At 8:30 p.m. on June 5, 1944, more 6,670 men from the 101st Airborne Division began boarding the C-47 aircraft that would carry them the 136 miles from their airfields in England to assigned drop zones behind Utah Beach, where they were to clear the area in order to allow the 4th Infantry Division to land with as little opposition as possible. 

Among the paratroopers who would be in the vanguard of the long-awaited invasion of occupied France were the 139 officers and men in Company E, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. All volunteers, these men had been training for this moment since the unit's formation in Toccoa, GA, in August 1942.

The transports of the 439th Troop carrier Group responsible for carrying 2/506 to their drop zones near Causeways One and Two began taking off shortly after 11:00 P.M.

Approaching the islands of Jersey and Guernsey, the formation, hit a large cloud bank and began to separate, soon thereafter, anti-aircraft guns located throughout the Cotentin Peninsula began firing on the C-47s flying overhead. The C-47 piloted by Harold Cappelluto and carrying Lt. Thomas Meehan and Easy Companies headquarters staff was hit by enemy fire and plummeted to earth. Shortly after 1:00 A.M. the 506th began jumping from their aircraft. It is estimated that some 70 percent of the troopers missed their intended drop zones.

Many of the men of Easy Company came down in and around Ste. Mere Eglise. By 7:00 that morning, one small group of 12 men of E Company arrived at the tiny village La Grand Chemin, which was serving as a collection point for scattered troopers. About 15 minutes after their arrival the group was ordered to silence a battery, which had gone undetected prior to the invasion and was now raining shells down onto Utah Beach. Moving quickly, the paratroopers were able to eliminate the guns and the GIs of the Fourth Division were able to land virtually unmolested.

Across the Cotentin Peninsula that morning, thousands of paratroopers demonstrated similar determination and resolve as they worked to clear the way for the invasion. Although the drops had not gone as planned, brave young men of the 101st set out to accomplish their objectives. Proof of their success is demonstrated by the fact that although Allied planners had predicted that the landings at Utah Beach would be the most difficult, landing forces suffered only 197 casualties and by the end of D-Day had secured the beachhead, taken Ste. Marie du Mont, and were moving inland.

Easy Company and the rest of the 101st would remain in combat for the next 53 days, clearing the area behind the invasion beaches and, ultimately, capturing Carentan. When it was finally pulled off the line, the company had suffered 65 casualties.

Prepared for the veterans Easy Comany by Christopher J. Anderson. 

Please respect that Brecourt Manor is private property, thank you

Veuillez respecter le Manoir de Brecourt, il s'agit d'une proprietee privee, merci

The Men of Easy Company

101st Airborne Division 506th P.I>R.

"E" Company"

Operation Overlord

June 1944

This monument was made possible by Mr. C. de Vallavielle, Brecourt Manor

Marco Kilan

Marion van Heffemond

Frank Slegers

Ralph Ligtvoet

from the Netherlands

In cooperation with Steenhouwerji Rijtink from the Netherlands