RAF Mildenhall -- U.S. air commandos from the 352d Special Operations Wing performed high-altitude, low-opening personnel drops over Sainte-Mère-Église, Normandy, France, June 5, 2016. MC-130J Commando II's, CV-22 Ospreys and Airmen from the 321st Special Tactics Squadron took jumped as part of a ceremony in honor of the many airborne troops who lost their lives during the airdrop on D-Day, June 6, 1944.
During World War II, the Battle of Normandy began on D-Day, when about 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the coast of France’s Normandy region. Men, women and children from across Europe and the world come to Normandy every year, visit various memorials and honor the sacrifices made during the Allied invasion of German-occupied France.