The marina near Port Chantereyne in Cherbourg
A D-Day Veteran's Dakota Flight, Cherbourg, Normandy - 5th June 2026
It's the first decent day of weather and the two Dakotas - Pegasus and Drag 'em Oot - are making up for lost time by doing most of the week's parachute drops in the one day. As well as several "hot loads", where the planes are still running whilst the next batch of parachutists load up, there's also a trip for an actual veteran of the D-Day landings, who's about 103 years old. He's not actually parachuting, but there is a group who is, along with about six free-fallers. Before that, Nosher, Clive and the Essex Massive are off on a mission to source baguettes for the Aero Legends pilots and ground crew.
previous album: Quettehou, Sainte-Marie-du-Mont and the D-Day Museum, Utah Beach - 4th June 2026
Fancy buildings on Place Napoléon
The back streets of Rue Auvray
It's quiet on Rue de la Paix by the hotel
A herd of cruise-ship tourists roams around
We're on a baguette mission in Carrefour
Clive in Carrefour
We have several bags of baguette sandwiches
Quai Alexandre III
A freight line heads to the port
The Montana ANG C-130 and its eight-blade props
Parachute D-bags are hauled off
Drag 'em Oot and a field of daisies
A Hercules taxis around
A Charlie-130 is taxiing
Another group of parachutists heads off
Pegasus is ready to depart
Drag 'em Oot with engines running
The two Dakotas are about to head off
A once-in-a-lifetime shot of five Hercules
The final three US Hercules take off from Cherbourg
Pegasus follows Drag 'em Oot in to land
The D612 Route du Cap
Some last-minute checks are made
A parachutist waits
The first group heads off to board Pegasus
There's a last-minute pep talk
Clive leads the other group onto the airfield
Drag 'em Oot returns from a sortie
There's a 'hot load' of parachutists under way
Parachutists are checked as they board
The two Dakotas are ready for another drop
Keith holds open the gate for the next group
Robert drives over the 103-year-old veteran
The D-Day veteran is in a wheeled chair
Two old-timers are ready to fly
Some free-fallers wait to board
Pegasus is still loading up
Back in the café, Robert's getting coffee
Cath and Keith meet the D-Day veteran
The Quai de Caligny
An enormous cruise ship has appeared overnight
Creme Fresh graffiti on a building
A statue of Napoléon
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The marina near Port Chantereyne in Cherbourg
The marina near Port Chantereyne in Cherbourg
Fancy buildings on Place Napoléon
The back streets of Rue Auvray
It's quiet on Rue de la Paix by the hotel
A herd of cruise-ship tourists roams around
We're on a baguette mission in Carrefour
Clive in Carrefour
We have several bags of baguette sandwiches
Quai Alexandre III
A freight line heads to the port
The Montana ANG C-130 and its eight-blade props
Parachute D-bags are hauled off
Drag 'em Oot and a field of daisies
A Hercules taxis around
A Charlie-130 is taxiing
Another group of parachutists heads off
Pegasus is ready to depart
Drag 'em Oot with engines running
The two Dakotas are about to head off
A once-in-a-lifetime shot of five Hercules
The final three US Hercules take off from Cherbourg
Pegasus follows Drag 'em Oot in to land
The D612 Route du Cap
Some last-minute checks are made
A parachutist waits
The first group heads off to board Pegasus
There's a last-minute pep talk
Clive leads the other group onto the airfield
Drag 'em Oot returns from a sortie
There's a 'hot load' of parachutists under way
Parachutists are checked as they board
The two Dakotas are ready for another drop
Keith holds open the gate for the next group
Robert drives over the 103-year-old veteran
The D-Day veteran is in a wheeled chair
Two old-timers are ready to fly
Some free-fallers wait to board
Pegasus is still loading up
Back in the café, Robert's getting coffee
Cath and Keith meet the D-Day veteran
The Quai de Caligny
An enormous cruise ship has appeared overnight
Creme Fresh graffiti on a building
A statue of Napoléon