Pegasus Bridge
Pegasus Bridge

Author: Stephen E. Ambrose

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2013-04-23

Total Pages: 204

ISBN-13: 1439126674

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In the early morning hours of June 6, 1944, a small detachment of British airborne troops stormed the German defense forces and paved the way for the Allied invasion of Europe. Pegasus Bridge was the first engagement of D-Day, the turning point of World War II. This gripping account of it by acclaimed author Stephen Ambrose brings to life a daring mission so crucial that, had it been unsuccessful, the entire Normandy invasion might have failed. Ambrose traces each step of the preparations over many months to the minute-by-minute excitement of the hand-to-hand confrontations on the bridge. This is a story of heroism and cowardice, kindness and brutality—the stuff of all great adventures.

The Pegasus and Orne Bridges
The Pegasus and Orne Bridges

Author: Neil Barber

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2014-05-31

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 1473830095

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This WWII history chronicles a daring airborne mission that was vital to the success of Operation Tonga, D-Day, and the liberation of France. When the British Army landed on Sword Beach in Normandy, their only exit eastward required passage across the River Orne and the Caen Canal. But the two bridges fording these waterways—the Pegasus and Orne Bridges—were heavily guarded and wired for demolition in case of a Germans retreat. Capturing these bridges would be next to impossible. Operation Deadstick, conducted by Major John Howard and his company of Oxford and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, was a superbly daring, brilliantly executed 'coup de main' assault. The glider-borne troops not only seized both bridges but faced a ferocious and prolonged German counterattack. Neil Barber, a military historian and expert in British airborne operations, uses extensive personal accounts to tell this incredible story of Allied victory. Covering events and operations from Ranville in the East to Benouville in the West, Pegasus and Orne Bridges chronicles the combat of the 7th, 12th and 13th Parachute Battalions and reinforcements such as the Commandos, seaborne engineers and the Warwicks.

Pegasus Bridge & Horsa Bridge
Pegasus Bridge & Horsa Bridge

Author: Carl Shilleto

Publisher: Casemate Publishers

Published: 2011-10-05

Total Pages: 269

ISBN-13: 1783830204

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This battlefield guide is the companion work to Merville Battery & The Dives Bridges. Together, these two books form the fully revised and updated edition of the previous best selling Battleground Europe Series book Pegasus Bridge & Merville Battery.This book examines, in great detail, the attack by 2 Oxf Bucks and engineers of the British 6th Airborne Division, in six gliders, on the Caen Canal and River Orne bridges in the early hours of D-Day, 6 June 1944. It also describes part of the battle for the village of Bnouville by 7 Para and Ranville by 13 Para. It was the combination of these actions that allowed the link-up between the commandos and airborne troops on D-Day. Thereby, forming a bridgehead to help secure the eastern flank of the greatest combined military operation in history; Operation OVERLORD.In addition to explaining how these objectives were achieved, this battlefield guide relates the battles to the area as it is today. The book contains details of the museums, memorials, cemeteries and associated organizations. All of which will unravel the history of the area to the visitor and armchair traveler alike.To further aid the battlefield tourist, GPS data is also provided for either satellite navigation by vehicle or for viewing on Google Earth.

The Pegasus Bridge Show
The Pegasus Bridge Show

Author: Michael Bawtree

Publisher: Mereo Books

Published: 2021-09-23

Total Pages: 74

ISBN-13: 9781861510525

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This dramatic story by famous actor and producer Michael Bawtree is told in 'free-cantering' verse, and tells of the capture of Pegasus and Horsa Bridges during the opening minutes of D-Day, 1944. This book is a dramatized account of the critical operation to capture Pegasus Bridge by Allied forces in 1944, in the opening stages of D-Day. It is based on an earlier show and DVD presentation by the same author, with original words and music that set the event within the history of previous cross-Channel campaigns. This account draws on the memories of some of those involved and the author's own experience of serving in the same regiment. As with the show, all profits from sales of the book will be donated to The Veterans' Charity, set up to provide assistance to ex-servicemen and women in time of need.

Devil's Own Luck
Devil's Own Luck

Author: Denis Edwards

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2001-08-01

Total Pages: 260

ISBN-13: 0850528690

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Although strictly forbidden to keep diaries, Denis Edwards managed to record his experiences throughout nearly all his time in Europe in 1944-45. He brilliantly conveys what it was like to be facing death, day after day, night after night, with never a bed to sleep in nor a hot meal to go home to. This is warfare in the raw ' brutal, yet humorous, immensely tragic, but sadly, all true.

Fighting with the Commandos
Fighting with the Commandos

Author: Neil Barber

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2008-09-19

Total Pages: 281

ISBN-13: 1844685721

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Fighting With The Commandos tells what the Second World War was like for a fighting soldier. After enlisting underage, he was 'found out', joined the Home Guard and then a Young Soldiers Unit (for those too young to serve overseas). He managed to get out to Iraq but was again sent home.He then joined 3 Commando led by Brigadier Peter Young and landed on SWORD Beach on D-Day. He graphically describes the action thereafter which included being among the first to reach Pegasus Bridge and relieve the glider borne troops under Major John Howard. Plenty of excitement and danger were to follow and readers will revel in a no-holds-barred memoir which points an illuminating picture of life for the rank-and-file in the build-up to the climax of the war.

The Longest Day
The Longest Day

Author: Cornelius Ryan

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2010-02-16

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13: 1439126461

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The unparalleled, classic work of history that recreates the battle that changed World War II—the Allied invasion of Normandy. The Longest Day is Cornelius Ryan’s unsurpassed account of D-Day, a book that endures as a masterpiece of military history. In this compelling tale of courage and heroism, glory and tragedy, Ryan painstakingly recreates the fateful hours that preceded and followed the massive invasion of Normandy to retell the story of an epic battle that would turn the tide against world fascism and free Europe from the grip of Nazi Germany. This book, first published in 1959, is a must for anyone who loves history, as well as for anyone who wants to better understand how free nations prevailed at a time when darkness enshrouded the earth.

The First Bridge Too Far
The First Bridge Too Far

Author: Mark Saliger

Publisher: Casemate Publishers

Published: 2018-07-30

Total Pages: 358

ISBN-13: 1612006906

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A vivid chronicle of the first battle between British and German paratroopers—the unsung battle that prefigured the Battle of Arnhem. From July 13 to 16, 1943, British paratroopers fought for control of a strategically important bridge in Sicily. Now, the Battle of Primosole Bridge is brought to life in the first narrative solely dedicated to one of the bloodiest and hardest-fought battles for British airborne troops of World War II. The British paratroopers of the famed 1st Parachute Brigade, known as the “Red Devils,” fought their equally esteemed German paratrooper opponents, known as the “Green Devils,” during the Allies’ first invasion of Hitler’s Fortress Europe. The paratroopers found themselves cut off behind enemy lines with dwindling ammunition as they faced ever-growing enemy forces. Yet they courageously maintained the fight until ground forces arrived to capture the bridge before it was destroyed. The hard-won experience of the 1st Parachute Brigade was then tested only a year later in an almost identical battle on a larger scale: The Battle of Arnhem—the battle christened “a bridge too far.” While Arnhem is well documented, the events at Primosole Bridge deserve to be told at last.

The Day the Devils Dropped In
The Day the Devils Dropped In

Author: Neil Barber

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2008-10-17

Total Pages: 226

ISBN-13: 1844150453

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The first hours and days following the Allied invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944 have a strong claim to be amongst the most crucial in world history. Spearheading this vast undertaking were crack British and American airborne forces. The Day The Devils Dropped In examines in fascinating detail the pivotal role of the 9th Battalion of the Parachute Regiment over the first week of the landings. Tasked with neutralizing the mighty Merville Battery, capturing Le Plein and the Château St Côme on the Breville Ridge, failure by the Paras to achieve any of these key objectives could well have unraveled the whole OVERLORD operation with catastrophic consequences. In his quest to uncover the true story of the early days of the landings, Neil Barber has successfully tracked down surviving participants in the operation. As a result he is able to tell the full story of the fierce fighting that characterized the early days of the landings largely in the very words of those who lived through the experience. This adds much to the credibility and immediacy of this enthralling book, which paints a superb picture of what soldiers care to call 'the fog of war'. The result is an inspiring and revealing read and a fine tribute to those whose contribution must never be forgotten.

Red Devils in Normandy
Red Devils in Normandy

Author: Georges Bernage

Publisher: Casemate Publishers

Published: 2010-08-01

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9782840481591

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Sometimes it is easy to forget that the US 82nd and 101st airborne divisions were not the only paratroopers to drop into Normandy on D Day!The British 6th Airborne Division had a vital task in securing the flank at the opposite end of the invasion zone from Utah Beach. The landings, both by glider and parachute, by these intrepid soldiers and their taking of the strategically important Pegasus Bridge and the silencing of the battery at Merville contributed greatly to the success of the invasion.This highly illustrated book, with detailed photo captions, depicts the soldiers and their equipment and analyzes the tactics and success of their mission.