The skies above Normandy were once again filled with Western soldiers jumping out of planes. 80 years after the Allied forces launched the massive D-Day invasion, veterans and civilians leapt out of C-47s, this time in celebration and not in the face of enemy fire.
The Sunday, June 2 jump saw dozens of people, military veterans and civilians, jumping into the skies over the town of Carentan-les-Marais. The journey was meant to mimic the one Allied soldiers made eight decades ago. D-Day proper was on June 6, 1944, but Sunday’s jump was meant to be the opening event of a week of commemorations and remembrance of the Allied invasion.
The parachutists were ferried over Normandy by a trio of C-47 planes, which took off from the United Kingdom, flying over the English Channel, to France. Two of the C-47s, named “That’s All, Brother” and “Placid Lassie” were actually flown during D-Day, and survived the war. Many of the jumpers on Sunday were military veterans themselves.
On the ground, groups dressed as Allied soldiers from the war watched as their 70 comrades in the event descended toward the fields. They rode World War II model cars and carried 1940s equipment. While crowds waited for the parachutists, music from stars of the era such as Edith Piaf and Glenn Miller played, Le Monde reports. It wasn’t entirely retro though — photos and footage from Sunday’s jump show the ground reenactors taking photos and filming the jump. Several UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters also flew over Carentan-les-Marais as part of the day’s events, and current soldiers jumped as well, using more modern parachutes than the iconic round ones used in 1944.
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The day time jump came after some earlier reenactor events this past week in the United Kingdom. Participants dressed head to toe in full paratrooper gear gathered near C-47s in England, showing off all of their jump equipment.
Planned events for the anniversary are not as intricate as the invasion of Normandy, but they are complex. Some of the work has already been done, including the massive logistics of moving enough personnel, equipment, replica or vintage gear and celebration material to France. The U.S. military is sending active-duty units as well, from aircraft crews to paratroopers. Several heads of state are meant to speak at the anniversary, including President Joe Biden, French President Emmanual Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and others. Meanwhile dozens of World War II veterans, from both the European and Pacific theaters, are in or coming to France for the anniversary, some of the remaining troops from the war.
Other parts of the weeklong commemoration include more tributes and homages to the troops from 1944. Last year crews in Ramstein Air Base in Germany painted six of their C-130s with “invasion stripes” in preparation for their use in the anniversary. Another large airborne event is set for June 9. One beach at Arromanches-les-Bains has the words “Freedom I write your name” written on the sands, in French. Even the Marines are involved, working with the French military to stage amphibious landings on June 4 and 5.
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