Battlefield Sites
Troarn
Seizing and holding or destroying bridges were key objectives to the parachutists of the 6th Airborne Division during the Normandy Invasion. The most famous of these objectives were the two bridges over the Caen Canal and Orne River, taken by a coup de main party under Major Howard. Those bridges were the closest ones to the beaches in the 6th Airborne's sector, and the intention was to keep them intact to be used to supply the parachutists and maintain the Allies' left flank.
Further to the east is the River Dives, which flows south-north into the Channel. The bridges here were also objectives of the parachutists, but they were to be destroyed rather than held. The goal was to destroy as many crossing points as possible in the eastern sector to impeded the Germans' ability to counter-attack the Normandy landings with their armour reserves located to the north-east. After destroying the bridges the parachutists would fall back to brigade collections points and set up their defensive lines.
Two bridges over the River Dives near the villages of Troarn and Bures were the primary objectives of the 8th Parachute Battalion under the command of Lt.-Col. Alistair Pearson. In addition to the parachutists were the men of 3rd Parachute Squadron Royal Engineers under the command of Major Tim Roseveare. The 8th Battalion was to assemble at Troarn and send one company to act as escort for the engineers, who were to perform the actual demolitions.
Juckes Bridge
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These plans were severely disrupted due to the nature of the drops, which badly scattered all the units in the 6th Airborne Division. After the drop Lt.-Col. Pearson could only assemble around 100 men, less than 20% of the full compliment. The engineers suffered from the same problem, missing many men and much of their explosives. Nevertheless, Pearson's men secured a site near Troarn which they successfully held for three days until relieved. Shown in the picture to the right is the village of Troarn taken from the Dives River valley.;)
Clearly there were not enough parachutists to send as planned to act as escort for the engineers, and so only small parties could be sent to each of the bridges. Captain Tim Juckes of the Royal Engineers went to the Bures bridge while Major Roseveare went to the Troarn bridge. The picture to the right and the following picture show the Dives from the location of the bridges near Bures.;)
Captain Juckes arrived at the Bures bridge without encountering any German resistance. He and his party proceeded to destroy the road and rail bridges at Bures. A memorial now stands at the site, next to the new Bures road bridge which has also been name Juckes Bridge. Captain Juckes returned to the 8th Battalion positions.Troarn
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Major Roseveare took a single jeep and trailor loaded with explosives and men. Troarn is a large village on high ground overlooking the Dives valley. Major Roseveare's party entered the village in the early morning hours. They cut through a roadblock and made their way into the village, where they met a German sentry who they shot and killed. The sound of the firing alerted the garrison of the village, who turned out from various buildings. The picture to the right is taken from the center of Troarn looking down to the River Dives.;)
Major Roseveare's and his men sped through the village as fast as possible, firing at the Germans as they went through the narrow streets. The road out of the village down to the Dives is a long straight slope, and gave their badly overloaded jeep the speed needed to escape with only a single casualty. This picture is taken from the bridge over the Dives looking back up toward Troarn.They reached the bridge and destroyed the center span, making it impassible to vehicles. They then abandoned the jeep and set off on foot taking a circuitous route to reach their lines again. Today there is a memorial standing near the rebuilt bridge, which commemorates the action of Roseveare and his men. Shown in the picture below on the left is the current bridge over the Dives. The picture below on the left shows the memorial at the bridge.
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Captain Juckes' party was the first to return to Pearson's headquarters. When there was no word as to the success of Major Roseveare's party, Lt.-Col. Pearson decided to also send Captain Juckes to the Troarn bridge to ensure it was destroyed, giving him a platoon from the 8th Battalion as escort. Captain Juckes and the parachutists reached Troarn, and infiltrated the village from the north. When they were spotted by the village's garrison they stormed the German positions, capturing many men and securing the village. Captain Juckes took his engineers to the Troarn bridge, and found that it had been successfully blown by Roseveare. He added his own charges to the bridge and further widened the gap. The entire group returned the main positions without incident. Captain Juckes was killed three weeks later by German mortar fire. Shown in the picture above is the Dives near the site of the Troarn bridge.Touring the battlefield sites gives the student of history a much richer understanding of the events of the past. Walking through the locations where history happened is both a rewarding and moving experience. Be sure to bring a tour guide, maps, and histories of the actions as reference. Give yourself plenty of time to stop and read about the sites you are visiting.