6th Airborne's First Contact at Pegasus Bridge, Vital for D-Day Success | WW2 Walking The Ground
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- Опубліковано 14 жов 2024
- Join WWII historian James Holland and writer and comedian Al Murray on their battlefield tour of Normandy for their on-the-ground perspective on the vital seizure of Pegasus Bridge by British Airborne forces on D-Day, 6th June 1944. Subscribe: / @ww2walkingtheground ".
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🗒️ Episode Notes
In the small hours of 6th June 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 Horsa gliders as close to Benouville Bridge as they could. Spanning the Caen Canal, the bridge was a vital part of the D-Day 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. Speed and surprise were key, and as James Holland and Al Murray discover, the operation, one of the first of D-Day, was brilliantly executed. Benouville Bridge was later renamed Pegasus Bridge in honour of the operation. The name comes from the Pegasus shoulder emblem that was worn by British airborne forces.
#ww2walkingtheground #jamesholland #almurray #pegasusbridge #6thairborne #horsagliders #ww2history #johnhoward #normandy #6thJune1944 #horsaglider
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 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)
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
In the film The Longest Day, Major John Howard was played by Richard Todd the actor, during WW2 Todd was an officer in the Parachute Regiment, he was amongst the troops that dropped in to Pegasus Bridge on D Day and fought there, he met Major Howard there, whilst involved in the action around the bridge over 5 days Todd was promoted to Captain.
As a long time WHW listener, this is incredible!!!
Well done chaps, looking forward to more
My grandfather was in the 6th Airborne Division and was in one of the gliders. He died when I was five, so it’s great so see these types of videos to give context to the medals.
Outstanding debut episode. Looking forward to the future content. 👍🏻
You two knuckleheads make me smile... and I've learned so much from both of you. Crack on.
Can't get enough of these walks. It makes me so happy settling down with a coffee on a Sunday to watch these. Trying to ration them!
So glad you are enjoying the series. We have more coming soon. If you are subscribed so make sure you have notifications switched on for the channel so you get alerts when new episodes are released!
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.
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!
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.
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!
@@GriffonMerlinWell they weren’t going to issue it on the bridge while the bullets were still flying!
The best bit of piloting a glider in the whole war
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!
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...|)
Excellent presentation. Looking forward to the rest. You make it so interesting. Thank you.
Thank you kindly!
Another terrific addition gents.Thank you 👍
Bloody marvelous..knowledge, wit, humour and history.. well done and do carry on..
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.
I my self is a ex'2para vet and have been to the Pegasus bridge etc for many yrs! I had 4'uncle's who was in this rade an all was in the PARAS bk then from day 1.! All made it to the bridge to far an 2of out of 4uncle's came out of the battle!! Top interview on this matter well done guys!! Keep the gd work up an running an keep the channel going!! 😊😊 green on mucker from a oldswet my self an ex'service AB ALL THE WAY BROTHER
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...
Merci beaucoup pour cette information précieuse 👍
Great work chaps! Looking forward to the rest of the episodes. I certainly want to pay Pegasus Bridge now!
Cycled through Normandy during the 78th anniversary,an emotional journey 🏴
What a pairing..! Looking forward to watching future episodes. Thanks 👌🏻
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!
Not they knew anything about it at the time - they were both knocked unconscious by the impact!
Great stuff, very enjoyable.
I did not know that the gentleman who played Guy Gibson in the Dambusters was a legit war hero! Amazing!
Famously, if you watch the Longest Day, he plays Major John Howard who leads the assault on this bridge. A little later in the film, he gives orders to an officer from the follow up drop. That officer in real life was… Richard Todd. So Richard Todd plays Major John Howard giving orders to Richard Todd!
I went to the bridge as part of the 60th Anniversary with a very random bunch of RUC blokes. Animals, the lot of them! I am always astonished at this feat of British arms.
Fantastic series so far.
Didn't think I needed these two as a duo, but the laughs were great.
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.
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..
You two crack me up. Watching you running around throwing invisible grenades was hilarious. Love this first episode
Absolutely brilliant, adding so much to the podcast.
Thank you for these videos, very interesting thank you 👍
A great presentation I know the sites well and I love the well-timed Brit humour.
Glad you enjoyed it!
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....
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 :)
Brilliant. These guys have great chemistry😀😀😀
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 :)
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.
Very true. I also believe the point of lobbing is that the grenade doesn't end up behind you if you lose your grip as you pull your arm back. At which point you are in big trouble.
Also true that you can lob a grenade from a relatively concealed position. You would need to stand much more upright to throw it.
Finally if you lob it it's much less likely to hit the edge of the trench/wall or whatever you are hiding behind and come back toward you
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
Can't wait for the next episode! Brilliant!!!
Geez, worried James was going to get run over there for a minute during his assault on the bridge.
I nearly did...
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.
Watching him run was like being there in the day and it’s John Howard and his men 😂
Love the podcast too
Fantastic video and project thank you
Thank you too!
Great episode guys keep it coming
Great show chaps.
My grans cousin was ox and bucks. KIA on the 7th June.
He's buried in Herouvillette.
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.
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.
Fantastic. Really first class.
I used to live in Devon and the lads that took Pegasus bridge did they're training on the countess weir swing bridge in Devon...seeing Pegasus bridge here I can see the resemblance
No point mentioning the fact that Richard Todd played guy Gibson when he actually played major Howard in the longest day
Richard Todd played Guy Gibson in "The Dam Busters" (1955)
@@demiseisdue that's not the point I was making, they are talking about how Richard told the actor was at the bridge mention the fact that he played guy Gibson but didn't mention the fact that he was in The Longest Day
Been there. Ticked it iff the list. Well wirth visiting.
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.
Absolutely loving this 👏 👏
The wagger thorten thay talks about is on of my uncle's an IKNOW the story v'well. It was 4tanks that day ! Smased out 2with a piat AT' then the 3rd tank backed up with the 4th tank !! So the Germans roll bk dw with tanks an infantry!! Green on mucker lots of memories from a oldswet my self an ex'service AB ALL THE WAY BROTHER from the U.K.
Good stuff 👍
James Holland wiv Al Murray. What's not to like wiv that?
Fantastich!
I reckon Den Brotheridge may have been more svelte than James Holland....
When do we get to see the American sector chaps ??
@@sean7595 Very soon!
This might sound a bit odd, but I have ham and jam tattooed on my left arm, and jack and lard tattooed on the other.
What ive never understood is HOW did the Germans guarding the bridge NOT HEAR or SEE the gliders before crash landing
I like Al’s man bag…
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
sehr gut meine herren!
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.
Never mind the wokes, This brings history to life, excellent presentation, as factual as possible warts an' all, brilliant, thank you!
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?
I stopped watching when the laughter started.
Al Murrey is fine but Holland is just a waffling walter mitty.