The provided text consists of excerpts from Stephen E. Ambrose's book, "Pegasus Bridge: June 6, 1944," offering a detailed examination of Operation Deadstick, the seizure of two crucial bridges over the Orne River and Caen Canal in Normandy, which secured the left flank of the D-Day invasion. The author explains his research methodology, which involved conducting twenty-four interviews with combatants forty years after the event, intending to provide a company-level perspective on the action, contrasting with his prior work on General Eisenhower. The narrative focuses extensively on Major John Howard and the rigorous, specialized training of his D Company, 2nd Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, for the glider assault, including crucial details about Allied planning and intelligence superiority over the Germans.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.