What WWII Paratroopers Carried into Normandy

At Saltby, England, men of the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment helped one another prepare for the jump into Normandy.

A photograph taken before the invasion shows one man kneeling beside a heavily equipped comrade. Straps and packs cover their uniforms. The checks involved more than tightening a buckle: the men were preparing to leave an aircraft with the equipment they would need after landing.

WWII paratrooper equipment had to survive the drop and be accessible on the ground. Padding could protect a weapon during the jump while making it slower to prepare after landing. Every extra item also added weight.

The T-5 parachute and the jump uniform

The main parachute sat on the back, with a reserve carried at the front. The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force identifies the T-5 as the type used by most American paratroopers during the war. A static line attached to the aircraft began its opening sequence when the man jumped.

On the ground, the men needed the weapons and supplies carried around the parachute harness.

Ammunition and rations filled the large pockets of the jump suit. A modified helmet liner and chin cup helped keep the helmet secured during the descent. A length of rope could help a man lower himself if he became caught in a tree.

A reserve parachute, a secured helmet and a length of rope each addressed a different danger in the jump. Once ashore, the men would also need the supplies packed into their clothing and bags.

Getting the rifle ready after landing

A rifle illustrates the choices hidden inside an equipment list. The Air Force museum describes Garands carried disassembled in padded Griswold bags for the jump. The padding protected the weapon, but a soldier landing in hostile territory then had to get it ready to use.

Some chose to jump with their weapons assembled. Others carried submachine guns or folding-stock carbines. The load varied with a soldier’s role and circumstances.

PBS’s D-Day equipment guide also lists food, water-purification tablets, a medical kit and navigation items. A paratrooper who had found his weapon still needed drinking water, a way to treat an injury and some means of finding his position.

The guide puts the average equipment load at about 70 pounds. Individual loads varied.

Scattered men and lost equipment

Over Normandy, the planned order broke down. Paratroopers landed scattered, and equipment was lost. Men gathered into groups and worked toward their objectives with what they had.

The photograph at Saltby records the preparation before that scattering: one man checking another’s equipment, with the invasion still ahead of them.

For the 101st Airborne, one small item helped with that last problem. The cricket clicker gave men a sound signal for recognizing a friendly contact. Read why D-Day paratroopers carried a cricket for the story of that exchange.