Airborne Operations

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Airborne Operations
Airborne Operations
Sucess of the amphibious landings depended on the establishment of a secure lodgement from which to expand the beachhead;
Amphibious forces were vulnerable to enemy counter-attacks
Airborne operations were used to seize key objectives.
Airborne Operations
Airborne landings also intended to ease the egress of the amphibious forces off the beaches, and in some cases to neutralise German coastal defence batteries and more quickly expand the area of the beachhead;
On June 6th, Paratroopers of the US 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, numbering over 13,000 men, jumped behind Utah beach;
Airborne Operations
At 00:15: Pathfinders dropped the airplane; navigation was difficult because of a bank of thick cloud; couldn´t make a good job.
US 82nd Airborne Division: with the primary objective of capturing two bridges over the River Merderet and destroying two bridges over the Douve
US 101st Airborne Division: tasked with controlling the causeways behind Utah Beach and destroying road and rail bridges over the Douve River
Airborne Operations
Airborne Operations
US 82nd Airborne Division: 75 per cent of the paratroopers landed in or near their drop zone, and within two hours they captured the important crossroads at Sainte-Mère-Église;
US 101st Airborne Division: planes came in so low that they were under fire; many parachutes failed to open; just a few man could arrive at their targets;
Airborne Operations
Because of the failure of the pathfinders to accurately mark their drop zone, the two regiments dropped on the west side of the Merderet were extremely scattered, with only four per cent landing in the target area;
After 24 hours, only 2,500 men of the 101st and 2,000 of the 82nd Airborne were under the control of their divisions, approximately a third of the force dropped. This wide dispersal had the effect of confusing the Germans and fragmenting their response