John Howard's name will forever be linked to the highly successful Pegasus Bridge assault by his glider-born company of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. His men regarded him with awe and his courage and toughness were bye-words. However this book reveals the human side of the man as well as providing a graphic account of the preparation, actual operation and aftermath of this iconic raid. The Pegasus Diaries is a book that will be enjoyed by men and women alike, presenting as it does a complex man often torn between his high sense of loyalty to his men and devotion to duty. John Howard was selected for a commission after distinguished service in the ranks. He served into the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry and was wounded in fierce fighting in Normandy. His DSO was richly earned for Pegasus Bridge. After the war, he joined the Civil Service and he died in 1988. Penny Bates in John Howard's daughter. She and her husband were involved in the hotel trade and she lives near Farnham, Surrey.