“ You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German warmachine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world ."

__General Dwight D. Eisenhower__

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8kkGIh_NXQ" rel="noreferrer nofollow">www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8kkGIh_NXQ</a>

Approximately 280 paratroopers, made up of 130 UK troops from 16 Air Assault Brigade and 150 from the French Army’s 11e Brigade Parachutiste, will carry out a commemorative parachute descent onto fields on the outskirts of Sannerville, Normandy.

In the early hours of 6th June 1944, the same fields served as Drop Zone ‘K’ for the 8th (Midlands) Parachute Battalion, tasked with the destruction of bridges to restrict German freedom of manoeuvre.

Following the military parachuting The Red Devils, the Army and Parachute Regiment freefall display team, will do a display, including a tandem jump with D-Day veterans Harry Read and Jock Hutton. On D-Day, Mr Read, now 95, was a 20-year-old wireless operator and Mr Hutton, now 94, was a 19-year-old in 13th (Lancashire) Parachute Battalion.