SKYTRAIN TO NORMANDY

Part of an atmospheric pair of prints commemorating the brave aircrews who valiantly played their part in the skies over Normandy as the Allies fought to liberate Europe after D-Day.

Shortly after midnight on the morning of 6 June 1944 thousands of elite American and British paratroopers began dropping into the darkness of Normandy. It marked the beginning of Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of France and, tasked with seizing and securing the flanks in readiness for the mighty amphibious armada heading for their dawn landings, the lightly-armed paratroops were soon engaged in desperate fire-fights with the German defenders.

Throughout the day, as waves of Allied troops and armour battled their way across the blood-stained landing beaches to establish their foothold in France, glider- borne reinforcements brought in tons of weaponry too heavy to be dropped by parachute; field artillery, howitzers and ammunition essential to the airborne forces whilst waiting for amphibious re-supply. The largest of these airborne re-supply missions was Operation Elmira, the third and final assault made by the US 82nd Airborne Division and it is fitting that leading aviation artist Anthony Saunders has chosen a scene from this operation for his stunning piece Skytrain to Normandy.

Having just crossed the Normandy coast and heading towards the glider landing zones with their fighter escort are C-47 Skytrains of the 88th Troop Carrier Squadron / 438th Troop Carrier Group, one of four air transport groups taking part in the Elmira mission. Towing 36 Horsa and 14 CG-4 Waco gliders the 438th’s C-47s had departed from RAF Greenham Common soon after 19.00 hrs and will shortly make their Normandy landing zone at 21.20 hrs.