80th Anniversary of D-Day Commences-- Part 2: Largest-Ever Air, Land and Sea Armada

Part of the reason for the fireworks shows, parachute jumps and solemn commemorations and ceremonies  that world leaders will attend this week is to pass the baton of remembrance to the current generations now seeing war in the Ukraine.

U.S. President Joe Biden, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and British Royals are among the VIPs that France is expecting for D-Day events.

**************************

The Parachute Drop

Looping around each other, the C-47s dropped strings of jumpers, 70 in all, dressed in WW II-era uniforms.  A huge crowd, estimated in the thousands, whooped and hollered as the round chutes opened while listening to tunes from Glenn Miller and Edith Piaf.

Two of the planes, christened "That's All Brother" and "Placid Lassie"were D-Day veterans themselves.  They had been among the thousands of C-47s and other aircraft that on June 6, 1944,  formed what was the largest-ever sea air and land armada.

--GreGen