D-Day Paratrooper First to Land

Captain Frank Lillyman of the 101st Airborne was the first Allied soldier to land on D-Day, parachuting into Normandy at 00:15 to mark the drop zone near Sainte-Mere-Eglise. Weather and cloud cover scattered his team - only two pathfinders landed correctly. Over 5,000 paratroopers landed across 25 miles amid flooded fields Rommel had deliberately opened. Scattered troops improvised by attacking German positions, blocking roads, and cutting communications. German commanders reported hundreds of paratroopers everywhere and became paralyzed by uncertainty.