Editing Mission Detroit

{{Campaignbox Normandy}}

'''Mission Detroit''' was a pre-dawn [[Military glider|glider-borne]] combat assault in the [[American airborne landings in Normandy]], made by elements of the [[82nd Airborne Division|U.S. 82nd Airborne Division]] on the early morning of June 6, 1944, during [[World War II]]. It was part of [[Normandy landings|Operation Neptune]], the assault portion of the [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] [[invasion of Normandy]], [[Operation Overlord]]. Originally slated to be the main assault for the 82nd Airborne, the glider operation instead became the first reinforcement mission after the main [[Paratrooper|parachute combat]] assault, [[Mission Boston]]. The landing zone for mission Detroit was near [[Sainte-Mère-Église]], to the west of [[Utah Beach]].

The objective of the division was to secure the town of [[Sainte-Mère-Église]] and to take the bridges along the [[Merderet|Merderet River]]. By doing this, the [[4th Infantry Division (United States)|U.S. 4th Infantry Division]] coming in at [[Utah Beach]] would have easy access to making their way northwards towards the ports at [[Battle of Cherbourg|Cherbourg]].

Casualties for the 82nd Airborne Division on [[Normandy landings|D-Day]] were about 1,260 of 6,600, or about 20%. On 6 June 1944 the heavier elements of the division landed by glider in [[Mission Elmira]].

== Air movement table - mission Detroit ==
{| class="wikitable"
|-style="background: olive"
| align = center|<span style="color:white;">'''Serial'''</span> || align=center|<span style="color:white;">'''Airborne Unit'''</span> || align=center|<span style="color:white;">'''Troop carrier Group'''</span> || align=center|<span style="color:white;">'''# of C-47s'''</span> || align=center|<span style="color:white;">'''# of gliders'''</span> || align=center|<span style="color:white;">'''UK Base'''</span> || align=center|<span style="color:white;">'''Drop Zone'''</span> || align=center|<span style="color:white;">'''Drop Zone Time'''</span>
|-
| align = center |28 || Batteries A & B, 80th AAA Bn <br> Elements Div HQ <br> Elements Div Artillery <br> Elements 82nd Signal Bn || 437th TCG || align=center |52 || 52 Waco|| [[RAF Ramsbury]] || align=center |O|| align=center |0407
|}
<small>SOURCE: D-Day Etat des Lieux</small>

==See also==
* [[Mission Chicago]]
* [[Mission Elmira]]
* [[Operation Tonga]]

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |series=United States Army in World War II: The European Theater of Operations |title=Cross-Channel Attack |last=Harrison |first=G. A. |year=1951 |publisher=Office of the Chief of Military History, Department of the Army |location=Washington, DC |url=http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/007/7-4-1/CMH_Pub_7-4-1.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120927110617/http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/007/7-4-1/CMH_Pub_7-4-1.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 27, 2012 |access-date=9 June 2014 |oclc=606012173}}
* {{cite book|series=USAF Historical Studies |issue=97 |title=Airborne Operations in World War II, European Theater |last=Warren |first=J. C. |year=1956 |publisher=USAF Historical Division, Research Studies Institute Air University |location=Maxwell AFB, Alabama |url=http://www.afhra.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-090602-016.pdf |access-date=15 June 2014 |isbn=0-89126-015-3 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624044120/http://www.afhra.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-090602-016.pdf |archive-date=24 June 2016 }}

{{refend}}

==External links==
* [http://www.6juin1944.com/assaut/aeropus/en_page.php?page=glide D-Day : Etat des Lieux : Glider missions in Normandy]

{{World War II}}

{{Battle of Normandy}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Detroit}}
[[Category:American airborne landings in Normandy]]
[[Category:Operation Overlord]]


{{World-War-II-stub}}