Mission Boston - Overview

Overview

The 82nd Airborne Division was a veteran outfit, with two of its regiments making combat jumps in Sicily and Italy. The 504th PIR, however, had not arrived in England in time to train for Neptune, and had been replaced in the mission by the unblooded 507th and 508th PIRs, temporarily attached for the operation. Because of its combat experience, the 82nd was assigned the riskier of the two jump missions, into the center of the Cotentin. Its glider infantry regiment was scheduled to fly in on June 7.

The 82nd Airborne's objectives were to capture the town of Sainte Mère Église, a crucial communications crossroad behind Utah Beach, and to block the approaches into the area from the west and southwest. They were to seize causeways and bridges over the Merderet at La Fière and Chef-du-Pont, destroy the highway bridge over the Douve River at Pont l'Abbé (now Étienville), and secure the area west of Sainte Mère Église to establish a defensive line between Gourbesville and Renouf.

In the process units would also disrupt German communications, establish roadblocks to hamper the movement of German reinforcements, establish a defensive line between Neuville and Baudienville to the north, clear the area of the drop zones to the unit boundary at Les Forges and link up with the 101st Airborne Division.

To complete its assignments, the 82nd Airborne Division divided itself into three forces:

• Force A (parachute): the three parachute infantry regiments and support detachments, commanded by Assistant Division Commander Brig Gen. James Gavin,
• Force B (glider): the glider infantry regiment and artillery battalions, and airborne support elements, commanded by Division Commander Maj Gen. Matthew B. Ridgway, and
• Force C (seaborne): remaining combat elements, division support troops and attached units including tanks, landing at Utah Beach, commanded by Assistant Division Commander Brig Gen. George P. Howell.