Flight time to Normandy

[Michael Emrys]

I cannot imagine anyone at all wanting to jump out of a serviceable aircraft!!

Heh.
Q: If you are going to jump out of an airplane, how high should you be?
A: Three days of steady drinking should do.

[RichTO90]

Sorry if this has been asked before but how long did it take paratroopers destined for Normandy to fly there? I know it would depend on where their airfields were and probably some 'forming up' but an average would be usefull.

IX Troop Carrier Command reported that for D-1 to D+1 1,662 aircraft (C-47) were dispatched, with 76 aborted, 41 missing or destroyed, and 1,581 "completing" their mission. Total flying time was 7,092 hours. So roughly 4.49 hours per completed mission, roundtrip.

[JonS]

Flight time for 6th AB (British) gliders was 1 to 2 hours

[Virgil Hiltz]

According to Sgt Wild Bill Guarnere of E 506th 101st, he landed in the square across from the church in St.Mere Eglise at approximately 1:15 on 6/6/44. He was about 10 to 15 minutes ahead of the82nd's 505th regiment who were slaughtered by the alerted troops. From his description of the flight from Upottery to Normandy, it was a little over an hour and a half.this would account for forming up and the swing south west over the Cotentin peninsula. In 2002 I flew directly from Bournemouth to Cherbourg in a C-47 in a approximately 40 minutes.T5 George Koskimaki who was General Maxwell Taylor's radioman took off at 22:45 PM and landed at 01:20 AM.

Virgil Hiltz