Pegasus Memorial
D-Day and Battle of Normandy Museums
Inaugurated on 4 June 2010 by His Royal Highness Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, the Pegasus Memorial Museum brings together a collection of items related to Operation Deadstick, the assault on Pegasus Bridge and Horsa Bridge carried out in the early hours of 6 June 1944 by British airborne soldiers belonging to the 6th Airborne Division. The memorabilia from the battles collected in this building was initially exhibited in the village of Bénouville from 1974 until the museum closed in 1997 due to financial difficulties. Meanwhile, in 1993 (just a few months before the 50th anniversary of the Normandy landings), the historic Bénouville bridge (named Pegasus Bridge) was replaced by a modern replica, then abandoned in a landfill a few hundred metres from its original location.
The new building, located in the commune of Ranville between the two bridges, now displays the historic Bénouville bridge, which was saved from destruction, while a replica of a Horsa glider (used by the British during the night assault) was inaugurated in 2004 by Jim Wallwork, a D-Day pilot, and the Prince of Wales.
The Pegasus Memorial explains in detail the origins of this assault and honours those involved in the operation through various explanatory texts, photo and video archives, period military equipment and vehicles, and richly illustrated models. The historic Pegasus Bridge, which still bears traces of the fighting on its metal structure, is also worth a visit.
Practical information
- Contact
Address: Avenue du Major Howard, 14860 Ranville
Telphone: +33 (0)2 31 78 19 44
- Access
Car park:
– Coach parking spaces near the museum.
– Car parking spaces near the museum.
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