Airborne troops study D-Day battlefields

5 Jun 2014 11:56 AM

Paratroopers have visited the battlefields in Normandy that helped to form the formidable reputation of the British Army's airborne forces. 

As part of the commemorations of the 70th anniversary of D-Day, junior soldiers from 16 Air Assault Brigade are carrying out a battlefield study of significant sites from the campaign.

In the early hours of 6 June 1944, some 7,900 troops from the British 6th Airborne Division landed by parachute and glider in Normandy.

Their mission was to secure the eastern flank of the invasion beaches by destroying or capturing key transport routes and attacking German positions.

Key actions such as Pegasus Bridge and Breville-les-Monts have become iconic demonstrations of the flexibility and reach of airborne forces, as well as their robustness and fighting spirit.

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