OPERATION "TONGA"

6th Airborne Division

 
Operation Tonga was the codename given to the airborne operation undertaken by the British 6th Airborne Division between 5 June and 7 June 1944.
The paratroopers and glider-borne airborne troops of the division, commanded by Major-General Richard Nelson Gale, landed on the eastern flank of the invasion area, near to the city of Caen, tasked with a number of objectives :
  -The division was to capture two strategically important bridges over the Caen Canal and Orne River ('Bénouville Bridge' and 'Ranville Bridge') which were to be used by Allied ground forces to advance once the seaborne landings had taken place, destroy several other bridges to deny their use to the Germans and secure several important villages.
  -The division was also assigned the task of assaulting and destroying the Merville Gun Battery, an artillery battery that Allied intelligence believed housed a number of heavy artillery pieces, which could bombard the nearest invasion beach (Sword Beach) and possibly inflict heavy casualties on the Allied troops landing on it.
  -Having achieved these objectives, the division was then to create and secure a bridgehead focused around the captured bridges until they linked up with advancing Allied ground forces.
 
      
 
Wave #1 - Operation 'Coup-de-Main' ('Bénouville Bridge' and 'Ranville Bridge')
CN AC No. Pilot Co-Pilot Airfield Time LZ Tug Pilot Sqn
91 PF800 S/Sgt J.H. Wallwork S/Sgt J. Ainsworth Tarrant-Rushton 0020 LZ "X" W/Cdr Duder 298
92 LW943 S/Sgt O.F. Boland Sgt P. Hobbs " " " W/O Berry "
93 LH469 S/Sgt G. Barkway Sgt P. Boyle " " " W/O Herman 644
94 PF723 S/Sgt A. Lawrence S/Sgt H. Shorter " " LZ "Y" F/O Clapperton "
95 LJ326 S/Sgt S. Pearson S/Sgt L. Guthrie " " " W/O Bain 298
96 PF791 S/Sgt R.A. Howard S/Sgt F. Baacke " " " F/O Archibald 644
Wave #2 (Merville Gun Battery)
CN AC No. Pilot Co-Pilot Airfield Time LZ Tug Pilot Sqn
66 S/Sgt V. Ockwell S/Sgt T.R. Hellyer Harwell 0050 LZ "V" S/Ldr Grice 570
67 S/Sgt W.K. Marfleet Sgt V. Haines " " " F/O Lawson "
68 S/Sgt E. Thorpe Sgt R. Hardie " " " F/Lt Unwin 295
69 S/Sgt M. Bramah Sgt R. Bartley " " " P/O Yull "
218 Lt A.E. Pickwoad Sgt M. Watts Blakehill Farm " LZ "K" W/Cdr Morrison 233
219 S/Sgt W. Ridgeway Sgt P. Foster " " " W/O Bailey "
220 S/Sgt R. Banks Sgt B. Hebblethwaite " " " F/O Wood "
221 S/Sgt W. England Sgt J. Graham " " " F/Lt Barley "
222 S/Sgt J. Heron Sgt D.N. Davidson " " " F/O Fram "
223 S/Sgt L. Weeden Sgt S. Griffiths " " " F/O Hardimand "
261 Lt C.B. Dodwell Sgt B.S. Osborne Down Ampney " LZ "V" W.Cdr Booth 271
262 S/Sgt N. Andrews Sgt P. Senier " " " Maj Joubert "
263 S/Sgt J. Lovett Sgt J.L. Wilson " " " F/O Wilson "
264 S/Sgt A. Gardner Sgt A. Oliver " " " F/Lt Beddow "
265 S/Sgt H.A. Rancom Sgt E. Collard " " " F/Lt Edwards "
266 S/Sgt W.C. Herbert Sgt G.R. Moorcraft " " " P/O Williams "
267 S/Sgt V. Saunders Sgt J.H. Fuell " " " W/O Wood "
Wave #3
CN AC No. Pilot Co-Pilot Airfield Time LZ Tug Pilot Sqn
27 S/Sgt D.F. Kerr Sgt H. Walker Brize Norton 0430 Btry F/Lt Thompson 297
28 S/Sgt S. Bone Sgt L. Dean " " " F/O Garnett "
28a S/Sgt A. Baldwin Sgt J. Michie " " " F/Sgt Richards "
29 S/Sgt J. Bowen Capt J.F. Smellie " 0324 LZ "N" S/Ldr Trim 296
30 S/Sgt N. Jenkins Sgt E. Raspison " " " F/O Brott "
31 S/Sgt G.H. Nye Sgt A. Smith " " " P/O Nichols "
32 S/SGt H. Harris Sgt J. Nash " " " F/O Wharmby "
33 S/Sgt F. Stratup Sgt L. Worthingtn " " " F/Sgt Cunningham "
34 S/Sgt W. Apps Sgt G. Briggs " " " F/Lt Cowderoy "
35 S/Sgt C. Hopgood Sgt D. Phillips " " " F/O Halpin "
36 S/Sgt L. Hedgecock Sgt C. Jackson " " " F/Sgt Beetham "
37 S/Sgt A. Sepherd Sgt L. Bullivant " 0325 " P/O Jasper 297
38 S/Sgt F. Corry S/Sgt R. Wright " " " F/Sgt Littlemore "
39 S/Sgt B. Goodwin Sgt H. Beveridge " " " F/Sgt Flavell "
40 Lt H.M. Norton Sgt C. Waterhouse " " " F/Sgt Lee "
41 S/Sgt K.A. Evans Sgt J. Thompson " " " F/O Stewart "
42 S/Sgt J. Braham Sgt E. Lightowler " " " P/O Brydon "
43 S/Sgt R.F. Ashby Sgt J. Donalson " " " F/Lt Horn "
44 S/Sgt R. Steele Sgt J. Greene " " " F/O Onley "
45 S/Sgt W. Jones Sgt J. Potts " " " F/O Bull "
70 Maj S.C. Griffiths Ssm K. Mew Harwell 0320 " W/Cdr Macnamara 295
71 Maj J.P. Royle Lt R. Smith " " " S/Ldr Stewart 570
72 T/Cap R.K. Cross S/Sgt C.W. Bishop " " " S/Ldr Potter 295
73 " " " F/Lt Cooil "
74 S/Sgt D. Wright Sgt B. Powell " " " P/O Peel "
75 " " " F/O Wheatley "
76 S/Sgt W. Bradshaw " " " P/O Proctor "
77 S/Sgt P.J. Wilsn Sgt H. Harris " " " P/O Scott "
78 " " " F/Lt Byrom "
79 " " " F/Lt Wood "
80 " " " F/O Churchill "
81 " " " F/O Bowman "
82 " " " F/Lt Gay 570
83 S/Sgt K. Hannan Sgt B. Spencer " " " F/O Maunder "
84 " " " P/O Fisher "
85 " " " F/Sgt Hincks "
86 " " " F/Sgt Marshall "
87 S/Sgt A. Hunter Sgt C. Collins " " " F/O Matheson "
88 " " " F/O Spafford "
89 " " " P/O Robson "
90 S/Sgt R. Luff Lt J.L. Bromley " " " P/O Hougate "
97 LG725 Maj J.F. Lyne S/Sgt W. Bridgewater Tarrant-Rushton 0327 " S/Ldr Norman 644
98 PN665 S/Sgt W. Goodwin S/Sgt E.W. Woodrow " " " W/Cdr Pope "
99 LH402 S/Sgt R.G. New Sgt J.R. Gibbons " " " F/Lt Hobbs "
100 LH405 S/Sgt A.R. Dow Sgt R. Chadwick " " " F/O Nickel "
101 LH440 Capt B. Murdoch Sgt T. Page " " " F/O Bretherton "
102 PW662 Capt J.M. Walker Sgt F. Carpenter " " " F/O Rampling "
103 PF690 S/Sgt W. Higgs S/Sgt W. Oliver " " " S/Ldr Rymills "
104 LH339 S/Sgt G.A. Rickwood Sgt J. Gray " " " W/O Woodward "
105 LH554 S/Sgt D. Thompson Sgt R. Crawley " " " F/O Richards "
106 LH353 S/Sgt G. Browne Sgt L. Jones " " " F/O Calverley "
107 LH431 S/Sgt F. Stevenson LT S.J. Moorwood " " " F/O Blake "
108 LG936 LT I.C. Muir Sgt H Stone " " " F/Lt Cumberworth "
109 LG992 S/Sgt A.H. Smith Sgt J. Stepenson " " " F/Sgt McConville "
110 LH435 S/Sgt J.G. Hunter Sgt W.H. Stonebanks " " " W/O Shapley "
111 LH373 S/Sgt W. Dodd Sgt J. Keeley " " " F/Sgt Wells "
112 LH406 S/Sgt W.J. Statham Sgt C. Boswell " " " S/Ldr Briggs 298
113 LH442 S/Sgt A.L. Bashforth Sgt R.F. Dray " " " F/O Northmore "
114 LH570 S/Sgt A. Johnson Sgt J. D'Eath " " " P/ODougill "
115 LH378 S/Sgt R.E. White Sgt F. Eason " " " F/Lt Imber "
116 LH375 S/Sgt E.B. Helme Sgt N. Hornsby " " " S/Ldr Brownrigg "
117 LG831 S/Sgt A. Coombes Sgt R. Usher " " " F/O Brown "
118 PF790 S/Sgt R.C. Downing Sgt D. Elliott " " " W/O Smith "
119 PF803 S/Sgt W. Musitano Sgt S.W. Perry " " " F/O Stark "
120 LH380 S/Sgt R. Jolliffe Sgt A. Prentice " " " F/O Carpenter "
121 LH568 S/Sgt E. Stocker Sgt S. Allan " " " F/Sgt Griffiths "
122 PW732 S/Sgt E. England Sgt J. Plant " " " F/Sgt Davies "
123 PF715 S/Sgt W.R. Howe Sgt W.A. Shannon " " " F/Sgt Cunliffe "
124 LF912 S/Sgt V. Daves Sgt L. Cavalli " " " F/O Andreson "
125 LH145 S/Sgt G.E. Phillpott Sgt E.M. Taylor " " " F/Sgt Mutton "
126 LH236 S/Sgt J. Mackenzie Sgt M. Argyle " " " F/Sgt Smith "
500 HH932 2lt T.W. Taylorson Sgt R.J. Simpson " " " F/O Baird 644
501 LA670 S/Sgt L. Ridingq Sgt R.A. Harris " " " F/LT Sizmur 298
502 HH934 S/Sgt H. Dent Sgt P. Rodgers " " " F/Lt Enson 298
503 LA671 S/Sgt E. England Sgt J. Hill " " " F/O Fisher 644