#0606_02: East of the Orne - 6th Airborne's Landings - Battles of Normandy

Ranville, North of Caen: June 6th, 1944. (Scenario Size: Division. Allied Human vs Axis AI or Head to Head) In the early morning hours of the 6th of June, the paratroopers and glider men of the 6th British Airborne Division were landed on the far left end of the Normandy Beachhead. Their mission was to protect the flank of the British 3rd Infantry Division scheduled to land just west of the Orne Estuary. The action began with the glider coup-de-grace by Major John Howards D Company of the 2nd Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. Their task was to secure the bridges across the Orne River and Canal and hold until relieved. Additionally the bridges on the River Dives as well as the Merville battery overlooking Sword beach had to be neutralized to prevent the Germans interfering with the planned British seaborne landings. This scenario covers the first day of action for the British and Canadian units of 6th Airborne Division and the German response to push back the airborne invaders.