DDay 80 - 6 Commando’s advance on Pegasus Bridge (Sword Beach)

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DDay 80 - 6 Commando’s advance on Pegasus Bridge (Sword Beach)
With Stephen Fisher
Part of our DDay and Battle of Normandy series
• DDay and the Battle of...
Also part of our 80th Anniversary Series
• 80th Anniversary Special
In this show, we will look in detail at the advance of 6 Commando from Sword beach to the bridges over the Orne canal and river on June 6th 1944.
Stephen Fisher is an archaeologist and historian specialising in 20th century military conflict. One of his areas of interest is Operation Neptune and D-Day embarkation, and recently he was the heritage advisor during the restoration of LCT 7074, the last remaining Landing Craft Tank in the UK. He also specialises in Coastal Forces and maritime actions of both wars.
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Пікірлер: 60

@bryanfields5563 7 ай бұрын

FASCINATING stuff, such a cool "trace their footsteps" presentation!

@georgecooksey8216 5 ай бұрын

Fantastic presentation and discussion. Thank you Paul and Stephen.

@YuriBeckers9thID 7 ай бұрын

I missed this episode, but I happened to see the book in a bookstore here, and looked through it. It looks very well researched! I wanted to find out more about it, and happened to see this video! Really great approach of this often overlooked topic, and it is great to hear all the information that went into writing the book and how facts have been unearthed and presented. Great stories! Very interesting. I will buy the book in the very near future as well. Thanks!

@WW2TV 7 ай бұрын

It's so good Yuri

@stephenfisheruk 7 ай бұрын

Hope you like it Yuri

@exharkhun5605 7 ай бұрын

Fantastic presentation. Loved it.

@waynecoates6887 8 ай бұрын

Enjoying listening, my Grandad was No3 Commando on Sword Beach 👍

@rosemarybrodin2746 8 ай бұрын

What a brilliant presentation. Thank you👏👏

@robertrodeck8103 8 ай бұрын

Yeah. Production design of the presentation- imagery, timing, elucidation. Kudos, Mr. Fisher. Another fine example of Mr. Woodadge's curation.

@nigelmortimer4884 8 ай бұрын

Stephen sets the bar...and it's bloody high

@WR25_JL22 7 ай бұрын

another cracking video, gutted I missed it live as my Grandfather was on Slazak it took me by surprise when Stephen mentions it, in my Grandfathers memoirs he says that they moved close to the shore and were firing at the beach and further inland all day

@stephenfisheruk 7 ай бұрын

Slazak features in my book too, albeit briefly.

@WR25_JL22 7 ай бұрын

@@stephenfisheruk where is best to purchase the book from

@stephenfisheruk 7 ай бұрын

@@WR25_JL22 Hmm, my reply appears to have vanished, possibly because there was a link in it. If you Google my name and the book name it will lead you to the Penguin page with various links to online retailers. Alternatively it can be found in most Waterstones shops.

@jimwalsh1958space 8 ай бұрын

stephen fisher thank you. i was transfixed by your level of detail and carried away by your story telling. thank you WW2TV.

@1psychofan 8 ай бұрын

And here I am~~~ watching again. Got my notebook out, got a drink (water)

@frederickwiddowson 8 ай бұрын

Amazing details. Love this kind of research.

@donmchugh8052 7 ай бұрын

Thanks for a great show, have had the book for fathers day. Bringing it with me when I am over again in a couple of weeks.

@davidlavigne207 8 ай бұрын

To add a brief comment on handling of prisoners, I was taught in my basic training the 5 Ss': Secure, Search, Segregate (By rank Officers, NCOs and Enlisted) Silence and Speed to the rear. We never were given instructions in our OP Orders, but usually given Oral Instructions as the situation is too fluid for planning. Once the Division and Regimental/Brigade HQs established a POW collection point, then that would be passed down to the BN/Company Chain of Command. Perhaps this was why Stephen never could find such instructions in the British OP Orders. This is just an opinion, but is based on my 41 years of Military experience.

@joeblow9657 6 ай бұрын

I wonder if they didn't plan for what to do with POWs just because it was an oversight in the planning or they just didn't think they'd take that many POWs.

@tonyvart7068 8 ай бұрын

Incredible level of research by Stephen and a very good communicator indeed. Well done chaps.

@dmeadeirl 8 ай бұрын

Top notch research and presentation. 👏👏👏

@whitby910 8 ай бұрын

Excellent, thank you.

@lesliebeilby-tipping6854 8 ай бұрын

Great Woody to have a British evening and what a great author who has such a great presentation. When is he coming back?

@garyaugust1953 8 ай бұрын

Had to miss it 'live' due to call out, had already researched 2nd and 3rd troop battle logs, but Stephen took it to another level. There are still so many aspects of the Normandy landings and the following battle of Normandy that could neec reappraisal. This was an excellent start regarding Sword.

@HankD13 8 ай бұрын

Fascinating, brilliant and so bloody good. Love everything about this kind of detail. Magic.

@Nyllsor 7 ай бұрын

Just saw WW2 Wayfinders video on the 80year anniversary Commando March, I just know this will be great! :)

@davidlavigne207 8 ай бұрын

This has been such an inspiration for me, although I started watching this live but had to re-watch it later due to WORK getting in the way. As soon as I returned I finished it. I love the way Stephen gave us insight into his exhaustive research. I only hope I can match his efforts as I am beginning to write my own book about PC-564, an American Subchaser which was present off Omaha Beach for Operation Neptune, and which my Grandfather served aboard during the Granville Raid on 9 March, 1945. I can truly appreciate how he tried to corroborate the sources of different war diaries to try to arrive at the truth. As soon as I have funds I shall order his book, as it is obviously brilliant.

@morningstar9233 6 ай бұрын

Every success with your book David. Based on your comments here on WWIITV over the episodes, it will be a well written, engaging and informative read. Cheers

@davidlavigne207 6 ай бұрын

Thank you very kindly for your reply. I am beginning to write the manuscript this week, at least the introduction. Cheers to you as well.

@HG_NL 6 ай бұрын

Wow, how detailed his story is! Loved it! Ask him back please but I have the feeling you will 😉

@michaelfleming6420 8 ай бұрын

Truly great presentation. Loads of Detail. I visited Pegasus Bridge last summer 2023 and this is a really good tie back to that visit. I was surprised to hear that there was Italian troops defending in that area. I would like to understand more about that for sure. Thx

@WW2TV 8 ай бұрын

Many Italian POWs were pressed into labour battalion to build the fortifications of the Atlantic Wall. Others who chose the German side were employed in support roles such as catering, maintenance and flak

@gerardjoseph17 8 ай бұрын

Stephen sure leaves a person wanting more. Just really exceptional, watching this program over & over is an historical must! Then read the book and take the point! It's on to the next WW2TV video.

@robertoneill2502 8 ай бұрын

Your programs and presenters always do an amazing job, but some truly exceed our high expectations and Stephen did a wonderful job.

@johnlucas8479 8 ай бұрын

excellent presentation with all the maps, photos and documents

@ThomasBuck-w1w 6 ай бұрын

Hi.. thanks for this. nearly 30 years ago I wrote a 'booklet' based around the personal stories of those who took part in the taking of the two bridges for the Green Jackets while I was serving with them. There have been several editions, but this year I'm working on a more complete story including the other units who found themselves caught up in the fighting around the west bank through to midnight on the 6th. Your video has validated some my own independent work around the commando involvement and ties in with the transcripts from non commando units that I have made in the last few months. Brigadier Poett's diary indicates that they only 'heard' the sound of pipes around noon. He also says that by the time the sound is first heard, "leading Commando elements had already succeeded in penetrating the German forces surrounding Le Port, and were able to assist, at least temporarily, in clearing Le Port." He goes on to say 'The sound of the pipes were an exceedingly welcome sound to all of us who where with Pine-Coffin, who could not give the call on the bugle to indicate the route to the bridge was clear. It was indeed very far from clear." The War Chronicle for the Ox and Bucks indicates that although they heard the sound of the pipes couldn't reply to the sound of the pipes with their bugle call due to the fighting that was still on-going in Le Port. There is also a note in the chronicle that states the first meeting between the two forces occurred around 13:30 Hrs. Lt Col Pine-Coffin's diary notes that they knew the Commando's were due around noon, but it wasn't until 13:00 Hrs that the pipes could be heard in the distance with the 'ceremonial' crossing of the bridge taking place at 14:00 Hrs. Lt Mills, Who was with HQ 7 Para (dug in just south of the church in Le Port, notes that "About 1400 Hours the last Commando had passed through, and the rest of the afternoon and evening ground wearily and hazardously on." Individual accounts record that there was a lull in the fighting as the Commandos pass through, but then continues on until 2000 Hrs. I have one account from 7 Para that indicates a German machine gun comes into action in the Le Port church tower firing down the approach road to Le Port. This position is then 'taken out' by several rounds fired from the two leading Shermans of Lt Coker's troop (5 Shermans in total) of B Sqn 13th/18th Royal Hussars (The account does not state that the machine gun is specifically firing at the commandos, but the anecdotal evidence and time frame of the fighting in Le Port strongly suggests the appearance of the Commando's on their approach to Le Port draws this machine gunner into focusing on firing at targets outside Le Port in the direction that the Commando's came from. The machine gunner seems to have been oblivious to the watching paras. I'm also trying to sort out if there is any information about which German units were actually drawn into the fighting in Benouville and Le Port - German accounts I have give some indication, some of it contrary to that already published, but there's also a lot missing. I spotted the German position information reference you have..is it possible to share the archive reference for it? It might help tie in what I have from the German side and would save some time. Thanks

@darrenmerritt2744 8 ай бұрын

Amazing work . Loved this

@markfrumkin3230 Ай бұрын

Thank you! Well done.

@mjinoz1677 3 ай бұрын

Great stuff! Awesome analysis and detailed explanation.

@OldWolflad 8 ай бұрын

Regards casualties and deaths on D-Day itself 6th June, as Stephen highlighted, there are different figures floating about - figures for the beach itself, figures for the entire sectors (beach and inland) as the troops moved inland on D-Day, and furthermore there are complexities regards which date some actually died on. When was the death reported? Then there are those 'missing'. Some sectors experienced worse beach landings on D-Day, but others experienced more stubborn opposition as they moved inland. In the British sector, Sword was probably the most difficult sector with 27 German strongpoints including 2 super-strongpoints known as a 'Stutzpunkten'- Strongpoint Hillman and one on the beach-head at Ouistreham which was nick-named 'Rommels Tower of Death'. Gold had 28 German strongpoints but no super-strongpoints, Juno had just 7 German strongpoints but no super-strongpoints but a nasty harbour wall, Utah had 15 German strongpoints and 2 super-strongpoints, and Omaha had 37 German strongpoints but no super-strongpoints. Strongpoints do not define how difficult each sector was as there were unique difficulties faced in each sector, but they do highlight the degree or amount of defences in each sector. Houses and other buildings were also turned into defences. The British faced companies of 716th Division at Sword, and then the bulk of 21st Panzer Division. I hope I haven't misrepresented anything here. I stand to be corrected on any point. Anyway, Omaha is undoubtedly the beach and sector which suffered the greatest casualties. Those American boys taking the cliffs deserved medals the size of dustbin lids for what they went through. But they weren't the only ones. Although its not a contest, accurate representation of the respective difficulties is important. It appears that the deaths within the British sectors had previously been under-estimated. The British War Graves Commission has tried to produce casualty and death figures from D-Day itself, based on grave counts. Published May 2024. They have come up with the final death counts for each 'sector' on 6th June: - Britain 1,760 deaths (plus 200 buried back in the UK) = 1,960 Canada 370 deaths US 2,501 deaths TOTAL 4,631 deaths www.cwgc.org/our-work/blog/d-day-casualties-in-numbers/

@jhnshep 8 ай бұрын

There's one youtuber that done a video on a certain Mr. Hobart, one point being made that the reason that Omaha beach always comes up is because it was the most costly and the reason it was the most costly was because none of Hobart's funnies made it ashore. Not every beach had the same fight as pointed out.

@WW2TV 8 ай бұрын

There were no Hobarts funnies on Omaha Beach, so its not true they didn't make it ashore

@jhnshep 8 ай бұрын

@@WW2TV the DDTs sank, and there weren't enough of the other types to go around so Omaha was short to start with compared to the other beaches?

@WW2TV 8 ай бұрын

DD tanks were not really Hobart's funnies - entirely different background and development. Omaha had twice as many DDs as each of the other beaches. Plus only one of the battalions on Omaha lost it's DDs, the other got theirs to the beach. I suggest you watch this kzbin.info/www/bejne/aJ_Ek3alpcaJqLs. Finally it was never intended to use any other "Funnies" on Omaha, read Sand and Steel to bust some myths

@nielshenkemans 7 ай бұрын

"The British faced 29 companies of 716th Division at Sword". I'm afraid that number is not even close to being true. Firstly, including three eastern battalions, the division only had 35 infantry companies along the entire Calvados coast. If you'd add the engineer and AT/Flak companies, you can say the division had 42 front line companies. Two German and one eastern battalion were, however, under 352ID control, so that reduces the number of infantry companies by 12 already. This left the 716th in control of four German and two eastern battalions, and not all of those were behind Sword. There, in the area from St. Aubin to Ouistreham, you'd primarily find III./736, elements of I./736 and possibly elements of Ost 642. So the number of infantry companies on the entire coast from St.Aubin to Ouistreham and immediately to the rear is more like 6 or 7. Additional forces did include elements of AT companies and the divisional Flak Co. though.