Newspaper drop at Pegasus Bridge

Discussion in 'Airborne' started by brithm, Dec 27, 2014.

  1. brithm

    brithm Senior Member

    There were newspapers dropped at Pegasus Bridge on D-Day to the glider riders and paratroopers of the 6th Airborne Division by an aircraft from the RAF.

    It is claimed that at around 08.00 hrs spitfires came over the Caen Canal bridge and dropped a selection of newspapers, one in particular was the Daily Mirror newspaper and the men searching for Jane comic strip to see "the sight of Jane getting her kit off."

    The problem is that I can't find any Spitfires operating in the Calvados area on the morning of 6th June 1944, does anybody know which Squadron dropped the newspapers to the paras or did this happen later in the day?

    Brithm
     

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  2. Mike Barr

    Mike Barr Junior Member

    It is reported that newspapers were dropped, but not D-Day, the next day, 7 June
    I doubt it was from a Spitfire as they are not so equipped, probably with one of the re-supply drops
     
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  3. sapper

    sapper WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    I was at Pegasus bridge at that time..... The very idea of papers being dropped? Where di that story come from///it was hardly a place to stop and read papers.
     
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  4. Lotus7

    Lotus7 Well-Known Member

    Was it a leaflet drop on the 7th warning local people of the alied advance? Where would the Spitfire hold its pay load?
    I would be interested to know, as my father was there and he never mentioned any thing. Things must have been hectic and would the soldiers have have time to read a news paper. Just being curious
     
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  5. Trux

    Trux 21 AG

    Newspapers were despatched on D Day and arrived on D+1. Apparently 56,000 papers were paid for by the NAAFI and reached some units on D+1 while forward units got theirs on D+2. It is not recorded whether they had time to read them.

    There were instances of items being dropped by fighter aircraft using drop tanks. I do not think Spitfires carried them.

    Mike
     
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  6. Lotus7

    Lotus7 Well-Known Member

    Thanks for the info Mike, curiousity answered. It interesting to know despite what was going on, they had news what was going on back home
     
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  7. Cee

    Cee Senior Member Patron

    It's one of those stories I guess? Still Captain John Howard in his accounts says it happened sometime in the morning of June 6th. The site won't let me upload a captured quote form Neil Barber's book "The Pegasus and Orne Bridges" at the moment so I'll add one from Will Fowler's "Pegasus Bidge".

    "At about 0800hrs, two RAF Spitfires flew low over the bridges to check on their
    condition, and on Howard’s order a ground signal was laid out to show they had been
    secured. The pilots made several passes and a number of victory rolls, but before
    they disappeared one of the pilots was seen to drop something from the cockpit.
    Howard sent a section to investigate and they found that he had dropped a selection
    of the early editions of that day’s newspapers. While there was nothing about D-Day,
    they provided a most welcome distraction as they were passed around. For the men
    of the coup de main force, Howard told the author, the real interest was the racy
    cartoon strip in the Daily Mirror featuring the adventures of Jane, a scantily clad
    young lady who in various roles took on the might of the Third Reich, defeating evil
    agents, arrogant officers and other villains."


    I think we should be concentrating more on Jane though ... :P

    Regards ...
     
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  8. brithm

    brithm Senior Member

    Thanks for the replies, I believe it did happen on D-Day as Major John Howard said it was dropped very close to the bridges and the 52 (Airborne) Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire LI Bn moved out after 22.00 hrs from the bridges east; here are two references to the incident on the 6th June 1944 from Major John Howard and Pte. Dennis Edwards.

     
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  9. Trux

    Trux 21 AG

    The Spitfire squadrons were present throughout D Day, flying high level patrols. They did shoot down some German aircraft, Ju88s, in the afternoon. There should not have been any flying low level. Spitfire and Seafire spotter planes were also present all day. Again at altitude and operating singly. If this happened then best bet would be low level Tactical Reconnaissance Mustangs. They look much like a Spitfire and mis identification of aircraft by ground troops was common.

    I have added it to a long list of mysteries.

    Mike
     
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  10. brithm

    brithm Senior Member

    L/Cpl. Thomas Packwood speaks in interview from IWM about the drop of the newspapers at Pegasus Bridge Reel 2 (13:15)

    http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80024024

    British NCO served with D Coy, 2nd Bn Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in GB and North West Europe, 1944-1945
    refers to "...delivery of Daily Mirror and troop's interest in cartoon 'Jane'" in reel 2.
     

    Attached Files:

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  11. brithm

    brithm Senior Member

    Found one aircraft that flew over Pegasus Bridge which was a Spitfire flown on the morning of 6th June, 1944 the pilot was Wing Commander G.F.H. 'Sandy' Webb No. 16 Squadron, No. 34 Wing, who flew a Photographic Reconnaissance Spitfire PA 929 from Northolt airfield, but no reference to morning papers being dropped.

     
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  12. Nijmegen

    Nijmegen Member

    Does anybody know the best way to locate aerial pictures in the National Archives? Is there a structure?
     
  13. Trux

    Trux 21 AG

    Re Post 11.

    Very interesting. As is suggested this was an unusual role for a PR Spitfire. Normally a job for Tactical Reconnaissance Mustangs. I notice the pilot was very senior and presumably very experienced so was allocated this important task. Did he drop a newspaper? I do not suppose he would enter it in his log and he was senior enough to get away with an eccentric act.

    Mike
     
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  14. Lotus7

    Lotus7 Well-Known Member

    Just a thought brithm, have you tried to contact RAF Northolt ? To see if any records they might have or if anyone can help ?
     
  15. HighTow

    HighTow Junior Member

    Depends what you want an aerial photo of. The National Archives is not always the best place to search.
     
  16. Cee

    Cee Senior Member Patron

    But getting back to Jane for a moment ... ;)

    On the 50th anniversary of D-Day Jane visited Pegasus Bridge and met with John Howard who told her the story of the newspaper drop and the scramble by the troops to see what she had been up to in that day's strip. Apparently she was accompanied by a number of Typhoon pilots. Later she visited the Ranville Cemetery and was reminded how lucky she was that her Authur was able to return safely.

    Jane - Chrystabel Leighton-Porter.jpg

    An interview of sorts with Jane's creator cartoonist Norman Pett:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMsMQbgaLoc
     
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  17. Nijmegen

    Nijmegen Member

    Well, of battle area's in WWII. Veritable, Market Garden, Normady. Oblique, would be nice, of course.
     
  18. Guy Hudson

    Guy Hudson Looker-upper

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  19. Nijmegen

    Nijmegen Member

    Guy,
    You are absolutely right. I had a description. But, they have only a fraction of what was shot. I presume archives include the more unknown and interesting pictures.
     
  20. brithm

    brithm Senior Member

    Here is Wing Commander Webb's report on his PR patrol over Pegasus Bridge from AIR 27/223 No. 16 Squadron Operations Record Book June 1944 where he dropped a map to some paratroopers in a jeep for direction to landing strips. The aerial photographs 'Sandy' Webb took, as well as the rest of his squadron, appear to be at Museum of Army Flying or this might just be the ones showing 6th Airborne Division's gliders and bridges.

    Brithm
     

    Attached Files:

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