Flying Horses

Welcome back for this week's update. It has been a while since we last showed off some new stuff, actually before our last release. But now we have new stuff to show and we want to start our weekly updates with a bang. First object to showcase for the 0.7 release is a new map created by our Developer Emeritus Master Minder and polished by Lobo, as his first finished mapping effort. Expect more maps in the future from our Spanish aircraft factory.

Pegasus was the Normandy Invasion codename given to a bridge over the River Orne, near the town of Ouistreham. It was a major objective of the British 6th Airborne Division, which landed close to the bridge by glider on the night of 5th/6th June 1944. It was given the permanent name of Pegasus Bridge in honour of the operation.

The main objective of capturing Pegasus Bridge was to secure the eastern flank of the invasion, preventing a counter attack from rolling up the entire invasion force.

The initial assault was carried out by 181 soldiers -- most of which came from D Company, 2nd Ox & Bucks -- in 6 Horsa gliders, led by Major Howard. They landed within fifty metres of Pegasus at 16 minutes past midnight on June 6th. The bridge was captured from the few troops guarding it in ten minutes, and it became the first objective seized on D-Day. One of the people killed during the operation was Lt. Dan Brotheridge, who was the first Allied soldier to be killed on D-Day.

Further elements of the 6th Airborne landed by glider and parachute throughout the day to reinforce the defenders, and the bridge was successfully held until relieved by British ground units. The first relief was from 6 Commando, led by Lord Lovat, who arrived to the sound of the Scottish bagpipes, played by Bill Millin. Later in the day units of the British 3rd Division arrived, and the bridges were secured.

That's all for this weekend folks, stay tuned for our next update in the coming week and be sure to discuss this news in our public forums.