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| THE BRITISH 6TH AIRBORNE DIVISION |
 Anthem (au)
 
In 1940, Britain's darkest hour, when Britain faced invasion, the Prime Minister, Mr Winston Churchill, sought the means to strike back at the enemy. One example was his memo of 22 June, instructing the War Office '. . .we ought to have a corps of at least 5,000 parachute troops . . .' and it is from this date that British airborne forces start their history. Despite a lack of experience and equipment, a small band of resourceful men began at once to create this new force. Events moved fast; the Central Landing School was set up at Ringway, Manchester, by Army and RAF staff: men of No. 2 Commando were selected for training, and the first jumps carried out on 13 July. In September the first Hotspur gliders were ordered.By the end of 1940, 2 Commando, now 500 strong with a parachute and a glider wing, was renamed 11th Special Air Service Battalion. In February 1941, only nine months after formation, the first airborne operation took place, when 38 men parachuted into Southern Italy to destroy the Tragino Aqueduct.After these tentative trials, 1941 was a year of development and expansion. The 1st Parachute Brigade was formed in September, and shortly afterwards, and infantry brigade became the 1st Airlanding Brigade, with four airlanding battalions and supporting arms and services, to start training with the gliders now coming off the production line. In India the 50th Indian Parachute Brigade was formed. Major General F A M Browning was appointed Commander Paratroops and Airborne Troops. From his small HQ, the 1st Airborne Division was formed in November. In December, the Glider Pilot Regiment was established, as part of the Army Air Corps, to fly the gliders: initially Hotspurs and Wacos, then Horsas and Hamilcars. The officer and sergeant pilots, all trained soldiers, fought many gallant actions along side the airborne troops they had landed. Later in August 1942, all parachute battalions became battalions of The Parachute Regiment in this new corps.In February 1942, C Company 2nd Parachute Battalion, under Major John Frost, carried out the highly successful parachute raid to capture a vital part of a German radar installation at Bruneval in northern France. During the year, the 1st Airborne Division was built up, based on the two brigades, with the newly formed 2nd Parachute Brigade, together with a full compliment of supporting arms and services, trained to land by parachute or glider. 38 Group RAF was created to work closely with the division. In November, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalions carried out three separate battalion operations in North Africa, to support the First Army's advance towards Tunis. During the winter of 1942, the 1st Parachute Brigade fought hard battles in the Tunisian hills, earning a reputation within the Army as high-class infantry: and, from their German opponents, the name 'Red Devils'.In May 1943, this brigade was joined by the rest of 1st Airborne Division in North Africa, and by the 4th Parachute Brigade from yjr Middle East. Preparations started for further airborne operations into Southern Europe. In the UK, 6th Airborne Division was created, based on the 3rd Parachute Brigade, and two of the original airlandingg battalions. Other elements were converted to form 5th Parachute Brigade and the divisional units. The 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion joined the 6th Airborne Division at this time. On 10 July 1943, British and American airborne troops spearheaded the Allied invasion of Sicily. 1st Air Landing Brigade in their gliders landed first, followed three days later by 1st Parachute Brigade. Landings were scattered and casualties were heavy, especially among the glider-borne troops but the objective was taken. In September the division operated briefly in Southern Italy, before returning to England, less 22nd Parachute Brigade Group, to prepare for the invasion of Europe.On 6 June 1944, D-Day, 6th Airborne Division carried out an airborne assault into Normandy to seize important bridges, to destroy the battery at Merville, and to hold the high ground overlooking the left flank of the Allied bridgehead. Using aggressive tactics against strong enemy attacks, the division, after fighting for nearly six months, took part in the Allied invasion of the Aouth of France on 5 August. Two weeks later, the brigade was withdrawn to prepare for the liberation of Greece. Landing near Athens, they helped the Allied Forces bring peace to the country amidst a bitter civil war.In September, as the Allies approached Germany, 1st Airborne Division, with 82nd and 101st US Airborne Divisions, mounted Operation Market Garden, an attempt to secure the bridges needed for an advance into Germany. 1st Airborne Division's objective, the bridge at Arnhem, was held for four days, and remnnants of the diiivision fought on for another five days until ordered to withdraw.Just before Christmass 1944, 6th Airborne Division was hurriedly despatched to the Ardennes to help stem the German counter-offensive, which threatened to split the Allied armies. After fighting in the snow-covered forests for two months, the division was withdrawn to prepare for the final airborne operation of the war in Europe. In one huge air armada, 6th British and 17th US Airborne Divisions were landed on the east bank of the River Rhine near Wesel. After a pause, the diivision fought on across Germany to reach the Baltic first, and to meet the advancing Russian Army.As the war in Europe ended, the re-formed 1st Airborne Division, after a short spell in Norway, was disbanded, and many of its units amalgamated into thee 6th Airborne Division, which was ordered to the Far East for further operations. 5th Parachute Brigade, already there at the time of the Japanese surrender, landed by sea in Malaya and was then sent on to Java to help restore order. In September 1945, 6th Airborne Division was sent to Palestine to be part of the Middle East strategic reserve, but instead became embroiled in the long and thankless task of maintaining peace in that troubled land. With the final withdrawal in 1948 from Palestine the division was disbanded. |
| PEGASUS BRIDGE . |
D-Day 05.06-06.06.1944
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The Ox and Buck's and the taking of the canal bridge at Benouville
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On the night of the 5th June1944 at 22.56 hours six halifax bombers took off at one minute intervals from an RAF airfield at Tarrant Rushton in Dorset.The Halifax bombers, all six, towed Horsa gliders , those gliders carried troops , men from D-company of the 2nd battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire light infantry , under the command of Major John Howard.
 
above : left and right Major John Howard
Major howard travelled aboard of the leading , with n°1 Platoon commanded by Lieutenant Den Brotheridge.The Ox and Bucks were reenforced by two platoons of sappers of n°2 platoon of the 249th field company of the Royal Engineers.Major howard and his men had the task to take the canal bridges on the Canal de Caen at Benouville and the river Orne at Ranville,they had to take them and hold them till relieved.The purpose of the operation,was to avoid that German reenforcements could reach the British beach landing area and also to avoid the destruction of these bridges highly needed by the allies to have acces towards Caen.Military intelligence warned that those capital bridges were probably mined to be destroyed at the moment the Germans would be attacked.The Germans had to avoid at all costs that Caen would be easily reached, later on during the battle of Normandy, the British troops would suffer heavy casualities before taking Caen.After one hour and fortyfiveafter leaving Britain the towed gliders reached their release points above the French coast west of Cabourg.The glider pilots were carefully briefed by the Halifax pilots about their positions,air-speed,height,wind-speed and course.After this the were released and flew silently towards their objectifs, wich were about seven miles away.For the glider pilots it was very difficult to see or recognise any landmarks in the darkness of the night.Staff Sergeant Jim Wallwork,who was the pilot of the lead glider wich carried Major John Howard,reached the bois de Bavent,one of the largest wooded areas in Normandy.The bois de Bavent was for the first three gliders the checkpoint were they had to make their wide circular turn.However Staff Sergeant Jim Wallwork was unable to see this wood area, it was when he made a 90° turn to starboard that he saw the two objectif bridges.Wallwork would land his glider right on target,touching down on the soil and glyding further into barbed wire fences.Wallwork and his co-pilot Warnsmouth were knocked out.They were the first Allied soldiers on French soil.The Germans eared the noise made by the landing glider but assumed that it were debris parts that had fallen down from a badly hurted bomber.
 1  Major Howard's buste
 Pegasus Bridge (here and 1)
 Horsa Glider
Major Howard and his men were temporarly knocked out,Howard hitted the roof of his glider when his seat-belt broke by the impact of the landing.Major Howard tought when he regained consciousness that he was blind,but in fact it was his helmet who was forced down over his ears and eyes.Howard and his men scrambled out of their gliders, once out,major Howard couldn't believe his eyes when he noticed by looking at the bridge that he was at a distance of 50 yards from his target and that complete surprise was on his side.Lt Den Brotheridge broke out of the glider with n°1 platoon and headed for the bridge,at that moment the second glider came in,by avoiding contact with Wallworks glider n°2 glider had to make a maneuver that broke the gliders back,Lt David Wood who was aboard of this glider was ejected from his gliderwhile this happened.Even tough Wood's platoon immediately gattered around him,and they made up contact with the commander,their task:clear the German trenches,machine gun positionsand an anti-tank emplacement,they immediately went over to action.Meanwhile the third glider came in,the glider hitted the ground in a rather hard manner and captain John Vaughan of the Royal Army Medical Corps,who was a volunteer with the Airborne,was ejected out of the glider into the mud and into a nearby pound.It was 02.00 hours in the morning of June the 6th 1944.Lt Den Brotheridge and his platoon had already run up the embankement and members of n°1 platoon had already knocked out a pillbox with grenades and the sappers were already checking the bridge for explosifs.In the fighting action Lieutenant Den Brotheridge,who took out a machine gun position was hit in the neck,has he fall down on the bridge road, his men neutralised all opposition.Lieutenant Den Brotheridge met his tragic history and had become the first allied soldier killed on D-Day.Lieutenant Wood and n°2 platoon in the meanwhile neutralised the German positions including a 20mm gun emplacement on the Eastern side of the bridge.When Wood ran back towards Major John Howard to report the taking of the positions he and one of his section commanders were hit by a machine gun,Wood was hit in the legs.N°3 platoon under command of Lieutenant Sandy Smith reached the bridge and were dispatched across it by Major Howard,to reenforce n °1 platoon on the Western side of the bridge.Shortly after Lt Smith would be badly wounded on his wrists by a hand grenade.In the meanwhile the gliders carrying Major Howard's other three platoons were landing for the assault on the Orne bridge at Ranville.Sadly enough the 4th and leading glider, had been casted off at the wrong location after being ordered a blind release.Howards second in command Captain Priday had landed due to this five miles to the East near the bridges crossing the river Divesand a canal .The bridges were promptly captured.N°6 platoon had landed right in the middle of their landing zone,at the North-West of the bridge of Ranville, the bridge was soon secured.Fifteen minutes after the first glider had landed both bridges had been secured and the succes signal "Ham and Jam" was broadcasted confirming that the bridges were taken intact on the enemy.Major John Howard and the men of his coup de main force were the first allied soldiers on french soil, later on when the area around the bridge were secured the first building of Benouville, Cafe Gondree, would become the first liberated building in Normandy, howard would use it to give cover to the wounded troopers of his coup de main group.
Areal picture showing the positions of the gliders at Pegasus Bridge
 
 Cafe Gondree
The Major John Howard stele and glider position stele.
SGT EAGLE JULY 2004 |
| THE MERVILLE -FRANCEVILLE BATTERY ASSAULT |
 
above: The Merville battery command casemate above:Lt Col.Otway Nowadays
Located near a small place called Merville-Franceville, about 10 km from the coast, Normandie, France. The site is part of the "D-Day Le Choc" ("D-Day the collision") route in Normandie. This is one of the 8 tourist routes that guide you through the Normandy battlefields. You can find information on these routes with most of the tourist offices.The routes are very well signed.
Address:
Avenue de la Batterie de Merville
14810 Merville-Franceville
THE ASSAULT :
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The Merville Battery was considered as treathning for the Beach assault troops in the British sector of the landing and had to be taken out .
But What happened during the night of the 5th to the 6th June 1944 ?
Lt Colonel Terence Otway's daring attack on the Merville Battery
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The advanced elements of the 9th Parachute battalion had been dropped on DZ V and had reached the battalion Rendez-Vous point without any difficulties .
Major Allen Parry and his men setted out the lights marking the company's location .
In the meanwhile Major George Smith and CSM's Harold and Miller moved on to the Merville battery wich was one mile away from DZ V.Lancaster bombers made a raid on the battery but missed it , their bombs landed south of the battery , nearly knocking out Major Allen Parry's party.Meanwhile the aircrafts transporting the main body of the battalion were approachingthe French-Norman coast.
Due to the fact that most of the pathfinders materials had been damaged , there were sadly enough just a few lights working and indicating DZ Vwhen those aircrafts reached it.The smoke coming from the bombs dropped by the Lancasters covered the lights , wich resulted in the faact that only a few Airborne sticks landed on DZ V, others were scattered into the Dives marshes or even on the high grounds between Cabourg and Dozule.
Lieutenant Colonel Terence Otway , was only able to regroup 150 of his initial 550 men strong battalion.
None of the jeep and anti tank guns transporting gliders had called in on the DZ.The battalion 3 inch mortars,the sappers,the field ambulance section and the naval bombardement parties were all missing .
Keeping in mind that the Merville battery had to be destroyed before 05.30 hours , Lt Colonel Terence Otway was in the obligation not to wait ,so he moved on without his heavy materials and sappers.
 
above : left :Lt Colonel Otway's buste right : 9th Battalion stele
Following a road skirting the northern edge of the Gonneville village, Lt Colonel Otway reached the crossroads were Major George Smith waited them up.Smith and his warrant officers, having reached the Merville battery, had managed to cut their way trough a wire fence , then made their way trough a mine field and an inner wire fence and had managed to locate some enemy positions.
A taping party conducted by Captain Paul Greenway had managed to secure four lanes trough the minefields locating and disarming several tripwires (Booby-traps).
Lt Colonel Otway splitted his force into four assault groups , but decided to use only two breaches in the wire fence .It was 04.30 hours .
As the battalion was redeploying,six enemy machine guns opened fire, three from either flank.
The one Vickers machine gun engaged with the battalion reposted on the enemy on the left side while a party formed by an NCO and six men engaged those on the right side,as they made their way to the main entrance of the battery.
At the same momenttwo of the three gliders carrying aboard the 58 men strong assault group of Captain Robert Gordon Brown suddenly flew low over the battery and came immediately under fire making that one of them that was touched , disappeared into the night ( it landed several miles higher up) , while the other one landed on a lane behind a fence , avoiding with a close call a mine field .
Lieutenant Hugh Pond and his men came out of this glider and were immediately engaged by enemy troops .
It was then that Lt Colonel Terence Otway launched his attack , bangalore torpedoes were detonated and the four assault groups went in .
Having overrun the battery's defences,the German defence troops were under fire on all sides , they had to fight their way to the gun casemates coming under fire of three machine guns , who were silenced by a Bren gun team
once the casemates reached Otway's men eliminated the gun crews and neutralised the guns by making them unoperational .
It was 05.00 hours by then and all the guns were neutralised and the battery was token .
The 9 th Parachute battalion had reached her goal, Otway broadcasted is all clear message , The Merville battery was out of order , of the force that attacked the battery 65 men were killed, wounded or missing in action .
Sgt Eagle July 2004
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