page_title: 2nd Parachute Brigade in Southern France
section_title: D-Day
hierarchical_section_title: 2nd Parachute Brigade in Southern France / Operation Rugby / D-Day
caption_attribution_description: English: Airborne over Southern France. C. 1944-09. British Gliders towed by Douglas C47 Dakota aircraft over Southern France for the Allied airborne invasion.
context_page_description: The British 2nd Parachute Brigade was part of the Operation Rugby airborne landings in August 1944. The operation was carried out by an ad hoc airborne formation called the 1st Airborne Task Force. Operation Rugby was itself part of the Operation Dragoon invasion of Southern France by the American 7th Army. The airborne task force landed in the River Argens valley with the objective of preventing German reinforcements from reaching the landing beaches. The landings were mainly an American operation and the brigade was the only British Army formation involved.
  The brigade's pathfinders landed accurately and set up their homing beacons, but the main body of the brigade landed over a large area, some 20 miles away. The following glider force also had problems; weather conditions forced the brigade's anti-tank unit to turn back for Italy and return with the second wave later that day. Eventually the brigade captured their primary objectives, but the lack of manpower meant that their secondary objective of Le Muy was given to the American airborne forces. The seaborne and airborne landings linked up within two days, and the brigade became the reserve formation for the operation.
context_section_description: At 03:34 on 15 August 1944, the brigade's pathfinders from the 23rd Independent Parachute Platoon landed on Drop Zone 'O'. The brigade drop zone was in a valley 2 miles (3.2 km) long and around 1.5 miles (2.4 km) wide running north to south, bordered on the south by the River Naturby. Their primary objective, Le Muy, was only around 400 yards (370 m) from the southern edge of the drop zone, but they would have to cross the river to reach it.
  By 04:30 the pathfinders had set up two Eureka beacons and landing lights to guide the transport planes to the correct drop zone. When the main force of C-47 aircraft arrived around 04:45 only seventy-three dropped their parachutists on the correct drop zone. The other fifty-three aircraft scattered their loads, mostly from the 5th (Scottish) Parachute Battalion, over the countryside, some landing 20 miles (32 km) away at Cannes and Fayence. Only Brigade Headquarters arrived at the drop zone in one piece, Brigadier Pritchard landing only 15 yards (14 m) from the Eureka beacons. The 4th Parachute Battalion had around forty per cent of its manpower and the 6th (Royal Welch) Parachute Battalion sixty per cent. By 06:30 Brigade Headquarters was established at Le Mitan and radio contact made with the American 36th Infantry Division, which at the time was still on their transports out at sea. On the drop zone the pathfinders and Royal Engineers of the 2nd Parachute Squadron were removing obstacles, preparing for the arrival of their gliders later in the day, while the under strength parachute battalions headed for their objectives.
  The 4th Parachute Battalion secured its first objectives, the high ground overlooking the village of Le Muy from the north and the village of Les Serres, by 04:30. However the men left defending the village had to fight off several small German counterattacks throughout the day. The battalion then assaulted and captured the bridge over the River Naturby, which carried the road to Le Muy, taking twenty-nine prisoners. The fighting cost the battalion seven dead and nine wounded.
  Most of the 5th (Scottish) Parachute Battalion landed in several groups, some distance from their drop zone. One large group comprised the commanding officer, most of the battalion headquarters and 'C' Company. A second group was formed by 'D' Company. Twenty-one men, including the battalion intelligence officer, formed a third smaller group. The first group divided into three smaller units, all of which arrived at brigade headquarters by 22:30 on the same day.
  The second group occupied the village of Tourettes, and soon after attacked a German convoy, damaging several vehicles and causing heavy casualties among the occupants. Then they met with the 3rd Battalion of the 517th Parachute Infantry Regiment and both units headed south towards Le Muy.
  One result of the brigades' scattered landing was that several small groups of men caused havoc among the Germans, ambushing men and vehicles. One lone sergeant arrived at brigade headquarters with eighty prisoners, having convinced them that they were surrounded and should surrender. The 5th (Scottish) Parachute Battalion's 'B' Company, which had landed on the correct drop zone, ambushed a convoy of five trucks, killing twelve Germans, then assaulted a château, killing another thirty men before the surviving fifty surrendered.
  The 6th (Royal Welch) Parachute Battalion lost some men to German fire as they descended and, once on the ground, had to fight their way to the battalion rendezvous. Then they headed for their first objectives, capturing La Motte, which became the first village liberated in the South of France. By 12:00, they had taken all of their objectives, capturing over 100 prisoners.
  The first of the brigade's glider units, forty Waco gliders carrying the 64th Airlanding Light Battery Royal Artillery and their 75 mm pack howitzers, landed at 09:20. The thirty-five larger Horsa gliders, transporting the 300th Airlanding Anti-Tank Battery and its equipment, failed to arrive, turning back to Italy due to an overcast sky at the landing zo
caption: British Gliders towed by C47s over Southern France
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