On June 5, 1944, hours before the D-Day amphibious assault, a force of British 6th Airborne Division was landed by glider on the vital Pegasus Bridge. The force, commanded by Major John Howard, famously “held until relieved.” They included 181 men drawn from B and D companies, 2nd Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, along with a platoon of Royal Engineers. Thirty minutes after the gliders landed, Major Howard was reinforced by elements of the 7th Parachute Battalion, and several hours later was relieved by commando forces under the command of Lord Lovat, advancing from the beach.
Major Howard’s gallant action was immortalized by the 1962 film The Longest Day. Howard was a practical and professional soldier, with a matter-of-fact approach to his job, and he was not particularly pleased by the film’s dramatic portrayal of the operation. In fact, he described it as “sentimental rubbish.”
The British actor Richard Todd portrayed Howard in the film, and whatever Howard thought of the film’s overall treatment of the operation, he must have approved of the choice of Todd to play him. Why?
Todd attended Sandhurst in the 1930s but then embarked on a career as a stage actor. When war came he joined the army and received a commission in the infantry, later transferring to the Parachute Regiment. On June 6th, 1944, he was a captain in the 7th Parachute Battalion and arrived with his men at the bridge thirty minutes after Howard’s gliders landed. He then fought as part of Howard’s command defending the bridge until Lovat’s commandoes arrived.
I imagine Todd was able to contribute quite a bit of technical expertise to the filming of that segment, even though his contingent from 7th Para is not mentioned in the film.
If it had been, I wonder who they would have cast to play Captain Todd?
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Frank Chadwick said:
Here’s a sad update on this column. Richard Todd just passed away.
I have learned that he was offered the opportunity to play himself in the film, but did not consider his own contribution to the battle important enough to justify as a major character.
December 13th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
Chris Heatherly said:
Mr. Chadwick,
I had the good fortune to visit Pegasus Bridge in 2007. I don’t know that any film can do justice to the real events, but I think the Longest Day made a good honest effort to portray that battle. If you get the opportunity, I highly recommend a visit.
December 15th, 2009 at 11:24 pm