Dropped from their C-47 Dakotas high above the Normandy countryside, the US Airborne found themselves helplessly scattered and separated deep behind enemy lines amid the hedgerow country of Normandy. They had to carry all of the necessary equipment - prepared to drop into entirely surrounded pockets in order to achieve their objectives.

Their heroic actions have immortalised their units - the likes of the 82nd 'All American' and the 101st 'Screaming Eagles' - whose exploits were captured in the Hanks/Spielberg series 'Band of Brothers' - fighting their way through the likes of Carentan, Foy, Bastogne, and right up to capturing the Eagle's Nest at Berchtesgaden - deep in the heart of Germany.