Operation Cooney was the deployment of elements of the 4ème Bataillon d'Infanterie de l'Air - the 4th Free French Parachute Battalion (later renamed ''2ème Régiment de Chasseurs Parachutistes'') - also known as 4th

Special Air Service The Special Air Service (SAS) is a special forces unit of the British Army. It was founded as a regiment in 1941 by David Stirling and in 1950, it was reconstituted as a corps. The unit specialises in a number of roles including counter-terro ...

. On 7 June 1944, the 9 aircraft of 38 Group (including two from

No. 297 Squadron RAF No 297 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It was notable for being the first airborne forces squadron formed. With sister No 296 Squadron it formed No 38 Wing RAF in January 1942, joined in August by No 295 Squadron; the Wing exp ...

), dropped the parachutists. These men were to disrupt enemy communications between West Brittany and the remainder of France, and in all 58 Free French soldiers were dropped on no fewer than 18 undefended drop zones between St. Malo and

Vannes Vannes (; br, Gwened) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It was founded over 2,000 years ago. History Celtic Era The name ''Vannes'' comes from the Veneti, a seafaring Celtic people who lived ...

. Their goal was to impair the German Army's response to the unfolding invasion of Normandy,

Operation Overlord Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The operat ...

. Breaking into 18 three-man or five-man SAS teams, the commandos scattered throughout

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...

destroying railroad targets. As a sign they had passed through they tied railroad ties around trees. Some raiders then joined the base established by the Dingson team in

Saint-Marcel, Morbihan Saint-Marcel (; br, Sant-Marc'hell) is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France. Saint-Marcel houses the ''Museum of the Breton Resistance'' which commemorates the uprising of the Maquis of Saint-Marcel (3,000 fi ...

or the base established by the Samwest team in

Duault Duault (; br, Duaod) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department of Brittany in northwestern France. Population The inhabitants of Duault are known in French as ''duaultois''. See also *Communes of the Côtes-d'Armor department The fol ...

, Côtes d'Armor.

Notes

* Henry Corta (1921–1998), a Free French SAS lieutenant veteran, ''les bérets rouges'' (red berets), Paris, 1952, amicale des anciens parachutistes SAS, * Henry Corta, ''Qui ose gagne'' (Who dares wins), Vincennes, 1997, service historique de l'armée de terre.

Dramatization

* '' The Longest Day'', a 1962 American film produced by

Darryl F. Zanuck Darryl Francis Zanuck (September 5, 1902December 22, 1979) was an American film producer and studio executive; he earlier contributed stories for films starting in the silent era. He played a major part in the Hollywood studio system as one of ...

: ''3 Free French SAS paratroopers, 1 woman (Janine Boitard) and 1 Resistance fighter against 2 german soldiers on the railroad near the bridge before the explosion''. Special Air Service Operation Overlord 1944 in France World War II British Commando raids {{World-War-II-stub