Operation Coup de Main

Operation Coup de Main
Part of Operation Tonga
Date 6 June 1944 Location Caen canal and Orne river

Operation Coup de Main was the operation part of Operation Tonga conducted by British and Canadian airborne troops to seize and also destroy crossing points of the Caen canal and Orne river, on 6 June 1944.

Prelude

Horsa gliders were to be used for the operation.

5 June

2256

At 2256 hours at RAF Tarrant Rushton the six Horsas carrying D company of the 2nd Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry were lifted off.

Operation Coup de Main

6 June 1944

0007

Sergeant Jim Wallwork and his glider were the first ones to be released and began gliding towards the LZ.

0008

Another glider a minute after Wallwork followed.

0009

Another minute passing a third glider cut loose

0010

At around 0010 another glider was let loose

0011

The final glider to be released is estimated to be at 0011.

0016

The #1 Horsa glider under Wallwork, landed 60 yards from the Caen canal bridge. #2 and #3 then followed suit.

0018

The paratroopers from the gliders began their assault on the Caen canal bridge. They quickly moved in, and although one of the German sentries shouted

Paratroopers!

and another sentry fired a flair, the British quickly took the bridge.

0026

By 0026 D company had successfully captured and secured the Caen canal and Orne bridges.

Bibliography

Ambrose, Stephen E (1985). Pegasus Bridge : June 6, 1944 (1st ed.). Touchstone. ISBN 0-671-67156-1.

Ford, Ken; Zaloga, Steven J (2009). Overlord : the D-Day landings. Oxford.