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Last of Airborne's D-Day Pathfinders Dies at 99
22 Feb
Summary
- Roy Burr, a D-Day paratrooper, passed away at 99.
- He was part of the 6th Airborne Division's pathfinder unit.
- The pathfinders marked crucial drop zones on D-Day.
Roy Burr, a veteran of the 6th Airborne Division and among the first Allied soldiers to see action on D-Day, has died at the age of 99. He passed away peacefully on Tuesday evening.
Mr. Burr served with the 22nd Independent Parachute Company, which operated as the division's pathfinder force. Their vital role involved marking drop zones on the Normandy coast before the main parachute battalions arrived on June 6, 1944.
The 6th Airborne Division, formed in 1943, played a crucial role in the D-Day landings, including the assault on the Merville Gun Battery. The division saw further action across France, during the Battle of the Bulge, and in Operation Varsity, the largest airborne operation in history.
After the war, the division was deployed to Palestine before being disbanded in 1948. It is now believed that only a very small number of veterans from this unit remain alive.
