This photo shows several students in front of the Pegasus Memorial at Pegasus Bridge, the bridge over the Orne River Canal that was a major objective of the British 6th Airborne Division just a few minutes after midnight on D-Day 1944.
Group photo on the real "Pegasus Bridge" of the D-Day British paratroop operation in Normandy on 6 June 1944.
- Students analyze a bust statue of British Major John Howard, the commander of the mission to capture the bridge over the Orne River Canal in Normandy a few minutes after midnight on D-Day. Howard’s “paras” traveled in large Horsa Gliders and landed almost precisely as planned a few hundred meters from the bridge. Howard’s troops took the bridge and held it until relieved later in the day in spite of repeated German counter attacks to retake the bridge.
This photo shows a British Horsa Glider like those Major Howard and his forces used in taking Pegasus Bridge on D-Day.
These students are ready to board our "Study Abroad Chariot," a 50 passenger motorcoach that we had for our program travels from Calais to Paris, France. When we left Paris, we had a different coach for the remainder of our travels to Berlin.
Sorry to pedantic, but the Oxf and Bucks where NOT Paratroopers – they where gliderborne Light Infantry.
The Parachute Regiment dropped in support of D Coy 2nd Oxf and Bucks. In that drop was one Richard Todd, who actually played the part of Major Howard in the film, The Longest Day.