One Day British 6th Airborne Division Tour _______________________________________________________________________________________
British 6th Airborne Division Tour in general:
On this full-day tour of the Orne Bridgehead, the area where the British 6th Airborne Division landed on D-Day and fought until August 17, 1944, you will visit the most important sites of the British and Canadian airborne troops:
Pegasus Bridge, Bénouville/Le Port civilian cemetery, Drop/Landing Zone N at Ranville, Drop Zone K at Touffreville, Dives River bridges at Troarn and Bures, Château de Varaville, Gonneville/Merville Battery, Le Plein/Amfreville, Bréville, Bois de Monts/Château du Come, le Mesnil crossroads, Ranville British Military Cemetery.
Along the way and on the sites, you will learn how this large airborne operation was planned and executed, which units were involved, and their objectives.
This is one of the most interesting military tours in Normandy. Many operations and actions took place in the relatively confined space of the Orne Bridgehead. Some are well known, while others are less familiar to the general public.
Locations we will visit on this day:
Pegasus Bridge (Bénouville)
Capturing and holding the bridges over the Caen Canal (Pegasus Bridge) and the River Orne (Horsa Bridge) was one of the 6th British Airborne Division's primary objectives on the night of D-day. The seizure of the bridges was to prevent the Germans from attacking the British troops landing at Sword Beach in their open flank.
Hear about the daring Coup de Main assault by 170 elite glider-borne soldiers commanded by Major John Howard, who captured and defended the two vital bridges until relieved by British Commandos 12 hours later on D-Day.
We will visit the site where the gliders landed just a few meters from their objective, cross the Caen Canal on the new Pegasus Bridge to see the famous Café Gondrée, the first house to be liberated in France on D-Day.
For a small additional charge, you can visit (without me accompanying you) the excellent Pegasus Bridge Museum. Most of my clients prefer not to visit the museum (a visit easily takes 60-90 minutes) and would like to spend more time at other sites we will visit later in the tour. This is entirely up to you.
British War Cemetery (Ranville)
This beautifully laid out British War Cemetery is often referred to as the 6th Airborne Cemetery as many of the division's casualties are buried in Ranville War Cemetery and the adjoining churchyard. As a wonderful sign of reconciliation and to demonstrate that in dead all men are equal, more than 320 German war dead are also buried here.
Besides the Military Cemetery we will visit Ranville church and its churchyard, where the first Briton killed by enemy fire is buried.
I will take you to some notable graves and you will have time to pay your respects to the men who made the ultimate sacrifice for the liberation of Europe.
Place du Commando No. 4 & the civilian cemetery at Bénouville/Le Port
It was at this location where the men of Company B, 7th Para Battalion, first met with the advancing commandos of Lord Lovat’s 1st Special Service Brigade.
The small civilian cemetery is the final resting place of 23 British soldiers. The majority of the men interred here belonged to the 6th Airborne Division and were killed in action during the pivotal early stages of the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944. Their primary objective were the capture and defense of the nearby bridges over the Caen Canal and the River Orne, famously known today as Pegasus Bridge and Horsa Bridge respectively. Amongst them is the padre for 7 Para, twenty-nine-year-old The Reverend George E.M. Parry.
Learn how Padre Parry was killed in the early hours of D-Day, one of 21 British chaplains killed in Normandy, when defending wounded British Paratroopers at the Regimental Aid Post near Château de Bénouville.
In the churchyard, you can also visit the family grave of Thérèse and Georges Gondrée, the famous owners of the Café Gondrée.
Ranville (Drop/Landing Zone N)
Drop/Landing Zone N, located just north of the village of Ranville and east of the Orne River, was a critical piece of terrain for the 5th Parachute Brigade (comprising 7th, 12th and 13th Para Battalions) on D-Day, June 6, 1944. It served a dual purpose, first as a parachute Drop Zone (DZ) in the initial pre-dawn assault (Operation Tonga) and later as a glider Landing Zone (LZ) for reinforcements in the evening (Operation Mallard).
At this stop, you will see Drop Zone N and the Bavent Ridge in the background. You will also learn about parachute drops and how the landing zone was prepared for the glider reinforcements that were due to arrive later that night.
Touffreville (Drop Zone K)
Designated only for the landing of the 8th Parachute Battalion of the 3rd Parachute Brigade, Drop Zone K was located northwest of the village of Touffreville. The mission for the paratroopers of 8th Parachute Battalion and No. 1 and No. 2 troops, 3rd Para Squadron, Royal Engineers, landing in Drop Zone K was to destroy three bridges over the Dives river at Bures and Troarn.
Learn where the plan went awry and how the airborne troopers managed to fulfill their missions despite many setbacks.
On our way to Troarn, we will also pay our respects at a memorial near Touffreville to Privates Thomas Billington and Arthur Platt, who were executed by German forces in the area.
Troarn Douves River Bridge
The Engineers of the 3rd Para Squadron of the Royal Engineers were to blow up the bridges on D-Day. Destroying these bridges would prevent German reinforcements from moving through the flooded Dives River valley from the east to attack the 6th Airborne Division in the Orne Bridgehead.
Of the five bridges across the Douves and Divette rivers, the bridge east of Troarn at St-Samson was the largest and most important.
Major John "Tim" Roseveare (DSO) commanded No. 1 Troop of the 3rd Parachute Squadron. No. 1 Troop was tasked with demolishing the five-span masonry arch road bridge over the Dives River near Troarn. The troop was supposed to land on drop zone K (DZ K), alongside the 8th Parachute Battalion. However, due to the pathfinders being dropped off-target, the troop landed at drop zone N (DZ N), near Ranville, instead.
Learn how Major Roseveare and his men successfully blasted a large gap into the Troarn bridge after an adventurous and daring approach, rendering the bridge unpassable.
Bures Douves River Bridges
Captain Juckes commanded No. 2 Troop of the 3rd Parachute Squadron. The troop was tasked with demolishing the farm and railway bridges at Bures. The troop was supposed to land on DZ-K alongside the 8th Parachute Battalion. However, due to the pathfinders being dropped off-target, the troop landed at Dropzone N, near Ranville, instead.
Learn how Captain Juckes and his men met up with the 8th Battalion en route to Bois de Bavent, pushed on to Bures, and destroyed the bridges. The area around the bridge is also picturesque and perfect for a picnic lunch.
Château de Varaville
Company C of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion landed at Drop Zone V shortly after midnight on D-Day. The unit was tasked with eliminating the enemy garrison in Varaville, destroying the gun emplacement on the road near the château, supporting the demolition of the bridge over the Divette River, and neutralizing a nearby radio transmitter station. Given its size, this operation was highly ambitious for Company C.
At the Château de Varaville, the Germans had set up a 75 mm anti-tank gun and fortifications, including bunkers and trenches, to control the critical intersection of roads. Only 30 men from Company C managed to assemble in Drop Zone V; the rest were scattered across the countryside, some as far as 10 miles away.
Learn how a small group of Canadians commanded by Major MacLeod fought a fierce battle against vastly superior enemy forces at the château´s gatehouse. Despite suffering several casualties — including Major MacLeod himself — the Canadians ultimately emerged victorious.
Gonneville/Merville Battery
On our way to Gonneville, we will pass Drop Zone V, where the 9th Parachute Battalion and the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion were scheduled to land. The Canadians were tasked with supporting the Royal Engineers in blowing up the bridges at Robehomme and Varaville, eliminating the German garrison in Varaville, and protecting the left flank of the 9th Parachute Battalion. Meanwhile, the 9th Parachute Battalion was charged with destroying the Merville Battery, advancing to Le Plain, capturing the village, and waiting for Lord Lovat’s Commandos to arrive.
Following the scattered drop, only 150 of the battalion's 650 men assembled at the Drop Zone V rendezvous point. They advanced to the outskirts of Gonneville and established a firm base. From there, they advanced toward the battery and attacked at 4:30 a.m.
We will retrace the 9th Para’s route from their firm base to the battery and learn about the historic battle that took place there.
Le Plein/Amfréville
Following the successful attack on the Merville Battery, Lieutenant Colonel Terence Otway and the men of the 9th Parachute Battalion still able to bear arms advanced toward Le Plein, where they encountered fierce resistance from a German Eastern Battalion.
Outnumbered, Otway’s men withdraw to the Château d'Amfréville where they waited for the arrival of Lord Lovat's Commandos scheduled to arrive in the afternoon of D-Day.
We will visit remnants of the Château d'Amfréville, and then move on to a memorial site at the church in Le Plein and the nearby Commando Farm. Following that, we will visit the starting line from which the 12th Parachute Battalion, Company D, 12th Battalion, Devonshire Regiment, and a squadron of the 13th/18th Royal Hussars launched a successful attack on neighboring Bréville on the evening of June 12.
Even one week after D-Day, Bréville was still held by the Germans.
During the attack on Bréville-les-Monts, the commanding officers (COs) of the 12th Parachute Battalion (Lieutenant Colonel Johnson) and Company D, 12th Battalion, Devonshire Regiment (Major Bampfylde) were killed by friendly artillery fire. This friendly artillery fire also wounded Brigadier Lord Lovat (commanding the 1st Special Service Brigade), Brigadier Hugh Kindersley (commanding the 6th Airlanding Brigade), and Colonel Reggie Parker (Brigadier Kindersley's deputy) who had to be evacuated from the battlefield.
At several stops you will hear about the fierce battles at Le Plein, Amfréville and Bréville.
Bréville-les-Monts
Bréville-les-Monts was the only gap in the front line held by the British and Canadian forces on the Bavent Ridge. The Germans of the 346th Infantry Division used this salient to launch several attacks on the Orne Bridgehead, especially trying to recapture the Orne and Caen Canal bridges.
On June 12, Major General Richard Gale, commander of the British 6th Airborne Division, decided to close the gap in the front line at Bréville once and for all. He ordered a nighttime attack from Amfréville to be carried out by the 12th Para Battalion, Company D, 12th Battalion Devonshire Regiment, and a squadron of the 13th/18th Royal Hussars following a 15-minute artillery strike.
Despite horrendous losses, the attacking forces, who had to advance over a 400-yard-wide open field, took the village by 10:45 p.m. To prevent a German counterattack, the Allies set up an artillery barrage that unfortunately hit some of their own positions and killed several men.
From a vantage point at the Bréville crossroads, you can appreciate the village's dominant position on the Bavent ridge and how important it was to capture this place.
Bois de Monts/Château du Come
After Lord Lovat’s Commandos had relieved Lieutenant Colonel Otway’s 9th Para Battalion in Le Plein, the paratroopers were ordered to move to Bois de Monts/Château du Comte, two kilometers east, in the early hours of June 8.
In the following days, Otway’s men successfully repulsed several German counterattacks at the Bois de Monts. The 5th Battalion, The Black Watch, also started its disastrous attack on Bréville from a sunken lane at the Bois de Monts on June 11, resulting in horrendous losses for the brave Scotsmen.
Learn about the Battle of the Bois de Monts and Château du Come, and enjoy a spectacular view of the battlefield stretching to Sword Beach.
Le Mesnil Crossroads
After Lord Lovat’s Commandos had relieved Lieutenant Colonel Otway’s 9th Para Battalion in Le Plein, the paratroopers were ordered to move to Bois de Monts/Château du Comte, two kilometers east, in the early hours of June 8.
In the following days, Otway’s men successfully repulsed several German counterattacks at the Bois de Monts. The 5th Battalion, The Black Watch, also started its disastrous attack on Bréville from a sunken lane at the Bois de Monts on June 11, resulting in horrendous losses for the brave Scotsmen.
Learn about the Battle of the Bois de Monts and Château du Come, and enjoy a spectacular view of the battlefield stretching to Sword Beach.
British War Cemetery (Ranville)
This beautifully laid out British War Cemetery is often referred to as the 6th Airborne Cemetery as many of the division's casualties are buried in Ranville War Cemetery and the adjoining churchyard. As a wonderful sign of reconciliation and to demonstrate that in dead all men are equal, more than 320 German war dead are also buried here.
Besides the Military Cemetery we will visit Ranville church and its churchyard, where the first Briton killed by enemy fire is buried.
I will take you to some notable graves and you will have time to pay your respects to the men who made the ultimate sacrifice for the liberation of Europe.
Tour summary:
Tour title:
One Day British D-Day Tour
Tour price:
350 EURO
Start:
09:00 a.m.
End:
06:00 p.m.
Duration:
9 hours
Lunch break:
Tour includes 45-60 minutes lunch break, price not included
Pick-up/drop-off location:
Place Quebec, Bayeux.
Please note:
The suggested itinerary does not include time for a museum visit. If you would like to visit a museum, the itinerary can easily be adjusted to accommodate such a visit. However, since a museum visit easily takes 60 to 90 minutes, we will not be able to spend as much time as originally planned at other locations.