D-Day: Commonwealth Sectors

18. Two Bridges of Bures

Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandie

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During the confusion of the parachute drops many men of the British 8th Paras were lost or killed and by the time the soldiers had all met up they found that there was too small a force available to attack the Germans at Troarn. Only one party of engineers had made it and they, in the meantime, were sent off to blow the two bridges at Bures. The group arrived just as the sun was rising at 0630 and the main invasion was getting underway. Three hours later the sappers managed to successfully destroy the bridges and returned to the rendezvous point in the Bois de Bavent woodlands.