During May the four squadrons trained intensively concentrating on quick assemblies and close quarter formations in readiness for their part on the D-Day missions, the 439th  TCGp was one of three groups stationed in the South West of England on D-Day making up the 50th Wing, the others included the 440th TCGp which was stationed at Exeter and the 441st TCGp at Merryfield near Ilminster  A fourth group the 442nd TCGp was still up in Nottinghamshire so did not arrive in the south west until a few days after D-Day having operated on the same mission under the umbrella of the 52nd Troop Carrier Wing, they then moved onto Weston Zoyland air field near Bridgwater to rejoin the rest of the 50th Wing.

 

Just before midnight on June 5th 1944 eighty one C-47 aircraft took off from Upottery carrying over thirteen hundred men of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment who were dropped in enemy held territory behind the Utah beach on the coast of France. Their task was to secure an exit corridor and fight off German counter attacks until the arrival of troops from a sea borne landing a few hours later.

This was part of a very large operation code named Neptune described at the time as nine planes wide and five hours long, in total well over two hundred C-47 aircraft including ninety that were dispatched from Merryfield and forty five from Exeter took part.

 

Over thirteen thousand young American Paratroops were involved in this great airborne Armada. Despite some unaccounted for cloud along with heavy ground attack on the aircraft , which caused some confusion as they approached their target areas the mission proved successful overall and earned all of the 50th Wing Groups commendations.