Major Howard plans ? 7th Battalion plans ? 6th Airborne plans ? Seaborne plans ? Best regards, Xavier
Clues might be found in Operational Orders which are normally appended to War Diaries? Having said that, Operational Orders normally work on the basis of success of a mission!
I have a dim recollection that rubber boats were taken to at least allow some troops to be ferried across the river in the early stages. There were certainly plans for 3 Div's engineers to get a Bailey bridge across the canal, I'm sure one of Sapper's threads mentions it. I don't think this counts as a what if as it's almost certain that the operations orders would have had contingencies built in for a likely event like the bridge being blown.
Hi, Some of the Commando units that were to link up with the 6th Airborne Div carried rubber boats just in case the bridges were destroyed. Would need to check the War Diaries to see what units were involved and I believe it is mentioned in a couple of books about the Commandos. And as Idler has said a bridging unit, 106 Bridge Company RASC, went to Pegasus Bridge and had arrived in the area by early afternoon. Don’t think they started building bridges until the 7th. The Royal Engineer unit involved was 17 Field Company RE. Regards Danny
Was not the purpose of capturing the bridge initially to stop German reinforcements.? If it had been blown surely that would have achieved the that initial aim.
No. The objective was to capture intact two road bridges in Normandy across the River Orne and the Caen Canal, providing the only exit eastwards for British forces from their landing on Sword Beach. The mission was vital to the success of the Operation Tonga, the British airborne landings in Normandy. Failure to capture the bridges intact, or to prevent their demolition by the Germans, would leave the British 6th Airborne Division cut off from the rest of the Allied armies with their backs to the two waterways. If the Germans retained control over the bridges, they could be used by their armoured divisions to attack the landing beaches of Normandy. Operation Deadstick - Wikipedia So in my opinion they would not have wasted time in making plans in the event of the bridges being destroyed. Simply because there are too many variables to consider. Now if the bridges had been blown it would have been tough on the 6th Airborne, but as the Germans could not then send armour to attack the invasion force, the invasion force would then have time and resources to come up with another plan.
Contingency Plan There was definitely a contingency plan in place in the event of the Bridges being destroyed that involved 7 Para and the gliderborne Oxf n' Bucks destined for the bridges. I'm not sure of the exact date but 7 Para trained "at Exminster, over two bridges closely resembling those in Normandy: the Countess Wear Bridge over the Exeter Canal and a road bridge over the nearby River Exe." They were followed by the Coup de Main party at the same bridges on May 21st for 3 days which also involved water crossings in the event of the bridges being blown. On a side note according to Lieutenant Nick Archdale, OC Mortar Platoon, 7 Para: "Our boys pinched the moosehead out of a pub, my 3-inch mortar men. It was a tremendous joke and I don’t know why but they stuffed its nose with cheese!" Lt. Archdale on D-Day morning just before his jump threw the Exeter moosehead out with the intention of putting the fear of God into any German it should hit. All quotes from Neil Barber's book, The Pegasus and Orne Bridges, which covers the episode in Exminster in more detail. The following won't be new to Pradelles as we covered this before in another thread. From a report by Lt. Col Frank Lowman "The contingency plan was for 7 Parachute Battalion dropping north of Ranville to secure a bridgehead to the west of Benouville and the canal. This would involve ferrying troops across the water gaps and was to be supervised by a detachment of a Sergeant RE and four Sappers dropping with 7 Parachute Battalion. The equipment required, consisting of thirty inflatable RAF type dinghies and 500 fathoms of cordage, was carried down by Battalion personnel in kitbags with which they jumped. In order to get some light vehicles and 6-pounder anti-tank guns across four gliders with the balance of 2 Platoon 249 Field Company RE (Airborne) were to land with the main glider force some two hours later. Each of these gliders carried one light anti-tank gun raft, further RAF type inflatable dinghies, ferrying gear and two 30ft rolls of chespaling. The last had hessian sacking stitched underneath, sprayed with oil paint, designed to complete with the steep muddy slopes which might have been met on the canal. The equipment was not of course needed but it was dumped on the east bank of the River Orne for use if the bridges were subsequently destroyed. In fact the canal bridge was lucky to escape a bombing attack on the evening of D Day when one bomb glanced off the superstructure into the water." I found from another source that the Sergeant RE and 4 Sappers that dropped with 7 Para were from 591st Parachute Squadron RE. Also four of the gliders in the Coup de Main party carried Mk 2 assault boats. Regards ...
The History Learning Site, 21 Apr 2015. 16 Aug 2016. The taking of Pegasus Bridge in the early hours of D-Day was a major triumph for the Allies. The control of Pegasus Bridge gave the Allies the opportunity to disrupt the Germans ability to bring in re-enforcements to the Normandy beaches, especially those that the British and Canadians were landing at – Gold, Juno and Sword. Even the most basic of delays in getting German troops to the beaches would have been important and the capture of the bridge that guarded the main road to Ouistreham and then on to the beaches further west was of great importance to the Allies. Control of the road, also meant that the 6th Airborne Division, that had been dropped to the east of Caen, could be supplied
Hey all, Thank you for your answers. RCG, the purpose of the original question is to know more about the allied plans if the bridges was blown. Peter Clare, I understand your doubt about a what if, we are on the limit... Ok for the "Contingency Plan" of the 7th Parachute Battalion. Ok for the use of the 3 Div's engineers, 106 Bridge Company RASC and 17 Field Company RE... The plan for the 6th Airborne was to hold the left flank of the 3th British Division ! But, for the Major Howard, what was the plan if Benouville Bridge (Pegasus Bridge) was blown ? To cross the river (Cee said : "four of the gliders in the Coup de Main party carried Mk 2 assault boats") ? To hold the remains of the bridge ? To wait the 7th Battalion ? Best regards at all, Xavier
Pradelles, If the bridge was blown Howard would still need to get his men across to establish the beginning of a bridgehead in Benouville and there would be no waiting for the arrival of 7 Para. Bill Gray and Charlie Gardner, both being good swimmers, were given the task of crossing with a rope which would be fixed firmly across the canal. So they then could pull themselves across by swimming if need be, or use the boats if they survived the landing. The engineers of the 249 field Coy would assist with the ferrying of Howard's men and latter 7 Para as they came in. The 7 Para men who dropped with inflatable dinghies would have had the onerous job of lugging them all the way to the bridges. Regards ...
