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From the drop zone you can orient yourself as fast as possible, then move to the assembly
area and we can accomplish our mission.

Concerning the Frenchmen on the peninsula, we think they are all reliable but as the
Cherbourg peninsula is a farming country, the population is quite reactionary, so maybe they
will not understand the necessity of the destruction of their homes which probably will often
happen. Try to remember how in French to ask the civilian where you are. If you forget
your French language in the excitement you can always let them point to your location on the
map. No effort will be left out in order to make the best prepared troops in the Army and we
are convinced that the job we have to do will be done.”

That ends the first extract.

That was the way Lt. Col. Ekman, commanding officer of the regiment wanted every man to be
briefed.

We took advantage of all the time we'd available and briefed platoon after platoon both day
and night over and over again. Knowing the situation of the ground, officers took their
small units and went over the exact details of the G-s operational plans which had been
prepared in detail based on the situation as explained above, At last on Monday, 5th of June,
at 2100 hours, the troops moved in trucks out to the waiting planes. It was a light summer
evening, the moon half hidden by wind driven clouds and you could see with what concentrated
confidence the troops moved out.

At 2300 hours the engines of hundreds of C-47s started to drone in different airdrones of
England and a few minutes thereafter we took off. Now and thenthe moon let us take a last
farewell look for some the last forever, of the British isles we had begun to call home.

Continuing the extract from the after action report of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
of the 82nd Division.

After about two hours flying, the regiment saw France for the first time. It was actually
a piece of French soil - the island of Jersey. At about that time the planes came in to a

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