Pegasus Bridge before its replacement

The main objective of capturing Pegasus Bridge was to secure the eastern flank of the invasion, preventing a counter attack from rolling up the entire invasion force.

The initial assault was carried out by 181 soldiers -- most of which came from D Company, 2nd Ox & Bucks -- in 6 Horsa gliders, led by Major Howard. They landed within fifty metres of Pegasus at 16 minutes past midnight on June 6th. The bridge was captured from the few troops guarding it in ten minutes, and it became the first objective seized on D-Day. One of the people killed during the operation was Lt. Dan Brotheridge, who was the first Allied soldier to be killed on D-Day.

Further elements of the 6th Airborne landed by glider and parachute throughout the day to reinforce the defenders, and the bridge was successfully held until relieved by British ground units. The first relief was from 6 Commando, led by Lord Lovat, who arrived to the sound of the Scottish bagpipes, played by Bill Millin. Later in the day units of the British 3rd Division arrived, and the bridges were secured.

A museum and memorial can now be found next to the site of the battle, on Major Howard road. The most prominent item on display is the original bridge itself. In 1993 it was replaced by a more modern bridge. The old bridge was too narrow for modern day traffic and its structure couldn't handle the stress anymore. The new bridge was modeled after the original one, but is a little bigger (and therefore has a larger counter-weight). The French originally planned to dismantle the old bridge, but British veterans associations bought the bridge for a symbolic price of one Pound. The bridge lay out in the fields for six years while funds were being raised to give it a proper place on the museum grounds. And that's where it is located now.

Also part of the collection are in-depth details of the operation, uniforms and medals of men that took part in the operation and the bagpipes of Bill Millin. The latest addition to the museum is a full-size replica of a Horsa glider.

External links

• Pegasus Bridge Museum
• BBC 'The People's War'
• The bridge in 1944