The air transports used to drop airborne soldiers behind Utah Beach in 1944 were the C-47 Skytrains.  In this year's commemorative drops, C-130 Hercules will provide the airlift.  Basic and specialized versions of the C-130 perform airlift support, Antarctic ice resupply, aeromedical missions, weather reconnaissance, aerial spray missions, firefighting duties for the U.S. Forest Service and natural disaster relief missions.

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Lieutenant Colonel Ed Strickland is an Air Force navigator.  He's in charge of the several C-130's from across the country that will participate in the drops over La Fiere and elsewhere.  He shared some thoughts with us as he completed the final planning meeting for the mission. 

 

 

Another excellent source of invasion information is the National D-Day memorial.  Physically located in Bedford, VA, the memorial's websiteis a virtual tour in itself.

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