Today marks the 70th Anniversary of the largest seaborne invasion in history. Today marks the start of the end of the war in Europe and subsequently in Asia and the World. Today is the 70th. Anniversary of the Normandy Landings or Operation Neptune.
A big Thank You to those brave men and women involved in D-Day.
For more about the Normandy Invasion:
The People: Airborne
While there were many people involved in the operations, the focus of this article is on the people from the Airborne Squadron, basically the American Airborne Division. The 82nd. and the 101st. Airborne Division.
Both the divisions were the first American operations in Operation Overlord (the invasion of Normandy). Both the 82nd Airborne and 101st Airborne made early morning parachute drops on D-Day. Around 13,100 paratroopers made those drops and landed behind Utah Beach.
The 82nd Airborne (All American) were tasked to destroy bridges on the Douve and to capture the town of Sainte-Mere-Eglise.
Photograph: wikipedia
The 101st Airborne (Screaming Eagles) were tasked to seize the causeways that serve as exits from Utah (beach) and capture or destroy bridges over the Douve River.
Photograph: wikipedia
General Eisenhower speaking to the men of Company E 502nd PIR.
Photograph: United States Library of Congress
The TV series Band of Brothers tells of the real-life exploits of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion 506th PIR, 101st Airborne Division from Operation Overlord (the Normandy Landings) through to V-E Day.
The Symbol: Death from Above
Death from Above is a motto normally linked to airborne infantry, more specifically the paratroopers from the 101st Airborne Division.
The use of Skull and crossbones in the military is not uncommon. Additionally, in World War II, soldiers adopted (as talisman) the skull and crossbones as a symbol of their courage and to remind the of the danger they faced on a daily basis.
The Airborne Patch.
Photograph: shamelessly borrowed from the Internet
The Brand: Bell&Ross
Bell&Ross is a luxury French watch company headed by Mr. Bruno Belamich and Mr. Carlos A. Rosillo. The watches they produce follows the basic and simple idea of 'function shapes form'. The Bell&Ross brand can be defined by three simple words, Efficiency, Legibility and Reliability.
The Watch: BR Airborne
The BR01 Airborne watches were developed to pay tribute and honour the brave and courageous paratroopers of the US Airborne divisions who fought during World War II.
You can view a video about the BR01 Airborne here:
The watches....
The original, the BR01 Airborne. Limited edition of 500 pieces. I like this watch.
The Airborne II. Limited edition of 999 pieces. I got this watch instead.
Photographs: Bell&Ross
My Airborne II.
The Airborne 415. Limited edition of 99 pieces.
The Airborne 672. Limited edition of 99 pieces.
Both the Airborne 415 and 672 is named such due to the diamond count on the watches. :)
The Airborne Tourbillon. Limited edition of 20 pieces.
The BR01 Airborne One-For-Only.
Photographs: Bell&Ross
There are also some boutique only edition of the Airborne. These are unique in that they are left-handed and known as the BR01 Airborne Gaucher.
