On the eve of the largest military invasion in history, a fleet of C-47 Skytrains sliced through the night over the English Channel, ferrying legions of paratroopers bracing for the jump of their lives.
Among these airborne warriors was a squad that stood out, sporting mohawk haircuts and war paint. This band of brothers, led by the wild-hearted Jake “McNasty” McNiece, shared laughs amidst the chaos, defiant in the face of the relentless German anti-aircraft fire tearing through the night sky and bursting all around them.
That’s when the inevitable happened; their Skytrain was pummeled by the enemy’s flak, sending it into a perilous descent. In the frantic intermittent darkness, McNiece rallied his troops. The cabin was bathed in a red glow, a prelude to battle, pushing the men to their feet amidst the din of explosions and gunfire.
They were over France, and the moment the first man was about to jump, disaster struck—a flak shell pierced the aircraft’s belly. Willy Green’s backpack was hit and unraveled his parachute across the inside of the hull. He was now blocking the jump door.
With the C-47 now falling into pieces and plummeting from the sky, Willy fought to corral his chute and clear a path for his brothers-in-arms before they all crashed into the ground. Just as he managed to clear the way, McNiece took the leap into the storm of flak over Normandy.
Seconds later, the sky was lit as their Skytrain was consumed in a fiery blast. McNiece thought he would never see Willy again. Yet, this was no time for grief. Jake and the infamous ‘Filthy Thirteen’ were now deep behind enemy lines, tasked with a mission that could alter the course of history…
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I love the stories (even though most have already been covered already) but for the love of god please stop using totally random video clips that have absolutely no relevance to the story!! British soldiers and flame throwers when talking about this subject have no relevance. Its lazy and does the channel a disservice
The @the_fat_electricion covered McNiece much better
https://youtu.be/ucJDzgc8_cI?si=sE599dAwt3mdG8fT
Gadfly here 🫠. I served with the 101st in Vietnam. Never could relate to the “original airborne troops “. They were well trained, lots of experience with tactical combat procedures. The troopers who came as replacements I feel for. They didn’t received the training of there elders. “On the job training “ is what they received…I can relate😶🌫️🥶
Gadfly here ☝️. WW2 Sicily 7-1943, Normandy 6-1944, Southern France 8-1944, the Rhine 3-1945. The number of airborne assaults in WW2. Jumping into combat, Not something the replacements experienced. 👋
Gadfly here 🤏. Jumping was but a moment in the airborne troopers combat experience 👍