Vanguard of the Invasion

摘要

Part of the detailed plan for the Allied landings in Normandy required the seizure or destruction of key points such as bridges or gun emplacements by parachute or glider-borne troops. Behind the British beaches, some small targets could be seized by coup de main, though the delivery of the main body of the 6th Airborne Division would be to large landing zones (LZ) as Operation 'Tonga'. The division comprised the 3rd and 5th Parachute Brigades, together with the 6th Airlanding Brigade which would be delivered by glider, as would the support troops and heavy weapons. Its LZs were 'V' near Varaville, 'K' at Touffreville and 'N' at Ranville, with 'W' near Ouistreham as a back-up in case of problems at any of the others. To mark these areas, pathfinder troops would be dropped with light signals and radio location aids to assist the glider pilots and transport crews in finding them and ensuring a suitable concentration of delivery, which was seen as vital to success.