Pegasus Bridge
On Gingerguide's self-guided Normandy D-Day audio tour, Pegasus Bridge is a stop worth about ~30 min. Stand in front of it, press play for a short narrated story, and put any follow-up question to the built-in AI guide.
- Type bridge
- Suggested visit ~30 min
- Normandy D-Day Normandy D-Day guide
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About Pegasus Bridge
A canal bridge at Bénouville seized in a British glider assault in the first minutes of 6 June 1944. The original span is preserved at the Memorial Pegasus museum.
Pegasus Bridge crosses the Caen Canal at Bénouville and was a key objective on the eastern flank of the D-Day landings. In a glider coup-de-main in the first minutes of 6 June 1944, about 181 men of D Company, 2nd (Airborne) Battalion of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, led by Major John Howard, seized the bridge. Having flown from Dorset in six Horsa gliders, they captured this crossing and the nearby Orne river bridge within about ten minutes of landing. The Bénouville bridge was later renamed after the winged-horse emblem of British airborne forces.
The original 1944 bridge was replaced in 1994 and is preserved in the grounds of the Memorial Pegasus museum, which opened on 4 June 2000. Beside the canal, the Café Gondrée claims to have been the first house in France liberated on D-Day, one of several traditions attached to the site.
Did you know? In the first minutes of 6 June 1944, about 181 airborne troops led by Major John Howard landed in six Horsa gliders and captured the Caen Canal and Orne bridges within roughly ten minutes.
How much time do you need at Pegasus Bridge?
Around ~30 min works well for Pegasus Bridge — time to look properly and listen to its story on the spot. Linger if you like; nothing on a self-guided walk is on a clock.
Should you stop at Pegasus Bridge?
Yes — Pegasus Bridge made the cut as one of 13 places the Gingerguide team researched and narrated across Normandy D-Day. The story tells you why it is worth the stop, and the AI guide fills in anything you still wonder.
Nearby stops in Normandy D-Day
Sources and further reading
Where to check the facts about Pegasus Bridge and read more:
Day 1 of the Normandy D-Day in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Pegasus Bridge
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