Pegasus Bridge
Merville Gun Battery
Pegasus Bridge
Pegasus Bridge is a bascule bridge ( a type of moveable bridge ), built in 1934 , that crossed the Caen Canal , between Caen and Ouistreham , in Normandy , France . Also known as the Bénouville Bridge after the neighboring village , it was , with the nearby Ranville Bridge over the river Orne , a major objective of Operation Deadstick , part of Operation Tonga in the opening minutes of the invasion of Normandy . A glider-borne unit of the British 6th Airborne Division , commanded by Major John Howard , was to land , take the bridges intact and hold them until relieved . The successful taking of the bridges played an important role in limiting the effectiveness of a German counter-attack in the days and weeks following the invasion . In 1944 it was renamed Pegasus Bridge in honor of the operation . The name is derived from the shoulder emblem worn by the British airborne forces , which is the flying horse Pegasus .
Merville Gun Battery
The Battle of Merville Gun Battery occurred on 6 June , 1944 , as part of the Normandy landings . Allied intelligence believed the Merville Gun Battery was composed of heavy-caliber guns that could threaten the British landings at Sword Beach , only 8 miles away . The British 9th Parachute Battalion , part of the 6th Airborne Division , was given the objective of destroying the battery . However , when the battalion arrived over Normandy , their parachute descent was dispersed over a large area , so instead of over 600 men , only 150 with no heavy weapons or equipment arrived at the battalion assembly point . Regardless , they pressed home their attack and succeeded in capturing the battery , only to discover that the guns were old First World War vintage , without the range to trouble the landings . Using what explosives they had been able to recover , the surviving 75 men tried to disable the guns . Once the paratroopers had withdrawn , two of the guns were put back into action by the Germans . Another attack the next day by British Commandos failed to recapture the battery , which remained under German control until 17 August , when the German Army started to withdraw from the area .
The Normandy Landings
Codenamed Operation Neptune , the Normandy Landings , were the landing operations on 6 June 1944 ( termed D-Day ) of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II . The largest seaborne invasion in history , the operation began the invasion of German-occupied western Europe and contributed to an Allied victory in the war . The amphibious landings were preceded by extensive aerial and naval bombardment and an airborne assault — the landing of 24,000 British , US , and Canadian airborne troops shortly after midnight . Allied infantry and armored divisions began landing on the coast of France starting at 6:30 . The target 50-mile stretch of the Normandy coast was divided into five sectors : Utah , Omaha , Gold , Juno and Sword Beach . The Allies failed to achieve all of their goals on the first day , but gained a foothold that they gradually expanded over the coming months .
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