paratroopers-cr

The night before the invasion, about 23,000 paratroopers were dropped behind behind enemy lines to secure key locations and soften up the German defenses. They paratroopers knew that if the assault by sea failed there would be no rescue for them. The paratroopers carried a lot of weight on them. Regular soldiers had about 70 pounds on them, Officers had around 90 pounds. With the parachutes, they had 90 - 120 pounds of equipment on them. That night, heavy fog and German guns provided a difficult time for the paratroopers. The pilots had a very hard time dropping the troops on the right locations. Only 1/6 of the men made it to their intended locations.