Chronology of World War II
Saturday, March 24th
Airborne Operation East of the Rhine
Crossing the Rhine March 24-31, 1945: C-47 transport planes release hundreds of paratroops and their supplies over the Rees-Wesel area to the east of the Rhine. This was the greatest airborne operation of the war. Some 40,000 paratroops were dropped by 1,500 troop-carrying planes and gliders.