Remembering the Fallen, Pegasus Bridge
par Robert Bilsland
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Remembering the Fallen, Pegasus Bridge |
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On the night of 5th June 1944, gliders full of men took off from England flying to Normandy to take control of the Pegasus bridge from the Germans. It was decided that taking and holding this bridge was important as it was a major crossing point on the Caen Canal. Using only very basic navigation equipment the pilots of the gliders managed to bring the gliders down right on target and within 10 minutes had control of the bridge. Unfortunately 2 men were lost in the process.
This bridge stayed in place over the canal until 1993 when it was moved to its current location. In 1994 a new bridge was opened in its place looking almost identical apart from being wider.
On the night of 5th June 1944, gliders full of men took off from England flying to Normandy to take c...
On the night of 5th June 1944, gliders full of men took off from England flying to Normandy to take c...
On the night of 5th June 1944, gliders full of men took off from England flying to Normandy to take c...
On the night of 5th June 1944, gliders full of men took off from England flying to Normandy to take c...
Ouistreham harbour, with Brittanny Ferries arrival.The Harbour of Caen-Ouistreham is the harbour of t...
The Merville Gun Battery was believed to have contained four 150mm guns that overlooked the British s...
The Merville Gun Battery was believed to have contained four 150mm guns that overlooked the British s...
The Merville Gun Battery was believed to have contained four 150mm guns that overlooked the British s...
The Merville Gun Battery was believed to have contained four 150mm guns that overlooked the British s...
France is affectionately referred to as "the Hexagon" for its overall shape.
French history goes back to the Gauls, a Celtic tribe which inhabited the area circa 300BC until being conquered by Julius Caesar.
The Franks were the first tribe to adopt Catholic Christianity after the Roman Empire collapsed. France became an independent location in the Treaty of Verdun in (843 AD), which divided up Charlemagne's Carolingian Empire into several portions.
The French monarchy reached its zenith during the reign of Louis XIV, the Sun King, who stood for seventy-two years as the Monarch of all Monarchs. His palace of Versailles and its Hall of Mirrors are a splendid treasure-trove of Baroque art.
The French Revolution ended the rule of the monarchy with the motto "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity!" On July 14th, 1789 angry mobs stormed La Bastille prison and began the Revolution in which Louis XVI, his wife Marie-Antoinette and thousands of others met the guillotine.
One decade after the revolution, Napolean Bonaparte seized control of the Republic and named himself Emperor. His armies conquered most of Europe and his Napoleonic Code became a lasting legal foundation for concepts of personal status and property.
During the period of colonization France controlled the largest empire in the world, second only to Britain.
France is one of the founding members of the European Union and the United Nations, as well as one of the nuclear armed nations of the world.
Text by Steve Smith.
