D-Day ... We were there!

  • Published
  • By Col. Dennis Daley
  • 436th MXG commander
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  We were there 65 years ago over the terror-filled skies of Normandy ... June 6, 1944. That historic day the historian Stephen Ambrose wrote was 'one of the most important days of the 20th Century.' That day that Allied forces invaded Western Europe and began the beginning of the end of Hitler's Nazi Germany. Did you know that our 436th Airlift Wing's roots, the genesis of our wing, go back to that fateful day over the Normandy beaches? If you don't ... you should. In reality, we belong to one of the most famous airlift wings in Air Force history.

Have you ever seen Steven Spielberg's HBO movie Band of Brothers? This classic film is based on the famed Screaming Eagles, the paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division. It depicted our proud young American paratroopers, loaded-up with more than 80 pounds of gear, squeezing into C-47 "Gooney Birds" to fly to drop zones in German-occupied France in what became the largest air, land and sea invasion in military history. The D-Day invasion known as Operation OVERLORD elevated June 6, 1944 to a special day in our nation's history.

Mr. Spielberg--as he always does--brought a sense of realism to that movie. There is one scene in particular: The airdrop scene as our young aircrews flew through walls of anti-aircraft fire to drop the Screaming Eagles over their pitch-dark drop zones. Mr. Spielberg's airdrop scene portrays the sheer terror as our aircrews flew low and slow that "night of all nights" to complete their historic airdrop mission.

This is your 436th unit heritage. Know it, talk it, read it and most of all, be proud of it. It was the 436th Troop Carrier Group (the father of our 436th Airlift Wing) that dropped two full battalions of the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division into Normandy that famed night that marks the beginning of our unit heritage. The paratrooper's primary mission was to prevent German reinforcements, marching to the invasion beaches, from pushing our Army troops back into the sea before they could establish a beachhead. In fact, it was the 502nd PIR that the 436th dropped that night just behind Omaha Beach, which was responsible for supporting the section of the beach with some of the most-fierce fighting. There was a period when the success of the entire invasion hinged on the results of the bloody fighting at Omaha. The 502nd, dropped by the 436th, played a pivotal role in the eventual success of the invasion. Be proud of them. Our forefathers in the 436th Troop Carrier Group displayed unbelievable courage and skill that night.

There's more ... the next day, as the battle raged on the Utah and Omaha invasion beaches, the 436th returned to tow gliders into hot drop zones to get the 377th Parachute Field Artillery Battalions into drop zones to provide artillery firepower to the light parachute infantry dropped the previous night. The same crews returned from their night drops, ground crews quick turned the C-47s and then launched a glider force to insert the 377th field artillery into the fight during daylight hours. Although the 436th did not lose any aircraft, 31 of the 50 C-47s returned with heavy battle damage.

Okay, the history class is over, but the knowledge of our rich unit, our heritage and specifically the pivotal role the 436th played in securing the critical Utah and Omaha beach heads, is something we should all know. Now here's your history homework assignment. Learn about the role the 436th played on that historic day. Pay attention, there may be a quiz. But most of all: be proud.

Our unit lineage began in the early morning hours of June 6, 1944 in the flak-filled skies over western France. Through the years the 436th has answered our nation's call again and again from Normandy to Operation NICKEL GRASS to Operation DESERT STORM to Operation ENDURING FREEDOM today. As you read this, we are smashing cargo records through our aerial port as we transport forces and equipment into Afghanistan. It's as important today as it was in 1944. Keep that cargo moving Team Dover!



Editor's Note:

The Turf and Sport Special, C-47 "Gooney Bird" aircraft, featured in the associated photo and mentioned in this commentary is currently on display at the Air Mobility Command Museum here. Readers interested in viewing the aircraft are welcome to visit the AMC Museum. Additionally, the C-47A will be on static display at our Air Show June 20-21.