Sixty years ago during the night of 5 to 6 June 1944, 10,000 men belonging to the American Airborne forces dropped by parachute or landed by glider on Norman soil. As the vanguard of the Allied forces, they were the first to take part in the liberation of France. Many of them were killed or wounded right from the start of D-Day; many of them were scarcely twenty-years old.

This study describing their uniforms, insignia and equipment, is intended to be a quiet tribute to those who gave their lives freely in order to liberate a country most of them had never seen.

Lest we forget them!

The historical and strategic aspects of Operation 'Neptune' are only touched on here in a general manner. A number of other books discuss the subject. A chapter has been given over to air transport and indeed, the C-47s and their crews directly involved in this fantastic adventure do have a place in this book.

Christophe Deschodt