Bridge Battle:  The Battle for La Fiere Stone Bridge

Join us for our 3rd annual "Bridge Battle", featuring French Resistance, Allied Airborne, and Axis soldiers.

The Battle for La Fiere Stone Bridge

Early on June 6, 1944, members of the French Resistance in Normandy are carrying out plans to disrupt German communications and movement prior to the Allied invasion. A team of Resistance fighters are busy cutting communication wires near a German outpost Cauquigny, a small inland village linked to St. Mere Eglise by the La Fiere Bridge and causeway. At the same time, a team of Resistance members are desperately searching for the aircrew of a downed C-47 that had dropped Airborne troops earlier that morning.

A member of the crew emerges from the woods and begins to make his way up a creek bed, trying to stay out of slight of German sentinels guarding the causeway leading between Cauquigny and St. Mere Eglise. As the French Resistance spots him, the German guards also notice the airman and begin to fire upon him. French partisans return fire from the woods and provide the airman covering fire to escape from the Germans.

The Germans, having lost their quarry, reinforce their position on the causeway. Fragmented and confused reports throughout the night and early morning indicate the region is under a broad attack. The guards and reinforcements are nervous but confident they can hold their position.

Soon, a party of Allied Airborne solders approach under the cover of the predawn and make their way toward the causeway and bridge. Their objective is to take the bridge and advance up the causeway to link up with General Gavin’s force after it has crossed the Mederet. The small company of Airborne attack the 50-man garrison at the bridge. Although the Airborne company forces the Germans off the bridge, it doesn’t have sufficient numbers to advance up the causeway and anxiously awaits reinforcements so that it can accomplish its objective….

Please plan on arriving a few minutes early to get a good viewing spot. Note: To ensure the safety of spectators and participants access to certain viewing areas will be limited once the show begins.

All content ©2011 D-Day Ohio, Inc. and by it's respective contributors. All Rights Reserved.
Webmaster