The article discusses the performance of U.S. C-47 military troop carrier airplanes prior to the invasion of Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944, by Allied forces. According to the article, the C-47 carriers delivered over 13,000 U.S. paratroopers on the Cotentin Peninsula, France in order to capture Sainte-Mere-Eglise, France. It examines why the paratroopers drops were scattered, the performance of troop carrier pilots, and several factors impacting the performance of the operations including weather, fatigue, and communications equipment.