We arrived in Caen and began our journey along some of the WWII routes. Our first stop was at a small bridge at Benouville which was an important part of the D-Day operations. There were two bridges that were the key to moving troops and supplies forward once the Allies reached Normandy.  One was in Ranville and the other in Benouville.

The operation code-named “Pegasus” was to capture the two bridges and secure them until the Allies arrived. The bridges were fortified with machine guns.

At 00:16 minutes after midnight on June 6, 1944, gliders with 30 soldiers of the 6th British Airborne landed behind enemy lines near the bridge of Benouville. They fought the Germans to control the bridges and were able to cut the leads to explosive charges that had been set by the Germans. They then defended the bridge from the Germans until reinforcements arrived at approximately 3 a.m.

We walked along the “Pegasus trail” near the riverbank looking at the bridge and trying to imagine what transpired here so many years ago.

Along the trail, there were monuments identifying the battle and the soldiers involved in the operation.

We walked the trail and looked at the monuments and plaques.

It was one of the many operations during the war that were not well-known but had a major impact on the outcome of the D-Day operations. It was an interesting site.

“Au revoir et passez un bon jour”