Daytime Parachute Drops by the 8th Air Force – Arming the Resistance

From 1940, special squadrons were formed in England and then in North Africa to support the Resistance in occupied Europe. The remarkable surge in parachute operations during the second half of the war was linked to the entry of the United States into the conflict. The contribution of their enormous industrial potential, combined with operations carried out from North Africa, considerably changed the picture.

The genesis of the arming of the maquis, particularly during the mass parachute drops of the summer of 1944, is approached from a new angle, thanks to access to previously unpublished documentary resources in France and abroad. During four operations, some 759 B-17 bombers parachuted 9,000 containers into occupied France. Beyond the precise and detailed information on equipment and operations, it is the human and personal journeys that are brought to the fore. The course of the operations is shown from the perspective of the aircrew and the ground teams.

The author:

The son of a resistance fighter, Jean-Louis Perquin pursued a military career within the airborne troops and mountain troops. His family background and his profession naturally led him to conduct research into the clandestine operations linked to the Liberation. He came to prominence through the publication of notable articles and works on this shadow war waged by Allied special agents parachuted into occupied France. Thanks to his personal documentation and above all to the friendship of veterans and close ties with numerous museum curators across Europe, he is now a recognised specialist in clandestine air operations conducted from England and later from North Africa.