The D-Day Paratroopers Who Landed in France's Flooded Interior

Rommel, anticipating airborne landings, ordered the flooding of low-lying fields behind Utah Beach. The resulting marshlands were 5-6 feet deep — deadly for paratroopers who landed in them with 80+ pounds of gear and couldn't swim. Many drowned in the flooded fields. But the flooding also had unintended consequences: it made drop zones invisible at night, and many paratroopers landed miles off target. Capt. Frank Lillyman of the 101st was the first Allied soldier to land on D-Day, jumping at 00:15 to mark the drop zone. His pathfinder team was scattered by cloud and only two men landed in the correct zone.