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The main thrust of the D-Day invasion was an amphibious assault on the coast of Normandy
by thousands of allied soldiers, with the goal of establishing a military foothold in France.
Parachute and glider regiments dropped from the skies, under cover of darkness, to secure the
flanks of the invasion forces before the amphibious landings began.
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The 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment's targeted landing area was drop zone T, west of Ste.
Mere Eglise. Because of the northern location of the regiment's assigned air-base in England,
the 117 troop carrier transports carrying the 2004 paratroopers of the 507th were the last to
arrive to the Cotentin Peninsula. The late arrival led to anit-aircraft fire that was fully
engaged, and evasive actions by the C-47 aircraft pilots caused a wide dispersal of the regiment.
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Part of the mission objectives of the 82nd Airborne Division were to capture two causeways
that led across the flooded Merderet River, near the small villages of La Fière and
Chef-Du-Pont. These transportation routes were crucial to the advance of Allied forces
coming ashore at Utah Beach, and the men of the 507th played a pivotal role in securing
these causeways.
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