Pegasus Bridge

   The bridge is now named after the shoulder patch of the British 6th Airborne Division. They had to expand the bridge for modern traffic, but the did their best to keep the design the same.  To their credit, the French authorities dismantled the original bridge and then reassembled it a short distance away where the museum now stands. Apparently the Brits were quite upset about the "destruction" of the famous bridge, until they realized what the French were doing to preserve it.

The modern bridge and the historical one at the museum

Kyle and I on the bridge. You could still see battle damage.

More shots of the actual bridge at the museum

Bullet strikes

More shots of the current bridge

The same family owns this little cafe that owned it in 1944

The view from where the gliders landed

Monument to Major Howard. In an interesting note, he took a bullet to the helmet that went through and through. Our guide told us that Howard claimed he hadn't had a haircut in awhile (no time) so his helmet wasn't sitting as close to his head as usual - saved his life.

Note: I had to mess with the exposure so you could see the sculpture better. 

The Glider pilot made a remarkable landing in the small space between the pond on the left and the bank on the right, landing less than 50 yards from the bridge.

Here's the actual photo

Our Excellent guide Malcom explaining the battle

(can't really hear him)