Airspeed AS 51 Horsa glider at Mémorial Pegasus in Ranville (Calvados-Normandy, France) - Static Aircraft Displays on Waymarking.com

The Airspeed AS 51 Horsa was a British World War II troop-carrying glider built by Airspeed Limited and subcontractors and used for air assault by British and Allied armed forces. It was named after Horsa, the legendary Fifth Century conqueror of southern Britain.

Large numbers of Horsa gliders (estimated at over 250) were used in Battle of Normandy by both British and American units - example of successful operation which was dependent on Horsas is here, at famous Pegasus Bridge. On 5 June 2004, as part of the 60th anniversary commemoration of D-Day, Prince Charles unveiled a exact copy of Horsa glider here - on the site of the first landing at French territory - Pegasus Bridge.

---

Pegasus Bridge is a movable bridge, built in 1934, that crossed the Caen Canal, between Caen and Ouistreham, in Normandy, France. Also known as the Bénouville Bridge after the neighbouring village, it was, with the nearby Ranville Bridge over the river Orne, a major objective of Operation Tonga in the opening minutes of the invasion of Normandy. A gliderborne unit of the 6th Airborne Division, commanded by Major John Howard were to land, take the bridges intact and hold them until relieved. The successful taking of the bridges played an important role in limiting the effectiveness of a German counter-attack in the days and weeks following the invasion.

In 1944 it was renamed Pegasus Bridge in honour of the operation. The name is derived from the shoulder emblem worn by the British airborne forces, which is the flying horse Pegasus.

Type of Aircraft: (make/model): Airspeed AS 51 Horsa Construction:: replica Location (park, airport, museum, etc.): Mémorial Pegasus - Ranville inside / outside: outside Other Information:: http://www.normandie1944.fr/index_content.php Access restrictions: Tail Number: (S/N): Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Photo of aircraft (required - will be interesting to see if the aircraft is ever repainted or progress if being restored)
Photo of serial number (required unless there is not one or it is a replica)
Photo(s) of any artwork on the aircraft (optional but interesting)

Tell why you are visiting this waymark along with any other interesting facts or personal experiences about the aircraft not already mentioned.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   11/11/2016 Team Glandouillage visited it 06/10/2014 lulu_et_compagnie visited it 07/18/2012 benlin visited it 08/26/2011 messjunkee visited it 07/24/2009 lacomunidaddelanillo visited it 03/04/2006 7seven visited it

View all visits/logs