THE FRENCH PARAS OF D-DAY

They are somewhat forgotten in the history of the D-Day landings. On the night of June 5 to 6, 1944, while the men of the American 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions and those of the British 6th Airborne Division were preparing to jump on Normandy, thirty-six French commandos were dropped on Brittany. They belong to the Special Air Service (SAS), a British special forces unit created in July 1941 and whose motto is “who dares wins”. Although their numbers are much more modest than that of their fellow Allied paratroopers, their mission is no less crucial: to coordinate and train the Resistance – very active in this region – to prevent the Germans stationed there from reinforcing the troops already positioned on the coast or nearby. The thirty-six men who are going to jump are precursor elements, they must create two bases allowing the arrival of the rest of the workforce and equipment