It was here, along the banks of the
Merderet, that in the early hours of
June 6, 1944, the men of the
507th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the United States Army parachuted in, with a mission: to return France to the French people. From the Amfreville sector south of the Fière bridge, to
Chef-du-Pont and as far as
Graignes, the 507th with other elements of the
82nd Airborne Division, stopped all attempts by the German 91st Division and the 6th Parachute Regiment. The Germans had to reinforce their defenses on Utah beach. The 507th kept the
ponts of La Fière and
Chef-du-Pont usable for landing American naval forces. No organized German troops crossed the
Merderet to the west or east through the area occupied by the 507th during this period from
D-Day to D+3.
The bridges remained intact and were eventually able to be used by the advancing American forces. The 507th had accomplished the mission it had been assigned.
It is for their bravery and sacrifice, that this monument is dedicated to those brave and tenacious men and officers of the 507th, many of whom rest here, in peace, in
Normandy. Their professionalism, proven by their actions and sacrifice during
the Battle of Normandy and in other campaigns against the
nazis, enabled every member of the
507th P.I.R. to have their place in this place reserved for those who put safeguarding freedom above all else.
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