When D-Day finally rolled around, none could say they were more ready than the Paras. They had sat for three long years, training and training for this moment. And none amongst the Paras could say they were more ready than the Pathfinders, the best of the best, the men who went in first. Hours before the first Americans landed on French soil, the men of the 22nd Independent Parachute Company were dirtying their boots and their hands, marking the landing sites for the main body of the 6th Airborne. To their East stood the Bénouville-Ranville Bridge, spanning the river Orne and the primary angle of attack for any German forces looking to roll up the invasion. It was the jobs of men such as these to stop that from happening.

2300 HRS, 5th June 1944

Whilst the fleet was still crossing and the Paratroopers still prepping, the men of the Pathfinders were already on the ground. They had many things to look out for: German patrols, Milice collaborators, Communist guerillas and other such things. The Resistance was ready, moving to help the vastly outnumbered but superbly trained soldiers who offered them salvation. Nothing could stop them now, not even the full might of the Waffen-SS could stop these men from performing their duties...

5/20/2013 #1 Report