Issued to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, this coin commemorates the glider assault on the Caen Canal bridge in the early hours of June 6, 1944 — the first Allied ground action of Operation Overlord. Six Horsa gliders carrying men of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry touched down within meters of the target at 0016 hours, a feat of navigation that remains extraordinary given the conditions. Major John Howard's force held the bridge against counterattacks until relieved by commandos later that morning.
Issued to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, this coin commemorates the glider assault on the Caen Canal bridge in the early hours of June 6, 1944 — the first Allied ground action of Operation Overlord. Six Horsa gliders carrying men of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry touched down within meters of the target at 0016 hours, a feat of navigation that remains extraordinary given the conditions. Major John Howard's force held the bridge against counterattacks until relieved by commandos later that morning.