Crossing The Coast of France

Each formation serial crossed the coast of France at different times but the experiences of the 439th Troop Carrier Group were typica. The clouds that the Pathfinders had encountered had materialized and the enemy ground positions were on full alert. No lighted T was visible in the Drop Zone and the Eureka beacon had been set up only a few minutes before the serials arrived. Enemy fire became intense about eight miles from the DZs and three airplanes of the 439 th were shot down. The crew of one of them piloted by Lt Marvin F Muir got it's troops out at the expense of their own lives by holding the aircraft steady while the paratroopers made their jump. Col Young reported later that the 439 th Group lost three aircraft that day with seven others damaged.

Traditional Formation    

Despite the large number of Troop Carrier serials that flew into the unpredicted cloudbank just off the western Cotentin coast and despite the lack of electronic aids for night formation the 439 th continued on. In the final count 35 to 40 percent of the paratroopers dropped that night landed within one mile of their intended Drop Zones while approximately 80 percent landed within five miles

INTO THE VALLEY

Col Charles Young also reminds us that we just can't ignore the effects of the weather here and the large part it played in the outcome of this mission.

The American Troop Carriers executed a nearly flawless performance right up to the French coast when they were swallowed up in the unexpected fog and clouds and before they lost all visible control of the formation Planners knew that there were clouds in this area three out of four June nights but did not make suitable adjustments According to Dr John C Warren author of the USAF Historical Studies Airborne Operations in World War II European Theater this must be rated as a serious planning error Some vital contingency planning for the Normandy airborne operations possibly due to the confusion among SHAEF staff in the last 1 1 2 weeks may simply have been forgotten

According to USAF historical analysis Time and again in big and little exercises during the past two months and in several previous missions wind and low visibility particularly at night had scattered troop carrier formations twisted them off course or spoiled their drops Yet the halcyon weather in EAGLE the major practice mission for NEPTUNE seems to have pushed all this into the background The field orders for EAGLE had contained full and specific precautions against bad weather Those for NEPTUNE were notably lacking in such precautions Even the requirements of security and the need to send in the NEPTUNE missions under almost any conditions cannot fully explain this neglect

Air navigation though much maligned at the time compared favorably with the sea navigation of the Navy which missed Utah Beach by a mile and a half Warren 97 201 Formation flying at night had not advanced into electronics Pilots who were back in a formation kept their eyes glued to the shape in front of them focused on the faint blue lights mounted on top of the wings or on the glow of the exhaust stacks and flame dampeners If they hit clouds mid air collision became an immediate concern

Nevertheless with all the difficulties in mounting such a massive airborne assault for the first time at night and in marginal conditions the effort was a success At the close of D Day all three airborne divisions were able to report that their major missions had been accomplished In fact the airborne phase of the Normandy landing was the first truly successful large scale use of the new vertical flank over the top of the enemy Because it spearheaded the invasion of Europe it has remained the most well known air assault of them all It was in Normandy that the airborne concept came of age Galvin 155 57 In his book GREEN LIGHT Martin Wolfe points out that none of the difficulties the pilots faced were evident to the Airborne troops in the back of the airplane

He goes on to say  "American paratroopers were some of the most Gung Ho soldiers we had They were convinced they could lick any bunch of Lousy Krauts with one hand tied behind their backs No one thought much about this at the time but the troopers were left literally and figuratively in the dark during the flights There was very little information to go on from that time on Many of the airborne troops were purposely kept in a supercharged state of physical and emotional awareness They were a tough bunch not to be messed with All they wanted to do was to jump and fight Germans"

THE BOTTOM LINE

With everything considered and given the circumstances both the Airborne Forces and the Troop Carrier pilots did a superb job 82 nd Airborne commanders in their official debriefing conference reported that in spite of the breakup of the formation and the loss of its precision control many of the flights were carried out as briefed and many of the objectives were taken as planned The pilots flying on their own initiative in the patchy fog deserve their share of the credit for this We must also acknowledge here that we were supported on all sides by fighter aircraft that discouraged the Luftwaffe from attacking the C 47s and gliders We must also acknowledge the support of the Eighth and Ninth Air Force bombers that softened up the air defenses on the ground This was the kind of support that raised many glasses in the Troop Carrier Officers Clubs and the NCO Clubs the next night

OPERATION NEPTUNE TROOP CARRIER ROUTES  MAP

A total of 821 Troop Carrier C 47s took off at planned intervals from the above bases in England They all passed over check point Bill of Portland at their assigned altitudes at their designated times in a long string headed toward Normandy Please refer to page 10 for a copy of the original flight orders issued to crews of the 314 th Troop Carrier Group at Saltby 14

OPERATION NEPTUNE PLANNED ASSAULT AREAS  MAP

Reproduced from INTO THE VALLEY This map shows assigned assault areas that the Troop Carrier crews were aiming for when they encountered the low clouds and ground fog Since the clouds were moving and the ground fog was lifting some Troop Carriers had worse visibility problems than others in their five hours of flying over France  The 314 th Troop Carrier Group for example was able to drop its load of 82 nd Airborne paratroopers nearly as briefed General James Gavin flew in the lead airplane commanded by Col Clayton Stiles one similar to those pictured and described here 15

THE TROOP CARRIER D DAY FLIGHTS
-- More Documentation Of The Events Of 6 June 1944

An Invitation

We invite you to sit in on the pre mission briefing sessions some of the preparations for D Day flights and then you will ride along in Troop Carrier C 47s actively flying the mission You will be the guests of GREEN LIGHT crews and T Sgt Bing Wood a veteran Troop Carrier Crew Chief of North Africa Sicily Italy Then paratrooper Neal Beaver will describe his experiences from takeoff through his Normandy experience followed by an account of the same flights by the Troop Carrier crews On other flights you will share the cockpit with pilot Harvey Cohen and on another aircraft the Radio operator's station with Arthur Een And then see what happens when a jumpmaster decides to call the shots and waits through two passes before jumping his stick And not to be left behind ride along on a glider mission and the return of the crew to England

We also invite you to look in on the operations of the 357 th Fighter Group one of several that looked after us that day. They are a bit different.

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Neptune Carrier Routes

Neptune Assault Areas