In a comic sideline to a solemn event, British paratroopers taking part in a re-enactment of part of the D-Day invasion Wednesday had to line up and present their passports to French customs officials while crowds gathered for the ceremonies looked on.
The troops, along with units from the U.S. and Belgium, dropped into the same rural drop zone used in the early hours of June 6, 1944, by 23,000 paratroopers whose mission was to land behind German lines to destroy artillery and seize key bridges a few hours before the landings began.
Brigadier Mark Berry told a British newspaper that “It is something we haven’t experienced before. But given the royal welcome we have had from every other feature, it seems like a very small price to pay for coming to France.” A French immigration official said “We are doing immigration control, and we are not supposed to do it in a field. But for this special event, for the 80th anniversary, we are welcoming the UK soldiers.”
The U.S. troops did not face checks because their flight originated within France, and the Belgians were exempt as EU citizens.
