On the 6th of June 1944 at 00:16am , history was about to be made. The British 6th Airborne Division, led by Major Howard, began their fight to win back the Bénouville Bridge from the Nazis. Nearby said bridge, lay The Café Gondrée a family run business owned by Georges and Thérèse Gondrée. The couple lived in the café alongside their two young children and newborn daughter. The family strongly resisted the German regime, with both parents being part of the French Resistance.
After a vicious battle, 6th Airborne Division won control over the Bénouville Bridge. Following their victory, three paratroopers of the division entered The Café Gondrée at 6:20am. And so liberated the café and the family inside. This meant that the two young Gondrée children, Arlette and Georgette, were the first children to be freed from the German occupation of France.
Later in 1944, the Bénouville Bridge was renamed Pegasus Bridge in honour of the emblem of 6th Airborne Division. The Café Gondrée was also renamed to The Pegasus Bridge Café, and is now run by Arlette.
