The Battle of Merville Gun Battery: Lieutenant-Colonel Terence Otway DSO

Lieutenant Colonel Terence Otway DSO served in the British Army during World War II. In the hours before the Invasion of Normandy, he and the 9th Parachute Battalion were dropped over German lines, and tasked with destroying the Merville Gun Battery. Armed with four 150 mm guns, the Merville Gun Battery was crucial to the German defense.

In this interview, Otway describes organizing and leading the attack, and successfully capturing the battery on D-Day, despite having a fraction of the men they were supposed to. 

Otway became a hero for his leadership that day, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. After his death in 2006, the citizens of Merville-Franceville-Plage erected a bust of Otway in his honor.

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