FROM RCPT IN NORMANDY (11 MARCH 2019) - With the 75th D-Day anniversary in Normandy almost here and planning still ongoing, we now have an important update regarding the events of our RCPT 75th D-Day Memorial Airborne Operation.
Upottery- Carentan Jump:
Many of you have signed up to take part at the cross- channel flight Upottery, UK – Carentan, a great deal of preparation has been completed, but we are facing a very serious risk of being hindered to conduct this flight. We have been tracking and are aware that reinforcement of special security measures and government restriction developments are put in place by the importance of the 75th D-Day Ceremonies in Normandy including inherent emerging logistic, safety and prohibition risks. Therefore we are forced to make the difficult but necessary decision to cancel our cross channel flight departing from Upottery, UK June the 5th.
This decision was made to guarantee and maintain our commemorative jump on Carentan under the best safety and logistical conditions. The departure airfield for the June 5th Carentan jump will be from Cherbourg FR. The RCPT Carentan Jump will be highlighted by the (tandem) jump Of WWII veteran Tom Rice and participation of 4 x CV 22s with 40 MFF of the Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR), 3 x C130 of the USAF and 24 s/l jumpers and 8 FF of the 12 Strong Team also known as the “Horse Soldiers” (ODA 595, 5th SFG(A)).
Even though we regrettably won’t take off from Upottery, our -goal has always been to commemorate the jumps of the WWII paratroopers into Normandy, France on the night of June 5/6 1944 and we trust this is going to be a great commemorative jump! All other jumps will go forward as outlined.
In the event that you were manifested for the cross-channel jump and decide not to take part in the Carentan jump because of the Upottery cancellation, we will understand your decision, so please annotate your decision on your payment order.
Basecamp accommodation:
The RCPT Operational Headquarters for the 75th D-Day Memorial Operation will be established at the Zeppelin Hangar site of Ecausseville. Those who signed up for the basecamp accommodation, we organized a tent camp with canvas tents, cot beds, showers and toilets. Rental fee per person is € 80.00 total for the duration of your stay, you’ll have to provide your own sleeping bag & pillow, cot bed will be provided. Your accommodation will be available from June 1st till June 10th. In case you use your personal tent/camper: participation fee is € 40.00 per person. Please confirm your desire to stay with RCPT at the Ecausseville Zeppelin Hangar on your payment order. (see “payment” hereunder)
Payment and participation confirmation:
We are now able to confirm the participation fees,
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#
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Ref.
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Date
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Fee
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A
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Carentan Jump
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Wednesday June 5
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€ 210.00
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B
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Ranville Pegasus Bridge Jump
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Friday June 7
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€ 250.00
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C
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Ecausseville Zeppelin Hangar Jump
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Saturday June 8
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€ 200.00
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D
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Sainte Mère Eglise La Fière Jump
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Sunday June 9
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€ 220.00
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E
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Base camp
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June 1 - 10
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€ 80.00
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F
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Personal tent/camper
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June 1-10
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€ 40.00
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!!! IMPORTANT NOTICE, you acknowledged that you have read and fulfill the requirements and conditions to take part in this event, this acknowledgment includes that YOU MUST HAVE YOUR OWN PARACHUTE EQUIPMENT to take part, THERE ARE NO RENTING PARACHUTES AVAILABLE!!!
Your registration is validated once the payment of your fees is received in full, payments will be due no later than April the 15th!
The long awaited Announcement of the 75th D-Day Memorial Airborne Operation schedule for 2019!! Email [email protected] to receive the Manifest announcement as soon as it is available! This Event listing is for information purposes only. The 75th D-Day operation is being run from RCPT in Normandy. RCPT-USA is only providing this listing for informational purposes only.
Event Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/75th-D-Day-Memorial-Airborne-Operation-1687719897990161/
RCPT in Europe's program is as follows:
Day I. Monday, June 3, 2019,
CANCELLED- Relocation of all parachute participants from RCPT-France headquarters in Normandy to Portland UK & Castletown D-Day Center- CANCELLED
Day II. Tuesday, June 4, 2019,
CANCELLED- Relocation to Upottery Airfield. Exhibition and commemoration ceremony in cooperation with the Heritage Center Upottery Airfield. (Open day for spectators). CANCELLED
Day III. Wednesday, June 5, 2019,
I. Formation flight with all airplanes and paratroopers together from Cherbourg directly into the American drop zone "Maudite" (Carentan, Angoville-au-Plain ...) followed by a mass drop of all paratrooper participants. The aircraft then return to the home base at the Maupertus airport in Cherbourg - Normandy for the rest of the operation.
Day IV. Thursday, June 6, 2019.
Free day (no event program of RCPT).
Day V. Friday, June 7, 2019,
II. Formation flight with all aircraft from Maupertus Cherbourg Airport, into the English drop zone "Ranville" - Normandy, followed by another mass drop of all paratroopers.
Day VI. Saturday, June 8, 2019,
Parachute jump over the drop zone "Ecausseville" at the Zeppelin hangar. (On this jump is still open, whether in the entire airplane formation is flown, or "only" in diminished grouping - information follows).
Day VII. Sunday, June 9, 2019,
III. Formation flight with all aircraft from Maupertus Cherbourg Airport, to the American drop zone "La Fière" Sainte Mère-Eglise - Normandy, followed by another mass drop of all paratroopers.
Day VIII. Monday, June 10, 2019,
Event end
Very cordially,
The D-Day Memorial Airborne Operation Staff
Background: For the 70th Anniversary of D-Day, RCPT was challenged to create the event Daks over Normandy to celebrate the sacrifices and triumphs of those Paratroopers of 1944. By all reports, it was crowned a great success.
Our 2014 event was an extremely ambitious undertaking, which followed a difficult path including administrative burdens, restrictions and security constraints which our region lives through on the occasion of such large ceremonies.
RCPT, by its persistence, diplomacy and professionalism, proved by the success of the aviation events to be in perfect coordination with aerial, military, and state organized events during that period.
On the occasion of the 75th Anniversary of D-Day, our association RCPT, with the corporation and partnership of the towns of Carentan, Sainte Mère Eglise, Ranville, the airport of Cherbourg Maupertus and the President of the Normandy region, has the pleasure to announce the creation of our new event, the "D-Day Memorial Airborne Operation".
(For internal reasons and not through choice, we will no longer conduct operations under the name of "Daks over Normandy" )
The 75th anniversary will be on a grand and international scale with a large presence of Heads of State. There will be heightened and more restrictive security in the airspace. A large gathering of aircraft will be extremely difficult to manage during this period and it is plausible that flights or events could be cancelled at any time when or if the reasons of state and security require. For this reason, we have planned our schedule in total coordination and agreement with the governmental planners and civil aviation authorities, at an airport unlikely to be affected by dignitary arrivals.
It is at the outset responsible and realistic to make an event qualitative rather than quantitative.
Therefore, we will differentiate from previous events by only using planes bearing historical 1944 D-Day colors with the number of planes deliberately limited, to ensure the unhindered course of the planned program and with participating jumpers exclusively dressed in 1944 paratrooper uniform .
The program of our "D-Day Memorial Airborne Operation" being fully bound to airdrops of 6 June 1944, we will be exclusively using jump ships in the “invasion configuration” with anchor lines for airborne operations.
Just as during the 70th Anniversary of D-Day, the base of action will be the airport of Cherbourg Maupertus , which we have the guarantee of non-requisition.
It is ideally located in the historic sector close to Utah Beach and areas of airdrops of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions and not too far from the UK Dz’s.
We look at a maximum of 6 C47 - C53 planes.
In this 75th D-day commemoration, all parachute teams are welcome to join on equal status this event, we aim to working together in order to enable all participants to jump in commemoration and honor of our veterans.
Above all, we look forward to warmly welcoming you in a spirit of camaraderie together in our common passion, - historical airborne operations, honour, memory and remembrance.
Eagerly awaiting in expectance of your participation to this combined effort, we look forward to welcoming you to this official event which will ensure your active participation and jumping during the commemorations of the 75th Anniversary of D-Day.
If you chose to be part of this event, please email at [email protected] and you will receive the manifest as soon as it opens.
Very cordially,
The D-Day Memorial Airborne Operation Staff