6th Airborne's First Contact at Pegasus Bridge, Vital for D-Day Success | WW2 Walking The Ground
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ย. 2024
- In the small hours of June 6th 1944, ahead of the main seaborne landing force that would hit the coast of Normandy, members of D Company, 2nd (Airborne) Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, were tasked with landing their gliders as close to Benouville Bridge as they could.
The bridge, that spans the Caen Canal, was a vital part of the invasion strategy. If the airborne forces could take the bridge quickly and hold it, the main invasion force would have an immediate advantage, stopping any counter attack that the Germans might launch from the east.
The mission was a coup-de-main operation led by Major John Howard. He had to land his Horsa gliders as close to the bridge as possible. Speed and surprise were key, and as James and Al discover, the operation, one of the first of D-Day, was brilliantly executed.
Benouville Bridge was renamed Pegasus Bridge in honour of the operation. The name comes from the Pegasus shoulder emblem that was worn by British airborne forces.
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In Walking the Ground, historian James Holland and writer and comedian Al Murray (from the popular We Have Ways of Making You Talk podcast) follow in the footsteps of World War 2 soldiers and commanders, unearthing fascinating insights and stories along the way. Exclusively on TH-cam. Subscribe now: / @ww2walkingtheground ".
James running off to lob some imaginary grenades genuinely had me cackling with laughter - but really does help with the perspective of what those guys actually did! Love it - brilliant first ep!
In the summer of 1995 I was on a school trip standing on the bridge by myself when this old geezer came up to me and started chatting. After a while he introduced himself as Major John Howard.
That's incredible.
I knew a former Captain in the RA who was on his way by glider to act as an FOO at Pegasus Bridge. His glider's tow broke, they came down in the Channel, got into the dingy and wer finally captured. He passed his law degree in the POW camp and came back to meet the sone his wife had been carrying when he left. He lived long enough to receive his Croix de Guerre and died at 99. The other team were never heard of again. My grateful thanks to all those, including my father (who I first met on VE day when I was six and a half when he returned from India) who fought, died or were wounded.
in 1996 i was an AAC pilot and I dropped Major Howard back close to the bridge for the anniversary It was such a proud Day and Major Howard signed my Pilots Book and wrote Ham and Jam on it super set of heroes all gone now sad to say
I am looking forward to this series. The last time i was there was when a big troop of us including relatives of the Ox and Bucks who were there, all ran the marathon from Tarrant Rushton to Pegasus bridge on the 65th Anniversary for raising money to put in a memorial . Changed my life, and to be met with 10,000 people at midnight on 6th June when we arrived was truly overwhelming. Ever since i worked on Band of Brothers and read that book, i wanted to visit, and what better way was to run the course in full para regalia and a sten gun (yes i took a sten) the 1000's of people at midnight to greet us shouting "Ham and jam!" at me as we ran to the first glider position. Priceless.
I met Tich Rayner at the cafe Gondree having a cider, he had had a few, and was convinced i was related to a Jewish soldier who he knew at the time of that battle. ive not found out who he meant. (last name Rose)
As a long time WHW listener, this is incredible!!!
Well done chaps, looking forward to more
RIP Lt. Den Brotheridge, one of the first casualties of D-Day, shot while storming the bridge just after midnight on june 6th 1944
There's a very odd death certificate for him that is dated 8 June and issued in Portsmouth...
I met Bill Gray some years ago (RIP) and he told me he was second to and right behind Ltn. Brotheridge and firing his Bren gun from the hip as they rushed the bridge. He said the Ltn was hit in the throat and fell backwards in the middle of the bridge. When Bill bent down to him, he said he was still alive, but could not speak and fading fast. What heroes these guys all were!
Outstanding debut episode. Looking forward to the future content. 👍🏻
Nice one boys, enjoyed that, looking forward to the rest of the series. Good PIAT-mention too, of course they hit the lead boat with one too. Thornton is also on record as saying he didn't have too much faith in the PIAT doing the job but he was pleasantly surprised - bagging (probably) the first AFV kill by allied ground troops in N.W. Europe!
Certainly the first after the fall of France.
what type of tank did they knock out?
@@michaelbevan3285 that is debated, it's unclear if it was a former French tank in German service or another AFV.
You two knuckleheads make me smile... and I've learned so much from both of you. Crack on.
Brilliant love the anecdotes, amazed at the detailed knowledge of Al, as the saying goes "cannot judge a book.." So looking forward to the next
For somebody who isn't a historian Als knowledge always impresses me. I've listened to the pod from the start and he is the real deal with excellent perspective.
Have recently taken in all the podcasts. Great work lads. Looking forward to the upcoming videos. In 3 weeks I will be in Europe for the first time. Booked on a Normandy tour on 14th August to take in Point Du Hoc, Omaha, US Cemetery, Arromanche, and Juno. Hoping we may go via Pegasus Bridge. Have been fascinated by D-Day since I was 12. This series will only wet the appetite further. Brilliant.
Visit the Merville Gun Battery not far away, my late father, 6th Airborne, 9th battalion was involved with D- Day assault on the battery. Good museum interesting story of the assault
Great to hear!
This is great, guys. We went for the 1st time for D Day this year. You are giving us all the detail we wanted! Cheers!
I did not know that the gentleman who played Guy Gibson in the Dambusters was a legit war hero! Amazing!
The best bit of piloting a glider in the whole war
I'm going back to Normandy for the second time at the end of September. I'm sure this series will show me a few hidden gems. Keep up the good work chaps!
I'm heading over for two weeks in mid August, under canvas too !! LOL...got a camp site right
the top of Omaha beach...|)
You two crack me up. Watching you running around throwing invisible grenades was hilarious. Love this first episode
In that iconic photo synchronising watches under the C-47 prop, the Lieutenant on the left is Bobby de Latour. Acting Captain de Lautour died on 20 June 1944 aged 27 years old. The 3rd Company commander of 22nd Independent Parachute Company, to die in a fortnight of fighting; Francis Lennox Boyd and Ian Tait died before him. He was awarded a posthumous Mention in Despatches on 22 March 1945, for actions in Normandy. He is now buried at Ranville War Cemetery, Normandy.
Oops, the aircraft was an Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle as used by No 295 Sqn as Pathfinders, his stick was tasked with 'marking' the drop zone for the 1st Canadian and 9th Parachute Battalions at DZ "V", but all the radar and visual beacons were either lost or damaged.
The number of lives that were brutally cut short so early is the true tragedy of war...
Bloody marvelous..knowledge, wit, humour and history.. well done and do carry on..
Great stuff gents, enjoyed this. Finally had the chance this month to visit the wonderful museum on our way back home via Brittany ferries at Ouistreham, so good.
Don't forget to visit the real bridge in the museum. Speak with Nicolas, museum curator. He can show you specifics on the original bridge. Very entertaining and better than reading books :)
There's also a great you tube video 'D-Day 40th Anniversary' Parts I & II by ITN. Many who were there that day at Pegasus Bridge: describing the glider landing, taking of the bridge, plus witnessing death of Den Brotherage - input from Major John Howard and many members of the Ox and Bucks - a real gem to see them reliving it & retracing their steps on the bridge. Funny to see Peg Bridge before the museum there... ! Looking forward to seeing more of these Walking the Grounds..
Nice one guys. The absurd and sometimes amusing details of the action bring it to life. Made my first visit to the bridges in the 1970s as a Parachute Regiment JINF.
Great work chaps! Looking forward to the rest of the episodes. I certainly want to pay Pegasus Bridge now!
Fantastic series so far.
Didn't think I needed these two as a duo, but the laughs were great.
For those of us that chucked a cricket ball in from the boundary on a bracing April afternoon at the start of the season...lobbing is a much much better idea! Less damaging to the shoulder joint.
Excellent presentation. Looking forward to the rest. You make it so interesting. Thank you.
Thank you kindly!
Another terrific addition gents.Thank you 👍
Geez, worried James was going to get run over there for a minute during his assault on the bridge.
I nearly did...
Love the podcast too
What a pairing..! Looking forward to watching future episodes. Thanks 👌🏻
I have my uncles logbooks, he was a pilot with 605 sqn, on a Mossie, he was over this area at 0010 hours on 6th JUne 44., he describes a 100 Lancs going in to "plaster" the area, and then the glider train going in, he cleared the area for a few minutes and writes that he sees the landing strips....
My grans cousin was ox and bucks. KIA on the 7th June.
He's buried in Herouvillette.
Absolutely brilliant and hilarious video - All while delivering such interesting history. Al & James are onto something here! Jim Wallwork and his co-pilot were catapulted through the plexi-glass of their gilder in the hard landing by the bridge. JIm always claimed they were the first Allied men in Europe on D-Day!
Can't wait for the next episode! Brilliant!!!
Absolutely brilliant, adding so much to the podcast.
Great show chaps.
A great presentation I know the sites well and I love the well-timed Brit humour.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Cycled through Normandy during the 78th anniversary,an emotional journey 🏴
Great episode guys keep it coming
Fantastic video and project thank you
Thank you too!
In Stephen Ambrose's book 'Pegasus Bridge' he tells of one of the first Paras at the bridge, for the life of me I can't recall his name now, but he takes a liking for the anti-aircraft gun beside the bridge and starts to use it for shooting at anything, including the maternity building down the river that they believe the German snipers are in (they didn't know it was a maternity hospital they claimed later) to the point that Major Howard told him to leave the bloody gun alone, LOL :D
Wally Parr from recollection.
@@peterjones7782 That sounds right, thanks :)
I love the podcast and this first episode hasn’t disappointed. I can’t wait to see the rest. A question, though. At 14:48, James talks about a soldier running over the bridge to destroy a German vehicle with something that sounds like “pea-yote.” I’ve never heard that word before and I tried googling it using different spelling variations but all I get are results for peyote, the hallucigenic drug. Can anyone clarify what weapon he is talking about? Thanks.
James is talking about a PIAT. It was a single shot anti-tank weapon used by British infantry. A good link here: www.thearmorylife.com/a-single-shot-that-saved-d-day-the-british-piat/
@@WW2WalkingTheGroundBrilliant. Thank you very much.
From what I heard and read Thornton took out a commandeered French tank the Germans were using. He also stated he fired three times at the tank as it trundled by but only the last shot hit. It exploded the extra ammo and fuel strapped to the back of the tank making a huge explosion and fooling the Germans into thinking the Paras have heavy antitank guns in play.
Good stuff 👍
Thanks for making this. I was there in spring. This is do informative and interesting. High definition and drones really bring it home. Thank you
Great episode lads, looking forward to more.
As Airborne troops travelled light I was wondering, if they were trained in the use of captured arms and equipment?
They certainly studied them but the principles of most weapons are much the same. Lots of examples of people picking up and using the weapons of other sides.
I reckon Den Brotheridge may have been more svelte than James Holland....
Absolutely loving this 👏 👏
The bridge over the canal is not the original Pegasus Bridge. The original is about 680 feet or 207 meters away safely preserved on land at the museum there, all a DO NOT MISS if you visit Normandy.
James Holland wiv Al Murray. What's not to like wiv that?
Fantastich!
I like Al’s man bag…
When do we get to see the American sector chaps ??
@@sean7595 Very soon!
sehr gut meine herren!
It was not the Oxon and Bucks in the regiment only used the title by regiment or by the battalions titles, the 1st Battion( 43rd Foot) Monmouthshire, Light Infantry, 2nd (Oxfordshire Light Infantry, Buckinghamshire Battalion which was a Rifle battalion and a TA battalion in Oxfordshire. The Buckinghamshire Battalion wear Rifle Green uniform and had by the Rifle Birgade march I`¡my 95th
I'm trying to learn the story of d day but im amazed at their knowledge, how do they know the stuff they are coming out with? Im reading a book called d day the oral history, a turning point of world war 2 by the people that were there.
No Woody? Great episode nonetheless.
Woody? who's Woody?
@@ctttt7019 you do not know? Have a gander at WW2TV. He is their friend.
Ww2tv! @@ctttt7019
@@ctttt7019 Paul Woodadge - WW2TV
Who's Paul Woodage?
Al Murrey is fine but Holland is just a waffling walter mitty.