The Pegasus Bridge Raid: 18 Minutes That Changed Everything

The very first combat action of D-Day occurred at 00:16 on 6 June — even before the naval bombardment — when six Horsa gliders carried 181 men of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, commanded by 26-year-old Major John Howard, to capture Pegasus and Horsa Bridges over the Caen Canal and Orne River. They landed within 47 yards of their target — one of the most precise airborne landings in military history. The bridges were captured in just 10 minutes with only 2 men killed. These bridges prevented German reinforcements from crossing to oppose the beaches. The operation was rehearsed over 200 times.