The mission of the American paratroopers
is one of the most remembered episodes of D-Day.
Today we'll go around the main drop zones accompanied by an expert.
First we are going to get him.
This mission was created to support the troops coming from Utah Beach,
since it was the most isolated beach of the Landing and the only one on the Cotentin.
The Main objective of this sector was to capture the Port of Cherbourg.
Two divisions: the 82nd and the 101st made out of three parachute regiments each one.
In total more than 13,000 paratroopers were to jump in the early hours of D-Day
behind enemy lines together with glider-borne troops
carrying equipments.
Although the Allies dominated the sky
the german anti-craft artillery and the bad weather caused most of the paratroopers
jump far from their intended drop zones.
Today we're going around the six drop zones, "DZ",
in order to learn how they succeeded, nevertheless,
to accomplish their risky and difficult mission.
- Hi Oscar. - Hello Denis.
We're going to explain what this is.
This small toy was issued to the paratroopers, especially to the 101st,
so they were able to identify each other in the darkness,
since it was the second night jump in the history of the U.S.Army after Sicily.
The soldiers of the 82nd Division, that jumped into Sicily, came up
with this small toy distributed in the boxes of the snack "Cracker Jack",
in the shape of a frog.
The new commander of the 101st, General Taylor, decided it might be a good method
to identify each other.
So one "click"..
is answered by a double "click".
There was also an oral code that was in theory difficult for a German to pronounce.
Flash !
- Thunder ! - Welcome.
It is not easy for a Spaniard either!
Why are we in Sainte-Mère-Église?
It is considered the first town in France to be liberated.
Because since 00:30 on June 6, the paratroopers jumped here.
The first were not from the 82nd Division but the 101st, the 506th Regiment.
They were not dropped on their DZ, like most of them.
It was closer to the sea next to Utah Beach.
They jumped at 00:30 and 40 minutes later
the paratroopers of the 505th P.I.R. of the 82nd Division came in,
it is considered the regiment that enjoyed the most accurate of D-Day drops,
since their DZ was a few miles from the town.
And at 04:00 Sainte-Mère-Église was liberated.
The DZs of the 82nd Division
codenamed as "Mission Boston"
were the "O" near Sainte-Mère-Église
and the "T" and "N" west of the Merderet River
that runs north-south of the Cotentin peninsula.
This mission was considered the most dangerous
and it was assigned to the 82nd Division, led by General Ridgway, because unlike the 101st,
it had already jumped into Italy.
Actually only one of the three regiments
that jumped on D-Day had previous experience.
The 505th, which captured Ste-Mère-Église and its important road junction.
The other two regiments, the 507th and the 508th, were to take the bridges
across the Merderet River.
To allow safe passage inland for the infantry from Utah Beach.
But also to prevent German reinforcements from arriving.
We are in the center of the 82nd's sector.
At this small river, today so nice,
you have to imagine it in 1944, when the germans had closed the locks at la Barquette.
The water of the rivers of the Cotentin was blocked.
As a result the fields that we can see from here to a mile (1,5km)
were flooded up to the depth of 5.9 feet (1,8m)
The Americans had no knowledge of it, since it was not visible on the aerial photos.
The American commanders' plan was to establish two positions across the Merderet,
to capture this bridge at La Fiére and another one farther south near Chef-Du-Pont.
So, two regiments, the 507th at Amfreville and the 508th at Picauville
had the mission of holding the west side of the river.
Whilst the 505th at Ste-Mère-Église would hold the east side.
The 507th and the 505th Regiments were to link up on this bridge,
the 507th from the west side and the 505th from Ste-Mère-Église on the east.
But because of the unsuccessful drop
paratroopers of all these regiments: the 505th, 507th and 508th gathered here.
And they will fight during June 6.
As Denis says
it is hard to imagine that fierce fighting took place in these beautiful landscapes.
More than 70 years later
the former Normandy battlefields have hardly changed
and the roads and bridges are in their original positions.
This is the second bridge, although it was rebuilt,
captured by the 82nd which was very important
because linked Chef-du-Pont with Picauville.
Absolutely.
We're dealing with the same situation as at La Fière,
a bridge over the Merderet with the fields flooded.
It was a very important crossing for the Americans from Utah Beach.
The problem was that the first paratroopers were not dropped on their DZs.
It was an objective of the 505th Regiment's on the east bank
and of the 508th's on the other side that jumped near Picauville.
But due to the inaccurate drop, there were soldiers of the three regiments
that at first they fought to capture Chef-du-Pont, where there were a lot of Germans,
and then captured the bridge.
But then the germans quickly counterattacked from Picauville,
as in La Fiére, with tanks, engaged in fierce fighting.
So to reach the bridges over the Douve River,
first they had to capture this bridge and the road that was full of Germans.
There were fierce fighting that began on June 6 and lasted until June 9.
The 101st Division, led by General Taylor,
had its baptism of fire in Normandy.
Under the name of "Mission Albany" its three airborne regiments would jump
on drop zones "A", "C" and "D".
Their main objectives were to secure the four causeway exits behind Utah Beach
and to capture the locks at the Douve River at La Barquette.
With which the germans had flooded the area.
We're beginning the tour in the north where the 502nd regiment jumped.
Another 101st's important objective was to destroy the German gun batteries
that threatened the landing at Utah Beach,
such as the famous battery at Saint-Germain-de-Varreville.
This objective was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Regiment
of the 101st Airborne Division.
Here the story
is that the Americans had put huge forces into action
but when they arrived here during the night of June 6
found the battery completely deserted.
A part of it was damaged by an English bombardment in April.
And the Germans decided to move the Russian guns farther inland
that had been taken on the Eastern Front.
122mm guns.
They were withdraw possibly at the end of May.
So when the Americans arrived here in the early hours,
although the drop hadn't been accurate, the few soldiers that were able to get here,
it was for nothing because the battery was completely deserted.
If the churches spoke they could tell a lot of stories about D-Day.
Sometimes their bell towers were used as observation points,
but in this church of Angoville something extraordinary happened.
We are in between two drop zones,
the "D" to the south
and farther north the "C".
We are in the center of the fighting for the capture of Saint-Côme-du-Mont
that is to the west.
The 2nd Battalion, 501st Regiemnt, led by LT. Col. Ballard,
was spread out over this zone.
There was fighting for every inch of ground
with heavy casualties.
Two medics, Bob Wright and Kenneth Moore
of the 501st Regiment
set up an aid station inside the church.
It was the only place well protected.
They expected both sides to respect the neutrality.
They posted a Red Cross flag on the church door.
They treated, for two days of fighting, night and day long,
around 80 wounded from both sides
and even civilians, including children injured in the fighting.
The germans occupied the town three times but when they arrived at the church
seeing the weapons outside and the wounded from both sides inside
respected the neutrality and left.
Both medics were awarded Silver Star medals
for their actions at Angoville.
Can we see inside the church?
Yes, there are scars that can still be seen inside.
- Shall we go? - Yes.
A mortar shell came trough the roof of the church
and although didn't explode, the impact is visible on the floor today.
What stands out are the blood stains
that remain on the church pews.
A testament to the time in which the church served as an aid station.
Now we just have to visit the locks at La Barquette,
with which the Germans avoided a rapid Allied advance.
We are standing on the famous locks at La Barquette, bulit by Napoleon,
to regulate the flow of the rivers of the Cotentin.
The Germans closed them since 1943 what made the water
to run over and flooded the marshlands.
The Americans believed that the capture of these locks was crucial
in order to prevent the germans from flooding the Cotentin.
The damage was already done, they became aware of it too late.
They assigned a whole battalion of the 501st Regiment, led by Col. Johson,
to seize these locks.
Johnson arrived in the morning of June 6 with around 50-70 men
and assaulted the locks, poorly defended
by two or three German sentries that were killed as they fled.
They secured this bank becalming the farthest south position of the paratroopers.
Carentan is over there with the Douve River as the edge.
Brévands is over there
with its two important bridges defended by the 506th Regiment.
So, it was an important place.
The big action of the 501st Regiment was at a small crossroads 200 yards far from here.
Known as "Hell's Corner".
It is a crossroad between Pénême and Basse-Addeville.
Johnson gathered around 200 men, including soldiers of the 506th Regiment,
and prepared an ambush for the 1st Battalion of the 6th German Parachute Regiment
who came from Ste-Marie-du Mont
and were going to pass over the bridge at Brévands to enter to Carentan.
Johnson and his men killed many Germans
and the rest were taken prisoners.
At the outset of the battle of Carentan there were Four battalions of German paratroopers
ready to go into battle.
In the evening of D-Day the paratroopers of the 101st managed
to accomplish almost all their objectives.
They were at St-Còme-du Mont, Foucarville, Ravenoville
north of Utah Beach.
And at the Douve River as far as Brévands, so they secured the entire sector.
Next objective: Carentan.
Carentan will be another episode because this one has come to an end.
Thank you for this tour.
Are we counting on you for Carentan?
- Totally! - Let's go!
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