Operation Deadstick - 5th June 1944

 6^th June 2021 marks the 77^th anniversary of D-Day, the Normandy landings.

The landings started the night before, 5^th June, with the Operation Deadstick.  An operation by airborne forces, whom were to capture intact two road bridges in Normandy which crossed both the River Orne and Caen canal.  These bridges proved to be the only exit for British forces landing at Sword Beach.  From initial information, the bridges were heavily defended by the Germans, and they were wired for demolition.   

The mission was vital to the success of Operation Tonga, and failure in capturing the bridges intact and prevent their demolition by the Germans would leave the British 6^th Airborne Division cut off from the rest of the Allied army.

Major John Howard

Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, “D” Company, 2^nd (Airborne) Battalion, under the command of Major John Howard, were chosen for the operation.  

Airspeed Horsa gilder

The force of 180 men took off on the evening of the 5^th in 6 Airspeed Horsa gilders, taking off 22.56, from RAF Tarrant Rushton, Dorset.  A Horsa gilder, had a wingspan of 88 feet, its length 67 feet and weighting 15,750 pounds.  Having space for 2 pilots, 28 troops and a mixture of two jeeps, artillery guns and trailers.  The gilders were piloted by 12 NCOs from Gilder Pilot Regiment, “C” Squadron.

Lieutenant-Colonel
Richard Pine-Coffin

John Howard wasn’t told of the mission until a month earlier, May, the orders being to siege the bridges over the River Orne and Caen Canal, intact and holding them.  The relief force would initially be a company from the 7^th Parachute Battalion, also under Howard’s command.  When the remainder of the parachute battalion arrived, Howard would hand command over to Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Pine-Coffin.

Each man was issued their personal weapons and ammunition, also nine hand grenades and four Bren gun magazines.  Each platoon was issued a 2-inch mortar and a radio.  Men were issued with codewords – “Ham” – the canal bridge had been captured also “Jam” the river bridge.

Major Hans Schmidt

The bridges, Ranville bridge over the River Orne is 350 feet long and 20 feet wide, while the Benouville bridge over the Caen canal span is 190 feet long and 12 feet wide. The bridges were guarded by 50 men from the 736^th Grenadier Regiment, 716^th Infantry Division, under the command of Major Hans Schmidt. 

Lance-Corporal
Fred Greenhalgh's grave
La Delivrande War Cemetery

Horsa number 1, which carried Howard, along with Lieutenant Den Brotheridge’s platoon crashed at 0.16 into barbed wire surrounding the canal bridges, followed a minute later Horsa number 2, carried Lieutenant David Wood’s platoon.  This gilder broke in half and coming to a halt at the edge of a large pond.  One of the men, Lance-Corporal Fred Greenhalgh having been knocked unconscious, following the crash landing and thrown from the gilder and died from drowning.  He became the first casualty of the operation.  He was buried at La Delivrande War Cemetery.  The third gilder landed a minute, which carried Lieutenant Smith’s platoon.

Brotheridge and Smith’s platoon headed for the bridge, while Wood’s platoon moved towards the trenches on the north east side.

Lieutenant Den Brotheridge

Meanwhile, the Germans, whom were not on full alert with only 2 sentries on duty when the gilders landed.  With Brotheridge’s platoon attacking, one of the sentries ran off shouting “paratroops”, whilst the second one fired a flare gun to alert the nearby defenders. The Germans machine gunners were alerted by the flare opened fire at the men on the bridge. In the process of throwing a grenade, Brotheridge was wounded. After the area was cleared of Germans, the men of the platoon  realised that the lieutenant was wounded, and he later died from his wounds. Brotheridge was the first Allied soldier to have killed during D-Day, he is buried at Ranville Churchyard.

The 1^st platoon crossed the bridge where they took a defensive position on the west bank. The Royal Engineers, from the first gilder searched charges and cut any fuse wires.

Smiths’ platoon crossed the bridge next, exchange German fire, Smith was wounded by a grenade. The platoon cleared trenches and bunkers with grenades and sub-machine gun fire. By 0.21 the German residence on the west bank was over.

At the same time, pathfinder from 22^nd Independent Parachute Company landed between the area of the River Orne and River Dives.  They were under the command of Brigadier Nigel Poett.

Meanwhile at the bridge, gilder 5 carrying Lieutenant Fox’s platoon, landed 330 yards away.  Gilder 4 carrying Lieutenant Hooper’s platoon was missing, glider 6, landed 770 yards short of the bridge, which carried Colonel Tod Sweeney’s platoon

German MG-34

Fox platoon destroyed a German MG-34, they were able to cross the bridge without further opposition. Meanwhile, Sweeney left on his sections on the west bank, whilst moving the rest across the bridge to take defensive position on the east bank.

Howard, in his newly establish command post, learnt that that the river bridge had been taken. Captain Neilson of the Royal Engineers, reported that the bridges had been prepared to demolition, couldn’t find any explosives.  

Cap badge of the Parachute Regiment 

By 0.50, with help the first of the 7^th Parachute Battalion were to arrive to the bridge, the first being Poett and a soldier.  Of the 100 men of the 7^th their signal equipment, machine guns and mortars had gone missing. Pine-Coffin, was aware that his battalion was only unit allocated defensive positions west of the bridge, left at 11.10 for the bridge.

At the same time, Major Schmidt decided to see what was happening at the bridge.  He and his driver were taken prisoner.