The Ox & Bucks were reinforced half-an-hour after the landings by 600 men of 7th Battalion, the Parachute Regiment who were the relieving force to bear the brunt of German counter-attacks to the west of the Caen Canal throughout the 6th of June. Within half an hour of the bridge being taken, 6th Airborne parachutists landed to provide reinforcement. In a further tribute, 45 years after the successful attack, the Mayor of Ranville unveiled a plaque to commemorate the capture of the Orne River Bridge, now named “Horsa Bridge”. In honour of the distinctive emblem of the Parachute Regiment, the distinctive bridge at Benouville was renamed and will forever be known as “Pegasus Bridge”. The bridge had been prepared by the enemy for demolition, although the Royal Engineers removed the unset charges. Brotheridge was mortally wounded by gunfire as he made a grenade attack on a second machine gun position.
1 Platoon which knocked out a machine gun position firing from the bridge and rushed across to capture the far side, firing from the hip and lobbing grenades during the charge. In this early action of D-Day, the first house on French soil was liberated, and the first British soldier of the Normandy Invasion was killed in action: Lieutenant Den Brotheridge. So, just 90 minutes after taking off from RAF Tarrant Rushton in England, Major Howard was able to send the code words “Ham and Jam”, indicating that both bridges had been captured. The bridge was captured after a fierce ten minute fire fight, the action all over by 00:26, a full six hours before the beach landings. Major Howard’s glider landed within a few feet of the canal bridge. With perfect navigation and piloting skill, the gliders landed on time and on target within few yards of each other. Having taken off from Dorset, the gliders were towed across the Channel by Halifax Bombers. The small force of 181 men was commanded by Major John Howard and joined with a detachment of Royal Engineers who landed at Ranville-Benouville in six 28-men Horsa gliders.
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