Paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division sit shoulder to shoulder inside a C-47 Skytrain transport, fully rigged with main and reserve parachutes moments before a combat jump. The Mae West life vests worn by several men indicate a flight over open water, part of the standard precautions taken for airborne missions launched from England into occupied Europe. Cramped, deafening, and tense, the C-47's cabin was the last stop before troopers stepped into the sky above the drop zone. Project: 218668