathers by day and later by night. The gliders would be six Airspeed Horsas piloted by twelve NCOs from C Squadron of the Regiment. The Horsa had a wingspan of eighty-eight feet and could normally carry twenty-eight troops or a mixture of jeeps, artillery guns or trailers.

 

D’ Company left the Battalion camp at Bulford for RAF Tarrant Rushton in Dorset and the base was secured. Howard briefed his men using photographs and a model of the area. The pilots told Howard that they thought the gliders would be dangerously overloaded with men, engineer’s stores and assault boats. Howard decided to drop two men from each platoon and take only one assault boat per glider. On 5th June 1944 each man was issued with personal weapon and ammunition including nine hand grenades and four Bren gun magazines per man. Each platoon was equipped with a 2” mortar and code words were issued. "Ham” indicated that the canal bridge was captured and “Jam” for the river bridge. “Jack” and “Lard” denoted that the bridges had been blown.

 

During the rest of the day the men of the assault force tried to get what rest they could, but this was a lonely time with each man locked away with his own thoughts and fears. The glider pilots checked their Horsas and the RAF aircrew their Halifax tug aircraft, all of them anxiously watching the skies.

 

H/T BP.

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Operation 'Deadstick' Part Two.

 

 

 

The Assault and Capture of Pegasus Bridge. June 6th 1944

 

The six Horsa gliders and their Halifax tow aircraft comprising Operation “Deadstick,” were the first elements of the overall British airborne operation with the overarching codename “Tonga.” The converted bomber aircraft and their glider charges took off from Tarrant Rushton at 2256 on 5th June 1944. They headed south-south-west across the Channel and below them in the darkness was the largest naval and amphibious fleet ever mustered, drawing closer to the French coast. The “Tonga” Pathfinders took off a few minutes later in their Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle transport aircraft. It would be their job to mark the drop zones and landing areas for the main force of the British 6th Airborne Division.

 

Horsa One carried Major Howard and Lieutenant Brotheridge’s platoon, number Two had Lieutenant Wood’s platoon and Three carried Lieutenant Smith’s platoon. The first three gliders’ objective was the canal bridge. In Horsa Four was Lieutenant Hooper’s platoon with Captain Priday, Howard’s 2IC, Five had Lieutenant Fox’s platoon and Six Lieutenant Sweeny and his platoon. Their objective was the Orne River Bridge. Each glider also carried five Royal Engineers.

 

The glider pilots had to concentrate in the darkness to follow their tow aircraft. Firstly they had to fly slightly above the wake and turbulence of the converted bombers, but not too high as to pull the tow aircraft’s tail up. The glider pilots also had to avoid sag and drag on the tow line, which could make for an extremely uncomfortable ride for their passengers. To help them with positioning, each Halifax had had a dim red light just below the rear turret. The tow line incorporated a telephone line so that the tow aircraft and the gliders could communicate with each other. Later this would be radio, but on the D-Day mission they were operating under radio silence. Once they had landed, the glider pilots didn’t have the luxury of patting themselves on the back and wandering off for a well-deserved fag. They were expected to pick up their rifles and fight with the rest of the platoon.

 

The aircraft crossed the French coast just east of the Orne estuary at an altitude of 7,000 feet. Below and to their right the aircrews could see the moonlight glistening on the twin waterways. It was eerily quiet in the gliders, the engines from the tow aircraft a distant grumble, while the wood and plywood airframes of the Horsas seem to creak and groan alarmingly. The plan was to land at 0020, but the tows were ahead of schedule. At 0012, four minutes ahead of schedule, the Halifax crews told the glider pilots they had reached the release points. The glider co-pilots frantically scanned the darkened countryside below for the landmarks that would denote their final turning point, while the glider pilots released the tow lines and pushed their aircrafts noses down to gain speed. In the rear of the gliders, the airborne troops linked arms and braced legs outstretched. It was important not to tuck legs under the seats, because a hard impact would push the floor up, break lower leg bones and trap the victim.

 

The pilots spotted the two bridges and passed them, just like the training model they had committed to memory. Now the gliders made their sharp 180 degree turns and began their final approaches. Considering its size, the Horsa was an extremely manoeuvrable aircraft and with compressed air powered barn door flaps and airbrakes, the angle of glide seemed similar to that of a falling brick. At 0016 Horsa One thudded down, rumbled across the uneven ground and made a hard impact against the barbed wire and bank close to the canal bridge. The impact stunned the passengers and threw the two pilots through the Perspex windscreen, injured and unconscious. The second glider landed 60 seconds later, swerving to avoid the first and breaking in two. The third landed at 0018, skidding into a pond and causing several injuries. One man unfortunately drowned. Shaking themselves into action, Brotherbridge and Smith's platoons headed for the bridge, while Wood's platoon moved towards the trenches on its north east side.

 

The Germans on the bridges commanded by Major Schmitt had been told that theirs was one of the most crucial objectives in Normandy. However, there were only two sentries on the bridges when the first gliders landed. As soon as Brotherbridge’s platoon attacked he ran away shouting “paratroops” while his oppo fired a flare gun to warn the defenders. Brotherbridge gunned him down and his platoon swept the trenches and pillbox with grenades. Finally the Germans woke up and machine guns fired on the men on the bridge, critically wounding The Lieutenant. Grenades silenced one and accurate Bren gun fire the other. While No1 platoon crossed the bridge to set up defensive positions, the Royal Engineers checked the bridge and deactivated demolition charges. Smith’s platoon exchanged fire with the Germans, having to clear the positions with grenades, when Smith was badly wounded. By 0021, German resistance on the canal bridge was over and Brotherbridge lay dying. He was the first person killed by enemy fire on D-Day.

 

 

At landing zone York, Fox’s glider 5 was the first to land at 0020 as Hooper’s glider was reported as missing. The Germans defending the Orne Bridge opened fire with MG 34 and the British platoon responded with a 2” mortar, knocking out the machine gun with a direct hit, then crossed the bridge. Glider 6 landed at 0021nearly 800 yards short of the bridge. Sweeny left one section on the bridge and crossed after Fox to dig in on the east bank of the Orne. Major Howard had set up his command post in the trenches of the canal’s eastern bank, where Captain Neilson RE reported that the bridges were clear of demolition charges. Howard sent the signal “Ham” and “Jam”.

 

The aircraft of the rest of the 6th Airborne Division appeared at 0050, the paratroopers dropping onto the DZs marked by the pathfinders. Howard blew his whistle to guide the paratroopers in to the bridges. Unfortunately, the paratroopers were scattered with many elements missing or lost in the orchards and hedgerows. Brigadier Poett and a single soldier he had managed to pick up were the first to arrive at the bridge, the next at 0110, elements of the 7th Parachute Battalion, minus their signals platoon and support weapons. It was into this night time cake and arse party that Major Schmidt deciding that he needed to see what was going on at his bridges, appeared in a SdKfz 250 half-track with motorcycle escort. The British opened fire, forcing the half-track off the road. Schmidt and his driver were captured.

 

The commander of the 716th Infantry Division Generalleutnant Wilhelm Richter was informed at 01:20 of the parachute landings and that the bridges had been captured intact. One of his first actions was to contact Generalmajor Edgar Feuchtinger of 21st Panzer Division. Richter ordered the division to attack the landing areas. While Feuchtinger's tanks were delegated to support the 716th, it was also part of the German armoured reserve, which could not move without orders from the German High Command. Effectively the go-ahead had to come from Hitler and his staff refused to wake him. General Feuchtinger ordered the 2nd Battalion 192nd Panzergrenadier Regiment to recapture the bridges as this formation was the closest. As the first Panzer IVs reached the road junction leading to the bridges, the lead vehicle was hit by a PIAT anti-tank weapon. The tank started to burn and its ammunition went up in a superb night time pyrotechnic display. Extremely unhappy at being fired on at close range by infantry in the darkness, the other tanks withdrew.

 

At 0300 A and C Companies of the 7th Parachute Battalion were attacked by a heavy Battalion of the 192nd Panzergrenadier Regiment with 75mm self-propelled and light anti-aircraft guns. The British were forced back from their positions in Bénouville, west of the canal bridge, but the line held. The Germans deployed and waited for armoured support. Throughout the night, the paratroopers and Germans exchanged mortar and machine gun fire.

 

The airborne forces were in a grim predicament, surrounded and outnumbered. Major Howard held a meeting with his platoon commanders, One, Two, and Three Platoons now commanded by corporals as their officers were either dead or wounded and Four platoon was missing. At 0700 the British Airborne forces heard the preliminary naval bombardment, signalling that the landings were going ahead. But the daylight also brought incessant sniper fire from the Germans, making it difficult to move in the open. The men of number One Platoon used a captured 75mm gun to fire on suspected sniper positions in Bénouville. There were further distractions that morning. At 0900 two German gunboats approached the canal bridge from the north and the lead boat opened fire with its 20mm gun. Two Platoon opened up with a PIAT which hit the boat in the wheelhouse, causing it to crash into the bank. The second boat retreated. At 1000 a single German aircraft bombed the canal bridge but the bomb didn’t explode.

 

By mid-morning the fighting in Bénouville was becoming really intense, really hotting up as the 2nd Battalion, 192nd Panzergrenadier Regiment continued to attack the town with tanks, mortars and infantry. The attack was causing the understrength 7th Parachute Battalion severe problems, until they managed to destroy the German lead tank with a Gammon bomb, which blocked the road. Thirteen of the seventeen tanks were destroyed in the village by Allied aircraft and the parachute battalion was reinforced with a platoon from D Company, which moved into the town, clearing the town in house-to-house fighting. By noon, most of the missing units from 7th Parachute Battalion had found their way to the bridges.

 

At 1330 the men on and around the bridges heard the sound of bagpipes of the 1st Command Brigade, which was supported by tanks. Some of the tanks and commandos moved into Bénouville to reinforce the defenders while the others crossed the bridges to support the eastern positions. An attempt to land German troops by boat from Caen was repulsed by number One Platoon’s captured 75mm and the boat retreated south. At 2150 the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire arrived from Sword beach and relieved the defenders. They had located Captain Priday and Lieutenant Hooper’s missing platoon. The glider had landed at Varaville, eight miles from the bridges when the towing aircraft had been shot down. They had spent the entire day trying to fight their way to the bridges.

 

Today the area around the bridges is remarkably similar to what it was in 1944. The canal bridge has been replaced and renamed Pegasus Bridge and the Orne Bridge is now Horsa Bridge. The road across them is now the "Esplanade Major John Howard." The photographs and the training model are contained in The Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces section, located at the Imperial War Museum Duxford, as is the cockpit of a Horsa glider.

 

 

H/T BP.