User:TheSmuel/Pegasus Bridge Intro


 * ''"Rolling bascule bridge" redirects here. For other types of bridge referred to as "rolling" see rolling bridge.



Pegasus Bridge is a bascule bridge (a type of movable bridge), built in 1934, that crossed the Caen Canal, between Caen and Ouistreham, in Normandy, France.

Also known as the Bénouville Bridge after the neighbouring village, it was, with the nearby Ranville Bridge over the river Orne, a major objective of Operation Tonga in the opening minutes of the invasion of Normandy. A gliderborne unit of the 6th Airborne Division, commanded by Major John Howard were to land, take the bridges intact and hold them until relieved. The successful taking of the bridges played an important role in limiting the effectiveness of a German counter-attack in the days and weeks following the invasion.

In 1944 it was renamed Pegasus Bridge in honour of the operation. The name is derived from the shoulder emblem worn by the British airborne forces, which is the flying horse Pegasus.

This particular bridge and the one that replaced it in 1994 are examples of a distinct subtype of bascule bridge (a "rolling bascule bridge" or "rolling bridge") in that they do not pivot about a hinge point, but instead use a rack and pinion mechanism to maintain support and alignment.