Pegasus Bridge IV

To the right is one of the many monuments in France honoring the exploits of the Allied forces that liberated their country in 1944. Pictured below is Pegasus Bridge. To the left on the near side is where the anti-tank gun pictured on the previous page. To the right of the bridge on the near side was a pill-box where Major Howard set up his Headquarters. Across the bridge you can see houses of Benouville and where the German counter-attack happened about an hour after the Brits captured Pegasus. The German tank was destroyed at the T insection of the road running parallel with the canal, thus blocking the route. Although outnumbering by more than four to one in men and having 6 tanks compared to none by the English, the Germans retreated and waited for orders and more reinforcements. The Enemy soldiers were confused by the attack and were apprehensive to press on against these shock troops which were much better trained in combat than the occupation soldiers living in France. The German soldier in Nazi-held Europe, particularity those stationed along the coast, spend much of their time building defensive obstacles whereas the Allied soldiers were trained to fight almost exclusively.