American airborne landings in Normandy

American airborne landings in Normandy
Part of the Normandy landings
Map of Operation Neptune showing final airborne routes.
Date 6 June – 13 July 1944 Location Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy, France Result Allied victory
Belligerents
United States	Germany
Commanders and leaders
Matthew Ridgway Maxwell D. Taylor Paul L. Williams	Erich Marcks † Wilhelm Falley †
Strength
(airlifted) 13,100 paratroopers 3,900 glider troops 5,700 USAAF aircrew	36,600 (7th Army) 17,300 (OKW Reserve)[1]
Casualties and losses
(campaign) 12,003 killed 2,657 wounded 4,490 missing — Airborne losses only	(whole campaign, not just against airborne units) 21,300 killed, wounded, and missing

American airborne landings in Normandy were a series of military operations carried by the United States as part of Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy by the Allies on June 6, 1944, during World War II. In the opening maneuver of the Normandy landings, about 13,100 American paratroopers from the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, then 3,937 glider infantrymen, were dropped in Normandy via two parachute and six glider missions.^[2]

The divisions were part of the U.S. VII Corps, which sought to capture Cherbourg and thus establish an allied supply port. The two airborne divisions were assigned to block approaches toward the amphibious landings at Utah Beach, to capture causeway exits off the beaches, and to establish crossings over the Douve river at Carentan to help the U.S. V Corps merge the two American beachheads.

The assaulting force took three days to block the approaches to Utah, mostly because many troops landed off-target during their drops. Still, German forces were unable to exploit the chaos. Despite many units' tenacious defense of their strongpoints, all were overwhelmed within the week.