Some 23,400 airborne troops landed in Normandy from 822 aircraft and gliders
Nearly 160,000 Allied troops landed on D-Day, made up of major forces from the U.S., the United Kingdom, Canada and 12 other Allied nations. Some 23,400 airborne troops landed in Normandy from 822 aircraft and gliders. It was the largest amphibious invasion and the largest paratrooper assault in history.
The U.S. 82nd Infantry Division was redesignated and the 101st was activated Aug. 15, 1942, as the Army’s first airborne divisions. The 11th, 13th and 17th Airborne Divisions were activated by 1943.
The mission
The paratroopers were assigned what was probably the most difficult task of the initial operation – a night jump behind enemy lines five hours before the coastal landings.
The 82nd and 101st were dropped to protect the invasion zone’s western extremity and to facilitate the Utah Beach landing force’s movement into the Cotentin Peninsula. The British and Canadian attacks also accomplished their primary goal of securing the left flank of the invasion force.
The paratroopers were badly scattered. Low clouds and fog over the peninsula made navigation difficult, and even trained pathfinders had trouble locating and marking the desired drop zones.
