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80 years ago today the historic D-Day landings took place as the Allies invaded the European mainland and suffered a huge loss of life as the attempt to wrestle the continent from the grip of Hitler’s tyranny began.
Many commemorative events have been taking place over the past couple of days including ceremonies and reunions of the remaining soldiers, airmen, and seamen who took part in the mission.
You don’t need a history lesson from me today to emphasize how the bracy of these armed forces shaped the world as it is today, but on this day of all days, it is a nice touch to see the flying aspect recognized alongside the beach assaults in the shape of a new WW2 aircraft bundle in Microsoft Flight Simulator.
At 1:19 AM on June 6, 1944, the first of 52 C-47 Skytrains of the 434th Troop Carrier Group began roaring into the sky in southern England. Launching from RAF Aldermaston, each Skytrain pulled a Waco CG-4A cargo glider behind a 350-foot-long towline. The 52 gliders were packed full of light artillery systems, anti-tank guns, ammunition, other weapons, a surgical team, and troops. Codenamed “Mission Chicago,” the gliders were bound for “LZ E,” a landing zone just to the west of the French commune Hiesville.
The two groups were part of Operation Neptune, the initial assault phase of Operation Overlord, the Allied Invasion of Normandy. The first American paratroopers, dropped from low-flying C-47s, had landed on French soil just over an hour earlier, beginning ground operations of D-Day. The contributions of the gliders, far lesser known than other components of the invasion, would prove critical to the Allied efforts in the subsequent hours.
Now, for the first time, both the Douglas C-47 and the Waco CG-4A have been expertly recreated for flight simulator aviators to experience in MSFS in the Famous Flyer 9 bundle.
The Waco CG-4A comes with one livery: Olive Drab. The Douglas C-47D Skytrain comes with two liveries: Olive Drab “M5” (Fictional) and U.S. Navy
Costing just $14.99 the proceeds of all sales between June 6, 2024 and July 5, 2024, will all go to the USO – a charity for servicemen and women that was started up in 1941.
