USS Yorktown, Charleston, S.C. -- World War II veterans who battled their way through the beaches of Normandy during the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944 delivered first-hand accounts of what happened during the largest seaborne invasion in history exactly 75 years later, June 6, 2019, onboard a World War II aircraft carrier, USS Yorktown.
All nine of the World War II veterans who spoke were from South Carolina and described the events of D-day in detail.
On top of the first-hand accounts of what went on during the night of June 5th and morning of June 6th in 1944, the original U.S. flag that was flown on the USS Laffey, one of only three allied warships still in existence that participated in D-Day, underwent restoration and was unveiled during the 75th anniversary D-Day program.
D-Day, code named Operation Overlord, included approximately 160,000 American, British, and Canadian troops, along with approximately 13,000 aircraft and 5,000 naval vessels.
A portion of the transport aircraft that participated in Operation Overlord belonged to the 315th Troop Carrier Group, now the 315th Airlift Wing. The 315 TCG carried the Army 82nd Airbourne Division and dropped thousands of paratroopers around Cherbourg, France. Cherbourg was a crucial target for the allies to secure because it was one of the largest deep water port cities in France along the English channel.
By securing the city, reinforcements and heavy equipment could start to make its way onto main land France and push deeper into Nazi Occupied France.
Although the city was heavily fortified by German infantry, entrenched artillery positions, and defensive fortifications, the 315 TCG was able to drop paratroopers from the 82nd Airbourne around the city and surrounding areas early in the morning under the cover of darkness on June 6, 1944.
Paratroopers landing in exact drop zones were scarcely achieved due to the C-47 Skytrains, flown by the 315th Troop Carrier Group, flying at night and receiving large amounts of flak fire from the Germans. Often units would get separated and paratroopers on the ground would band together with members of different units to accomplish objectives.
The 82nd Airbourne, along with help from scattered members of the Army 101st Airbourne Division were successful in capturing Cherbourg after intense fighting with the Germans on June 6, 1944, giving the Army 4th Infantry division a clear path to move into France.
The actions displayed by U.S. armed forces on D-day helped created a stable foothold into Europe, which would eventually lead to the overthrow of Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich. The 315 TCG helped create that foothold, along with the many brave men and women involved in the operation. The 315th TCG was eventually awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation for its role in D-Day.