British 6th Airborne Division’s role on D-Day was multi-faceted. In the opening minutes, glider-borne troops would seize the bridges over the Caen Canal and the River Orne. Soon afterwards, paratroopers would neutralise Merville Battery. Others would destroy key bridges over the Dives and prepare for German counterattacks. The mission was audacious, high risk, and critical to the success of the D-Day landings
In the opening minutes of D-Day, British airborne troops conducted a glider-borne coup-de-main assault to seize the bridges over the Caen Canal and River Orne. Their mission was simple but dangerous: capture the bridges intact and hold them against German counterattacks, thereby securing the eastern flank of the Normandy landings.
On 6 June 1944, the British 3rd Division, supported by the 1st Special Service Brigade and 79th Armoured Brigade, stormed Sword Beach, the easternmost Allied landing sector in Normandy. Their success secured the D-Day landing Allied left flank, linked with the airborne lodgement at the Orne, and set the stage for the long struggle for Caen.