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      |  | Click 
      on the BBC logo to hear the "London Calling" news announcement broadcast on the morning of 
      June 6, 1944 telling the world that the invasion of Europe had begun. |  
    
      | D-DAY, 6 JUNE 1944, OBJECTIVE: 
      OMAHA, UTAH, SWORD, JUNO AND GOLD BEACHES AND BEYOND  |  
      |  | 
 "...2.056 men of the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment (attached 
      to the 82nd Airborne)  jumped into Normandy on D-Day, and on July 15, 
      [only] 918 returned. The rest had been killed, captured or wounded. "
 Source: The late O. B. Hill, 508th P.I.R. Association, 
      82nd Airborne Division, Cathedral Hill, CA
 |  
      |  On May 29th, the unit 
      commanders informed their troopers that the invasion was imminent and that 
      the camp was sealed.  Less than a week later the regiment was moved to 
      three departure airfields, one of which was Folkingham. There the troopers 
      were issued the necessary gear and detailed planning commenced to insure that 
      all concerned knew their Drop Zone (DZ), objectives, password and the many 
      other details involved in such an undertaking.  The initial attempt to 
      invade France on the evening of  June 4th became a false start that was 
      aborted due to weather.  Twenty-fourv hours later the 508th joined thousand 
      of other paratroopers in the 82nd and 101st as the invasion was finally launched.
 |  
      | SECRET Report Of 
      The 508th's D-Day OperationsRead a 12 page previously classified 
      After Action Report
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      | RED DEVILS IN ACTION AT NORMANDY  | OTHER NORMANDY LINKS |  
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