Exercise TALON NORMANDY

Exercise TALON NORMANDY saw 17 members of 3 Regiment AAC deploy to Normandy to carry out a battlefield study and take part in the ceremonial events for the 79th anniversary commemorations of Operation Overlord.

On Saturday 3rd of June, the members of the regiment travelled down to Portsmouth, via Middle Wallop where Captain Mockford joined the group who would be the battlefield guide for the study. Once arrived in Portsmouth, the group enjoyed dinner in Henry VIII’s Southsea Castle, where Captain Mockford presented a road to war and the big picture of the Operation that was to be shorty launched 79 years ago to the day.

After a goodnights rest, café au late and Pain au chocolat the team took the short drive from Caen to the campsite, which was just a 10-minute walk from the famous Pegasus bridge. After quickly settling into their cabins, the Study began at Pegasus bridge, where the first tactical action of the entire operation took place. Operation Deadstick, which saw three Horsa Gliders piloted by members of the Glider Pilot Regiment, of whom members of 3AAC can trace back their lineage, land as close as 47 yards from the bridge. This was later described as one of the finest feats of airmanship of the entire war.

Pegasus bridge would serve as a central hub for the duration of the study, with the group being fortunate to be invited back several times over the coming days. We had the pleasure of first meeting Madame Gondree on the morning of the 5th of June where she kindly hosted us for coffee and pastries.

Madame was a young girl when Operation Overlord took place. The café her father ran was a favourite of the occupying German soldiers, where he fed back information he overheard to the French Resistance. After the bridge was secured, Madame Gondree’s father dug up bottles of champagne he had buried to hide from the German occupiers and offered drinks to the soldiers of the Glider Pilot Regiment and the Oxford and Bucks.

We then paraded at the Pegasus museum where a service was held, which was strongly attended by Allied veterans of the conflict, which gave the soldiers a fantastic opportunity to meet the incredible individuals who fought there 79 years ago. The service touched many with an emotional poem from one of the veterans and a very sweet rendition of ‘We’ll meet again’ sung by two French school girls. After a quick change, the group returned in jackets and Corps ties to Madame Gondree’s where we invited for a private BBQ. Sgt Alders and Private Humphry did the regiment proud, cooking a delicious dinner which was also attended by both the incoming and outgoing Corps Colonels and Corps Sergeant Majors. A fantastic evening followed, with Benouville bustling, packed with veterans, reenactors and serving soldiers alike. The petrol heads of the group were also treated to a myriad of Willys Jeeps! At 2300 Madame gave a speech to everyone in attendance, which included the Defence Minister Ben Wallace.

The following morning the soldiers were on parade at Ranville, where they were joined by a mixed company from 16 Air Assault Brigade who had parachuted in that morning. In the afternoon that followed the group visited the American commentary at Omaha beach where nearly 10,000 American service personnel are buried. The significance of the honour couldn’t be understated with flypasts from Hercules and DC-3s alongside the presence of American veterans and Pipes and Drum bands.

Other locations visited over the course of the Battlefield study included Sword and Gold beach, where Mulberry harbour B was of key interest, an utter marvel of engineering and logistics. We also studied the route of 7PARA from their landing zones through to their assault on Merville Battery, examining the demanding leadership decisions that were required to be made along their journey.

The Regiment would like to say a massive thank you to Captain Mockford, who guided a fantastic Battlefield Study. The soldiers were well turned out on parade and performed well with tasks such as speeches and wreath laying. On both fronts of the battlefield study and ceremonial events, the trip was a cracking success with the added benefit of the troops presented the opportunity to rub shoulders with veterans and serving soldiers from other nations alike.