D-Day Minus One

This 1944 documentary, produced by the U.S. Army Air Forces’ First Motion Picture Unit, chronicles the critical airborne operations of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions on June 5-6, 1944, the eve of the Normandy invasion. Filmed in black-and-white, it captures the tense buildup as 13,100 paratroopers and 3,937 glider troops prepare to drop behind German lines in France. The footage showcases C-47 Skytrains roaring down runways, paratroops leaping into the night, and Waco and Horsa gliders descending with anti-tank guns and jeeps near Sainte-Mère-Église and Carentan. Narration details their mission: secure causeways off Utah Beach, seize key roads, and disrupt German defenses ahead of the June 6 landings. Scenes of scattered drops—some in flooded marshes—reflect the chaos, yet highlight successes like capturing La Fière bridge. Aimed at servicemen and civilians, it ends with a patriotic call to support the war effort, framing these airborne pioneers as unsung heroes of D-Day’s success.