The Pouppeville Exit

With the invasion at Normandy underway, the first Allied troops to see fighting were the men of the airborne divisions. Most of the early encounters for the 101st Airborne Division occurred at the many German strong points and scattered villages …

1944-06-06

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With the invasion at Normandy underway, the first Allied troops to see fighting were the men of the airborne divisions. Most of the early encounters for the 101st Airborne Division occurred at the many German strong points and scattered villages located behind the invasion beaches. In helping to secure the southern beach exits for the troops on Utah Beach, a small combat group from the 3rd Battalion of the 501st Regiment set out to clear the village of Pouppeville at beach exit number one. By 0800, Colonel Ewell and his men had reached the village and begun the attack.

Pouppeville, France

Mission Albany was a parachute combat assault at night by the U.S. 10ist Airborne Division on June 6, 1944, part of the American airborne landings in Normandy during World War II. It was the opening step of Operation Neptune, the assault portion of the Allied invasion of Normandy, Operation Overlord. 6,928 paratroopers made their jumps from 443 C-47 Skytrain troop carrier planes into an intended objective area of roughly 15 square miles (39 km2) located in the southeast corner of the Cotentin Peninsula of France five hours ahead of the D-Day landings. The landings were badly scattered by bad weather and German ground fire over an area twice as large, with some troops dropped as far as 20 miles (32 km) away. The division took most of its objectives on D-Day, but required four days to consolidate its scattered units and complete its mission of securing the left flank and rear of the U.S. VII Corps, reinforced by 2,300 glider infantry troops who landed by sea.

Wikipedia: Mission Albany

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