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Richard Todd - who played Major John Howard in the epic film about D-Day 1944 ("The Longest Day") was actually a D-Day veteran.

Indeed, he was part of the airborne landings that had captured Pegasus Bridge, alongside Major Howard himself.

This is the story of his D-Day experiences.

Now listen to the full account of Major Howard and the battle of Pegasus Bridge

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The Battle of Pegasus Bridge was fought just after midnight on the 6th June 1944, when 180 British airborne troops, led by Major John Howard successfully captured 2 bridges in Normandy.

This action, helped secure the eastern flank of the seaborne landings 6 hours later.

The capture and then holding of those two bridges by the numerically outnumbered British airborne troops is a stirring story in itself.

But what makes it even more incredible is the skill of the young pilots who landed their gliders, some just 50 meters from the bridges, in the dark night, thus catching the defenders by complete surprise.

This is the story of those glider pilots, the men under Major Howard and the battle of Pegasus Bridge on the 6th June 1944.

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Check out episode 113 about the D-Day weathermen.

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This is the little-told story about the weather forecasters who prevented a disaster on D Day 1944.

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Exercise Tiger was a large-scale dress rehearsal for the D-Day landings in 1944 that went horribly wrong.

A friendly fire incident was compounded when high-speed German torpedo boats intercepted an American convoy off the coast of Southern England.

Over 700 men were killed, more than were killed on Utah beach on D-Day itself!

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General Sir William Butler, was an enigmatic member of Sir Garnet Wolseley’s Ashanti Ring of officers in the British Army during the late 19th century.

And yet, despite being part of Queen Victoria’s army as it painted large parts of the globe British red, he was also a passionate supporter of Irish Home Rule and of Boer Independence in South Africa.

Indeed, there was a brief moment when he came tantalisingly close to preventing the 2nd Boer War. And how history might have been different if he had done so.

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Other episodes that link to this talk:

56 The Ashanti Ring
66 The Nile Expedition to Rescue General Gordon

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Donald Pleasence, who starred in "The Great Escape" was actually a WW2 Prisoner of War (POW).

He later found fame as Bond villain, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, and as Dr. Loomis in the cult horror film "Halloween".


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Donald Pleasence served in the RAF from 1940, particpating in 60 bombing missions.
Eventually his Lancaster bomber was shot down whilst on a raid to bomb a V1 rocket site in northern France.

Captured, Donald Pleasence was to spend the rest of the war as a German Prisoner in a POW camp, Stalag Luft I / Stalag Luft 1.

Situated on the Baltic coast of Germany, Stalag Luft I housed over 9,000 prisoners of war (POW).
Whilst Royal Air Force and Royal Canadian Air Force men made up about 20% of the camp population, over 7500 men were US airmen.
Included in their number were John C. Morgan (the only US airman to receive the Medal of Honor and also be a POW), flying ace Vermont Garrison, and Colonel Hubert Zemke.

After the war, Donald Pleasence resumed his acting career and was to appear in 140 films over the next 50 years.
Arguably, one of the greatest villains that James Bond (007) was to go up against, Pleasence played Ernst Stavro Blofeld in "You Only Live Twice".

Later on he also appeared as Dr. Samuel Loomis in the cult "Halloween" film franchise.

In 1963, he reprised his experience as a wartime POW when he starred in "The Great Escape".

Speaking of wartime movies, he also appeared in "The Eagle Has Landed".

Donald Pleasence died in France in 1995.

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Boudica, the legendary British queen of the Iceni who led a revolt against the Romans in Ad 60/61, destroying 3 Roman towns (including London) and massacred all the inhabitants inside.

Responsible for thousands of deaths was she a freedom fighter or a psychopath?

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Dick Turpin is without a doubt, Britain's most famous highwayman.
But, exactly who was Dick Turpin, and why is he so famous?

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