06/05/2026
A group of 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment Paratroopers don their parachutes prior to loading an aircraft for the airborne assault on Normandy during World War II.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Troopers from the 507th and 508th were widely scattered across the Normandy countryside and assembled into small fighting units. One of those units, under the command of LTC Thomas J.B. Shanley, the commanding officer of 2nd Battalion 508th PIR, encountered a battalion strength element of German infantry that was pushing eastward in the area under orders to counterattack and wipe out the American insertion west of the Merderet. LTC Shanley immediately realized that they were vastly out numbered, and withdrew to Hill 30. He ordered his unit to dig in.
For two days, he and his men fought off repeated German attempts to overrun the main paratrooper landings and contributed substantially to establishing the Merderet bridgehead. This action has been considered decisive in helping the airborne meet its objectives at Normandy.
(Photo by Unknown, Color by WETSU)
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