HISTORICAL: Dave Hamilton in the front row on the right in a photograph from 1944, along with some of the many soldiers he helped deploy across Europe.
DUXFORD: Retired Lieutenant Colonel Dave Hamilton (96) took a closer look at the newly restored "That`s all brother" at Duxford on Monday. This aircraft was the first of the American invasion force on June 6, 1944.
But BEFORE this machine brought the attacking paratroopers in over the Normandy coast, Dave Hamilton in his C-47 along with 19 other aircraft, had in the dead of night deployed the "Pathfinders" as this parachute unit was called.
GOOD ATMOSPHERE: Dave Hamilton (96) had a good time with John P. Cyrier, crew of "That's all brother" when he got a closer look at the newly-restored machine that the Commemorative Air Force has literally built from the ground up. The crew flew it as one of fifteen aircraft across the North Atlantic to Europe. The plane will fly back to the US in July this year. PHOTO: Martin Nilsen
The flight unit that carried out the mission was also given the same name, "Pathfinder", and the highly decorated Hamilton is today the only surviving pilot from this unit.
- We deployed soldiers from the air, and they brought markers and equipment to give a bearing for the planes that early the next morning made up the first wave of the invasion force.
- We were back in the UK before this machine took off from here," says Hamilton, pointing behind him towards "That's all brother".
His own plane landed in England with over 200 bullet holes in the fuselage, but no one on board was injured.
- We took off on June 5 and returned on June 6. Of our 20 planes, we had 18 jumpers in each of them, one was shot down and wrecked in the Channel, but the crew was rescued by a Canadian destroyer. The other 19 made it back to England safely.
Throughout the rest of the war, Hamilton continued to fly C-47s, and was involved in Operation Dragoon in Syria-France in August 1944 and Market Garden in Holland in September 1944.
LIVING HISTORY: Retired Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton kindly shared his exciting story at Duxford on Monday. PHOTO: Martin Nilsen
