More than one hundred Special Forces soldiers celebrated their World War II heritage this past weekend with a jump into the fields just outside the stunning Mont Saint Michel in France.
Here’s what it looked like.
U.S. Army Special Forces with 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) leap out of an MC-130J airplane near Mont Saint Michel, France on May 18, 2019.
(U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Benjamin Cooper)
135 US paratroopers with the US Army’s 10th Special Force Group (Airborne) jumped from three US Air Force MC-130J Commando II special mission aircraft.
Source: US Special Operations Command Europe
U.S. Army soldiers descend on a field outside Mont Saint Michel.
(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Avery Cunningham)
The drop zone was two kilometers outside Mont Saint Michel, an ancient commune in Normandy that is one of France’s most impressive landmarks.
Source: US Special Operations Command Europe
U.S. Army soldiers descending on a field outside Mont Saint Michel.
(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Avery Cunningham)
The jump celebrated the 75th anniversary of jumps by three-man “Jedburgh” teams ahead of the Allied invasion of Normandy during WWII. Around 300 Allied troops dropped behind enemy lines to train and equip local resistance fighters.
Source: Stars and Stripes
A paratrooper comes in for a landing.
(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Alexis K. Washburn)
The “10th SFG(A) draws [its] lineage from the Jedburghs. We’re celebrating their combined effort to liberate Western Europe with local forces,” a senior enlisted soldier assigned to 10th SFG (A) said in a statement.
Source: US Special Operations Command Europe
A Special Forces soldier carrying an American flag comes in for a landing.
(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Alexis K. Washburn)
The history of the US Army Special Forces is tied to the Jedburgh teams. The 10th Special Forces were created in the early 1950s and forward deployed to Europe to counter the Soviet Union.
Source: US Special Operations Command Europe
A US soldier collecting his parachute after landing.
(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Alexis K. Washburn)
“Overall it was a great jump. It was smooth and went as planned,” one soldier who made the jump explained, adding, “It’s an outstanding experience to be able to honor the paratroopers who jumped into France during World War II.”
Source: US Special Operations Command Europe
A U.S. Army Special Forces Soldier packs his parachute.
(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Avery Cunningham)
June 6, 2019, will mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, the Allied spearhead into Europe to liberate territory from the Nazis.
This article originally appeared on Business Insider. Follow @BusinessInsider on Twitter.
