Operation Tonga

Allied Forces

Axis Forces

Operation

Fly-in and Initial Airborne Assault

Operation begins when, on the night of June 5^th, 1944, six Handley Page Halifax heavy bombers depart RAF Tarrant Rushton, each towing a Horsa glider. These gliders carry the coup-de-main force, primarily composed of D Company from the 2^nd Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (part of the 6th Airlanding Brigade but temporarily attached to the 5^th Parachute Brigade for this initial phase). The force, led by Major John Howard, includes additional platoons from B Company and a detachment of Royal Engineer sappers. Their mission is to capture two strategically important bridges over the Caen Canal and the River Orne.

Shortly after, between 23:00 and 23:20, six Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle transport aircraft depart, carrying the pathfinder units from the 22nd Independent Parachute Company. These troops have the critical task of marking the three designated drop zones for the incoming airborne division. Sixteen more Albemarle aircraft follow closely, transporting troops from the 9th Parachute Battalion, 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, and elements of the 3rd Parachute Brigade headquarters.

Half an hour later, the main body of airborne troops begins departing England, organised into three waves. The first wave, consisting of 239 Douglas Dakota and Short Stirling aircraft and 17 Horsa gliders, carries the majority of troops from the 3rd and 5th Parachute Brigades and their heavy equipment, scheduled to land at 00:50. A second wave, set to arrive at 03:20, comprises 65 Horsa gliders and four Hamilcar gliders carrying divisional headquarters personnel and anti-tank artillery. The final wave consists of three Horsa gliders transporting sappers and elements of the 9th Parachute Battalion, with orders to land directly on the Merville Battery at 04:30.

Capture of the Caen Canal and Orne River Bridges

The first troops from the 6^th Airborne Division to touch down in Normandy are Major Howard’s coup-de-main force, which lands in six gliders between 00:15 and 00:20. Three gliders land near the Caen Canal bridge, two near the Orne bridge, while a sixth mistakenly lands approximately eleven kilometres away. Troops quickly disembark and engage German defensive positions. At the Caen Canal Bridge, British soldiers overwhelm trenches, neutralise sentries, and use grenades to disable a concrete bunker thought to house demolition controls.

Simultaneously, troops securing the Orne Bridge suppress a German machine-gun post with mortar fire, encounter minimal resistance, and swiftly secure their objective. Within just 15 minutes, both bridges are under British control, and contrary to previous intelligence, neither bridge is found rigged with explosives.

The airborne troops must then defend the captured positions against spontaneous German counter-attacks. At 01:30, two German tanks attempt to recapture the bridge, but are successfully repelled, one tank being destroyed by a PIAT anti-tank weapon.

Pathfinders

Closely following the coup-de-main force are the pathfinder teams of the 22nd Independent Parachute Company, whose role is to mark drop and landing zones for the rest of the airborne division. However, their mission is complicated by poor visibility and navigation errors. Delays occur as pathfinder troops assigned to Drop Zone N land far off-course, requiring an additional 30 minutes to relocate to their correct positions.

A further error occurs when one team intended for Drop Zone K inadvertently lands on Drop Zone N, mistakenly setting up markers and radio beacons there, which subsequently misdirect later airborne drops. The pathfinder stick led by Lieutenant Bob Midwood correctly reaches Drop Zone K. However, another pathfinder team suffers severe casualties when mistakenly bombed by RAF aircraft while marking positions near Merville.

5th Parachute Brigade

Due to these navigational and visibility issues, the parachute drops of Brigadier Nigel Poett’s 5th Parachute Brigade become significantly dispersed. Units such as the 7th Parachute Battalion are badly scattered and by 03:00 are severely understrength. Despite this, they regroup and establish defensive positions around the captured bridges, linking successfully with Howard’s initial force.

From 05:00 onwards, German forces launch increasingly organised counter-attacks using infantry, armoured vehicles, and tanks. These attacks intensify, including an attempted assault by the 2nd Battalion, 192nd Panzergrenadier Regiment at Bénouville, but all efforts are repulsed, and the airborne forces hold their ground. British troops successfully repel attempts to destroy the bridge by German naval vessels and aircraft, and maintain control despite fierce resistance. The airborne forces hold these critical positions until relieved at 19:00 by units of the British 3^rd Infantry Division, a relief operation fully completed by around 01:00 on June 7^th, 1944.

Elements of the brigade, notably the 12^th Parachute Battalion and the 13th Parachute Battalion, experience heavy dispersion upon landing but manage gradually to consolidate near their drop-zones. Despite scattered drops, they secure and defend key positions around Drop Zone N, resisting attacks by the German 192nd Panzergrenadier Regiment. With support from glider-borne anti-tank units, the battalions successfully repel repeated German assaults, notably destroying enemy tanks and taking prisoners.

3rd Parachute Brigade

The 3^rd Parachute Brigade, commanded by Brigadier James Hill, suffers similar disruption, with many troops scattered and incorrectly dropped due to pathfinder errors and poor visibility. The 8th Parachute Battalion is particularly dispersed, with troops landing far from their intended objectives near the bridges at Bures and Troarn. Initially lacking necessary demolition engineers, the battalion splits into smaller groups. A contingent manages to demolish bridges at Bures, while another force secures positions near Troarn after capturing German soldiers from the 21. Panzer-Division.

The 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, assigned to destroy bridges at Varaville and Robehomme, faces severe difficulties due to scattered drops, with some troops landing in flooded areas and several drowning under the weight of their equipment. Despite heavy casualties, the battalion eventually secures Robehomme bridge with limited resources and provides protective cover while Royal Engineers destroy it.

Another Canadian company, tasked with capturing Varaville and destroying a bridge over the River Divette, encounters stiff resistance from a fortified German position. After the loss of its commander and numerous casualties, the Canadians ultimately force the surrender of the enemy garrison following a prolonged stalemate and mortar bombardment.

Assault on the Merville Battery

The 9^th Parachute Battalion’s objective is to neutralise the heavily fortified Merville artillery battery, along with capturing the village of Le Plein and blocking nearby roads. Commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Terence Otway, the battalion faces significant dispersal on landing, initially assembling only a fraction of its strength and limited equipment. Despite these setbacks, Otway leads approximately 150 paratroopers in a direct assault on the battery at around 04:30.

Arriving under heavy German fire, the paratroopers successfully breach the battery’s perimeter using Bangalore torpedoes. Assault teams disable the casemates despite sustaining heavy casualties. After a fierce engagement, the battery is captured, and explosives are set to disable its artillery. Unexpectedly, the guns are found to be obsolete Czechoslovakian 100-millimetre howitzers rather than modern 150-millimetre artillery pieces as previously reported. Although greatly weakened, the battalion withdraws with prisoners and casualties before the light cruiser H.M.S. Arethusa is scheduled to bombard the battery if no confirmation of capture is received by 05:30.

Unable to fulfil its remaining objectives due to depleted numbers, the battalion subsequently takes up defensive positions around Le Plein. Despite severe losses, the airborne troops succeed in neutralising key threats, effectively disrupting German positions and ensuring strategic successes crucial to the wider Normandy invasion.

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