“Ad Unum Omnes” – Bellerophon astride Pegasus riding to battle.
On this night 80 years ago troops from the air landing brigade of the 6th Airborne Division of the British Parachute Regiment dropped by parachute and gliders behind enemy lines shortly after midnight east of Caen in Normandy.
They were spearheading the invasion forces of the Normandy landings of D-Day and it was their task to secure bridges over the Caen Canal (Pegasus Bridge) and the River Orne at Ranville. The purpose was to protect the D-Day Normandy landings from attack by enemy reinforcements and facilitate the later advance of allied forces eastwards into France.
I am very proud of the courageous achievements of the British paratroopers, and am forever grateful to all of the 150 000 brave men of Britain, Canada and the United States of America who were part of the D-Day forces for liberating Europe, defending Europe’s freedom against tyranny, and giving my own family and many others the opportunity to grow up in a free and independent democracy.
Their memory is immortal.
Men of the 6th Airborne Division of the British Parachute Regiment
