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The Military Jump         Elite Troops         RCPT & Daks over Normandy         Liberty Jump Team & W7         Veteran Friends         Our Friends         The Big Picture


   

Lot's of VIP's, police, extra safety measures... and if you hadn't moved your car... it was moved for you...

   

Dutch Air Mobile and Army officers, VIP's arriving in the 'green zone' on the DZ...

   

International bonds being forged and/or strengthened...

   

   


The Military Jump

The mighty T-11 Parachute descending over the historical DZ near La Fiere (Sainte-Mère-Église). A breathtaking site!

   

Various types of parachutes in the Normandy sky: American, British, German, French & Dutch paratroopers...

US T-11 (left) and a British LLP (Low Level Personnel Parachute) side by side...

   

   

British Army Irvin CT-5000 LLP Parachutes landing...

Two US jumpers, tangled up in a 'jump-through-the-hole' situation... The T-11 parachute system has it's own unique challenges...

Both made a safe landing...

Three LLP (Low Level Parachute) Aeroconical Canopies about to land... These chutes can be jumped from as 'low' as 250 ft!

   

   

Military Jumpers meeting up with WWII veterans on the DZ...

   

   


Elite Troops

US elite troops doing a tailgate exit from high altitude, seem through my 300mm zoom lense...

First cluster of steerable canopies deployed high above the La Fiere DZ...

Upon scanning the sky above with the 300mm lense, a second cluster of chutes pops up into view...

The first cluster has steered away from the DZ, and are now lining up for the final descent...

US SF Jumper coming in with a MC-4 Free Fall Parachute...

Low altitude fly by - Special Forces Taxi Service - just sitting on the exit ramp (and waving!)...

HALO Jumper coming in... again this is a 300mm zoomed in photograph... (I've got a DZ trained eye)...

French Army elite free fall jumpers...

French Jumpers coming in with Intruder System RA-1 Advanced Ram-air Parachutes, equipment bundle under his feet...

Weird to see a standing landing with an equipment bundle under their feet... seems risky to the ankles/legs/back...

Same type Intruder Chute, two jumpers underneath... no equipment pack...

   

Jumpwing Ceremony for US jumpers who have planned their 25th - 50th - 100th jump over hallowed grounds at La Fiere...

US Special Operations Weather Team (SOWT) Specialist/Technician (DZ Tactical Observer/Forecaster)


RCPT & Daks over Normandy

A mighty sight: no less than five C-47's approaching the DZ... Dakota's over Normandy & RCPT...

Five Dakota's and a North American T6 Texan over La Fiere!

Round Canopy Parachuting Team jumpers over the La Fiere DZ...


Liberty Jump Team & Whiskey 7

Whiskey 7 over the La Fiere DZ... Liberty Jump Team about to jump...

First and second jumper (second stick) exit from Whiskey 7...

Third and fourth jumper (second stick) exit from Whiskey 7...

LJT jumpers (second stick) descending over the La Fiere Dropzone...

LJT free fall jumper exits from Whiskey 7...

LJT smoke jumper and commemorative flag jumpers...


Veteran Friends

   

   

   

   

   

   


Our Friends

   

Left: Sophia with Randy Lewellen, son of R.B. Lewellen of I/508th PIR, and LTC (ret) Kelly Carrigg. Right: Paul Woodadge (D-Day Historian) at La Fiere.

Our friend Peter Plank: one of the most genuine, kind and caring men you'll ever meet. His dedication to the WWII vets is second to NONE.

   

Left: our Belgian paratrooper friend Erwin Peters. Right: our brother Dion Murphy (son of Bob Murphy of A/505), wearing his fathers commemorative D-Day jumpsuit.

Randy Lewellen returned to Normandy for the 3rd time, close to the spot where his late father, a honorary citizen of nearby Gourbesville, landed on the 6th of June 1944.

   

Left: Bill Byers (A-Co 300th Engineers) talking with Mary Ring in the green zone. Right: Donald meeting up with Chief Rich, who is a regular at the D-Day jumps at La Fiere.

What a day: and even before the Jumps started, we were honored to have Les Cruise of H/505 - 82nd A/B over at LJT HQ's!
Les jumped out of a W7 marked C-47 about a mile from the Iron Mike DZ, exactly 70 years ago, on D-Day, June 6th 1944!
On the picture above Les is talking to former Airborne School Commander LTC (ret) Jon Ring, who happens to be one of
the first US paratroopers to jump the T-11 parachute system, even before the first T-11 jumpclass graduated, in 2010.


© Paratrooper Research Team - La Fiere Jump - D-Day 2014