D-Day Hero Paratroopers Recreate Historic Drop 80 Years After Liberation

Armed Forces recreate D-Day jump into historic Normandy drop zone. First female paratrooper participates, honoring veterans and history. Viral-worthy event.

On the historic 80th anniversary of D-Day, hundreds of Armed Forces personnel recreated the airborne liberation of Normandy by parachuting into the designated drop zone K. This symbolic event brought together British, Belgian, Canadian, and US paratroopers who landed near the commune of Sannerville in Normandy. Among them was Lance Corporal Addy Carter, the first female soldier to qualify as a paratrooper, who expressed her awe at being near the same beaches where history was made.

Ms. Carter reflected on the significance of the moment, surrounded by veterans who had experienced the harrowing events of D-Day firsthand. She marveled at the opportunity to be the first female to jump into Normandy, feeling fortunate to be part of such a historic occasion. Another British paratrooper shared a personal connection to the events of D-Day, revealing that his grandfather had fought for the Nazis on that fateful day. Captain Maik Biggs, along with 250 soldiers from the Army's 16 Air Assault Brigade, touched down on the fields near Sannerville, where drop zone K once stood.

The spot where they landed was the same one designated on June 6, 1944, when Allied forces launched the largest seaborne invasion in history. Captain Biggs' grandfather, Obergefreiter Gustav Koster, was part of the German 915th Grenadier Regiment stationed in Normandy during the invasion. Witnessing the recreation of the historic jump, Captain Biggs couldn't help but wonder about his grandfather's experiences on that day. Despite fighting on the Eastern Front and becoming a prisoner of war, Gustav Koster survived and returned to Germany after the war. The legacy of D-Day lives on through these paratroopers, honoring the sacrifices made by those who fought for freedom on the beaches of Normandy.