The 80th anniversary of D-Day was commemorated by the D-Day Squadron's "Legacy Tour," which saw historic C-47 Skytrains, including "That's All, Brother" (the actual lead aircraft from 1944), fly from the U.S. to France.
The tour provided a deeply emotional and spiritual experience for participants, especially descendants of D-Day veterans, allowing them to retrace historical routes and connect personally with their ancestors' wartime sacrifices.
Beyond commemorating the D-Day invasion and the critical role of the C-47, the initiative aims to preserve this legacy by engaging new generations in warbird aviation and historical remembrance.
At 00:52 on June 6, 1944, the first phase of Operation Overlord began.
On the ground, occupied France awaited the Allied airborne pathfinders preparing to jump. The transport aircraft, down low and vulnerable, were tasked with flying in unescorted and returning to England to repeat the mission. This operation was critical, years in the making, and it could not fail.
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Maria Morrison is a writer, pilot, and student at at Harvard Law School. A writer since age 12, she continues to publish as a freelance aviation journalist, and is the editor of the DC-3 Society newsletter.
