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Normandy Trip - Pegasus Bridge Memorial

After we left Honfleur, we drove about an hour to the Pegasus Bridge Memorial, which lies near Benouville village.  The area near the bridge was part of Operation Deadstick, which was a major objective in the opening minutes of the invasion of Normandy.

With Operation Deadstick, commander Major John Howard of the gliderborne unit of the British 6th Airborne Division, landed there on on 6 June 1944 to take the bridges from the Germans.  The most famous of those bridges  is now known as the Pegasus Bridge.

The bridge was renamed afterwards in honor of the shoulder emblem that was worn by the British airborne forces, the flying horse, Pegasus.

The bridge is unique as it is a subtype of a bascule bridge design, due to it not pivoting on a hinge point when becoming movable to allow for ships to pass through.  The engineering of this bridge allows the bridge to actually roll back on the curved tread plates attached to the girders of the main span, allowing for a wider clearance.  

We did not have enough time to visit the actual museum, but a walk around the Caen Canal had some lovely memorials.

In addition, there is a little cafe named the Pegasus Bridge and Gondrée Shop, to pick up souvenirs or a snack.  The cafe was actually was the first house that was liberated from the Germans.  Arlette Gondrée, who is the owner, was a small child living in the home when it was liberated.

Below are some extra photos of the memorials. Major John Howard's bust is in the center.


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Location: Bénouville, France

Comments

  1. Musee de Pegasus BridgeAugust 4, 2012 at 3:28 AM

    A : Tous, Mesdames et Messieurs les Sénateurs, Députés, Maires,


    Musée de Pegasus Bridge

    Vous remercie de l’intérêt que vous portez à son Musée de Pegasus Bridge qui doit sa notoriété aux acteurs du 6 Juin qui l’ont crée avec Françoise Gondrée , une équipe de bénévoles pendant tant d’années et qui est toujours en activité .

    Aujourd’hui, notre Musée de Pegasus Bridge dit ‘Mémorial’- il s’agit bien du même Musée - dont le siège est au Musée sur la commune de Ranville - que le Comité du Débarquement nous a usurpé avec la connivence des institutions locales depuis plus de 10 ans. Il faut maintenant dénoncer ce scandale !
    Si le Musée de Pegasus Bridge, a toutes ses pièces, le comité du débarquement n’a strictement rien pour se justifier, d’où son emploi de coups bas et autres…….
    Notre combat depuis plus de 10 ans avance cependant. Les procédures sont toujours en cours car le Musée de Pegasus Bridge ne cédera pas aux marchands du souvenir.
    La démocratie doit être respectée et le patrimoine rendu .

    Voir ”Conflit” dans le Menu de notre site https://www.pegasusbridge.fr
    Rejoignez le comité de soutien en nous adressant un courriel/mail :museedepegasusbridge@wanadoo.fr
    en créant un lien à votre site ou blog, en signant la pétition, en diffusant partout notre vérité.

    Françoise GONDREE Présidente
    Pierre de Roquefeuil Vice Président

    https://www.pegasusbridge.fr

    ReplyDelete

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