Deep in the heart of Texas, a tribute to local heroism

When they are not fighting Nazis, the troops enjoy a good old-fashioned deer hunt. This is Texas, the Lone Star state of Davy Crockett and The Alamo - and now the Oxfordshire and Bucks Light Infantry. It may look unlikely, but a group of Americans in infantry uniforms are faithfully recreating its D-Day battles.

They simply love seeing off the Hun at weekends - before heading home for beer and beefsteak. The members of the platoon all have British ancestry and are proud to be adopted Tommies.

Co-founder and dad-of-two David Gordon, 35, of Little Deer Crossing, Austin, Texas, said: "Essentially, we are just another group of nameless soldiers."

These guys are no Rednecks in racoonskin caps, but trained military buffs and historians. Among their number are plumbers, teachers, retired Air Force officers, clerks and students. They fight World War Two wargames in Texas with real jeeps and real guns, although they can only fire blanks. David said: "I have always been into military collecting and history and have a pretty advanced British collection. Most of the people in the group hunt.

"We are not a bunch of radicals but we appreciate our firearms and the ability we have to hunt. It fits into re-enactment because you are stalking your opposite numbers in the field, so the fieldcraft really comes into play. "In looking at the different regiments we were looking for an outfit that did not have as much play. Everyone in the USA was into the parachute regiment and other traditional units. We wanted something more advanced but still on the leg infantry side and the Oxfordfordshire and Bucks fell into that category."

The real wartime regiment saw action at Dunkirk and India, before being engaged in the Battle for Pegasus Bridge during D-Day in 1944. Their mission was to capture two bridges over the River Orne and the Caen Canal, France, occupied by Germans. They flew in by glider and took both landmarks, a victory vital for the Allied war effort. The 'Texan Army' carry full airborne equipment, although they do not glider into battle. They named themselves Platoon 22 status in memory of Capt Priday, who got lost gliding in to attack Pegasus Bridge.

Capt Priday's navigation went awry and it took his team several hours to rejoin the other 180 men, who were split between six gliders.

The Texas crew is painstakingly authentic - recreating the battles in Texan woods and plains with pinpoint precision.

All the Light Infantrymen feel proud to put on their Putties in defence of the Realm.

David, a self-confessed gun lover, has a dozen Anfield rifles, four Webley sidearms, Brownings and other weapons. When he hunts, he uses a rifle or shotgun, and usually bags a deer, doves, quails or other game within range.

When they go to 'war', they say farewell to their wives and go off to 'kill' Jerry. But who wants to be the Germans? "We have quite a few Germans," said David, who is a computer programmer when out of uniform. "It is like in the USA civil war re-enactments - someone has to be the Confederates. Someone has got to be the bad guys and they just bubble up. There are people who are historians or collectors, attracted more to the German than the British side.

"We do not allow anybody with political aspirations in. Anybody associated with a hate group is not allowed in. There is not a public display of political symbols, like the swastika or stiff-arm salute," he said.

At least the Texan re-enactment is accurate. Peter Uden, assistant curator of the regimental museum at Slade Park Barracks, Oxford, said a man living in Illinois, USA, set himself up as the Oxfordshire and Bucks Light Infantry Museum - but got the regimental badge wrong. PIPES HERALDED RESCUE BRIGADE

Veteran Colonel Henry 'Todd' Sweeney was a Lieutenant in the battalion that attacked Pegasus Bridge on June 6, 1944.

He was one of 180 soldiers from the Oxfordshire and Bucks Light Infantry who flew, in gliders,glided to within 50 yards of two bridges occupied by German forces in France.

The 79-year-old recalled: "The purpose of the glider force was to seize two bridges on the left of the whole of the invasion area. If you could hold these bridges you could prevent the Germans sweeping down from the east and running down to the side of the Allied forces.

"We knew the 21st German Panzers were in the area to the east and it was vital we should capture these bridges quickly."

They set off from England and - towed by bombers - the six gliders, carrying a total of 180 troops, crossed the Channel. Below them were the invading Allied forces and ahead they could see German search lights panning the night sky. Col Sweeney's team landed 50 yards from one of the bridges that ran over the River Orne and the Caen Canal. He went in behind the first platoon whose commander - Col Sweeney's best pal Den Brotheridge - was killed in a gun battle early on. He said from his Warwickshire home: "I got up to the bridge, marshalled the troops around me, and shouted 'charge' and ran over the bridge, expecting it to blow up or have a man with a machine gun."

To his delight, a platoon had got ahead of Col Sweeney's and captured the bridge first, so his next task was to hold the bridge until the paratroopers arrived an hour later.

The next day the Germans swung their other forces towards Pegasus Bridge and a series of battles ensued, with Col Sweeney holding his position and then preparing to face a large force headed in their direction. ThenAt that moment, he heard bagpipes in the distance. He looked towards the sea and saw a lone piper, walking ahead of a brigade coming to their rescue. It probably saved his life.

He said: To him, the Texan re-enactment is a huge compliment.

"I am quite happy to hear of the re-enactment groups. It is quite flattering to hear of people re-enacting something that happened 50 years ago.

Story date: Wednesday 24 February

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