The first objectives of D-Day were two bridges spanning the Caen canal and Orne river, codenamed "Pegasus" and "Horsa". The plan called for a glider-borne surprise attack in order to overwhelm the ill-equipped defenders as fast as possible. After this was accomplished, the paratroopers were to dig in and wait for reinforcements coming in from Sword Beach. While this part of the plan worked well, the Germans reacted quickly and as the sun rose on the morning of the 6th of June 1944, tanks and armored infantry of the 21st Panzerdivision closed in on the beleaguered bridgehead.
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