Paratroopers celebrated strong bonds with their French counterparts with a parachute jump in Normandy.
More than 350 troops from Colchester-based 16 Air Assault Brigade and 11e Brigade Parachutiste jumped onto fields near Mont St Michel in Normandy on Friday, September 28.
St Micheal – St Michel in French – is considered the patron saint of paratroopers and the island monastery was the perfect backdrop for an airborne celebration.
An RAF C130 Hercules took off from RAF Brize Norton to drop a mixed load of 50 British and French paratroopers into France, with French paratroopers jumping from C160 Transall and Casa CN-235 transport aircraft in a number of waves across the day.
Lance Corporal Sean Bowden, of 23 Parachute Engineer Regiment, said after the jump: “It was a great jump, the air was very still and I had an amazing view of Mont St Michel on the way down - the ground was quite hard and dry to land on though.
“Today is about celebrating our partnership with the French – we’re all paratroopers with similar roles, training and experiences and we work together very well.”
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