文章基本信息

标题：Hanging around in Ste. Mere
作者：Walter J. Haag
期刊名称：Soldiers Magazine
出版年度：2004
卷号：Nov 2004
出版社：UK Armed Forces

Hanging around in Ste. Mere

Walter J. Haag

ON page 45 of your September article "Back to Normandy" there is a picture of the paratroop drop conducted in Ste. Mere-Eglise as part of the observance of the 60th anniversary of D-Day.

Just visible in the photo is a para-trooper hanging by his parachute from the steeple of the town church. Is this a memorial to the original paratroopers? Is it a permanent feature?

COL Walter J. Haag via e-mail

THE paratrooper mannequin has been a feature of the Ste. Mere-Eglise Church almost continuously since the end of World War II. It honors both the individual paratrooper who actually became hung up on the steeple during the mass airborne assault that preceeded D-Day (a Soldier who was portrayed by actor Red Buttons in the classic 1962 film "The Longest Day"), as well as all the paratroopers who participated in the Normandy invasion.