Fascinating footage shows American paratroopers in Wollaton ahead of D-Day

Mist descended across Wollaton on the morning of March 13, 1944, but as it started to burn away when the sun rose, those living in the area awoke to a surprise.

Their quiet corner of the country had been transformed into a booming basecamp for more than 2,000 elite American paratroopers - all preparing for D-Day.

Members of the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division had pitched their tents in front of the manor house as they prepared for the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944.

Their stay was short, but they left a huge mark on the area and on the people who met them.

Film recorded by Captain William Nation, from Texas, at the time of their training captures this unique moment in time.

It forms the centrepiece of a special exhibition from the Almost Airborne Living History Group, as Wollaton remembers the men who briefly changed their village - as they prepared for a campaign that would transform Europe.

Graham Lawson, member of the group, said: "When they arrived, it was pitch black. They couldn't see a thing.

"They didn't know where they were going or anything, but the rumours were that it was Nottingham.

"So they went to Wollaton Park, they all got shown their tents by torchlight and when they woke up in the early hours of the morning there was a bit of a mist on the floor.

"And as the mist was breaking they could see the big shadow of this castle and they all thought it was Nottingham Castle.

"Walter Barrett put it right when he turned round and said we're in Nottingham. The land of fairytales and Kings and Queens."

Captain Nation shot the scenes while stationed with the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment in Wollaton, before sending them home to the States.

Tragically he was killed in action in 1945 and would never see his film developed.

After being lovingly pull together though, it's now in the hands of the Almost Airborne Living History Group - and their exhibition showcases their time here in the East Midlands.

Mr Lawson said: "It can get really, really emotional, but there are also happy times where you see them all queuing up in the Market Square for the bus stops.

"These soldiers enjoyed themselves with a drink with the girls. Happy-go-lucky guys they were, but they knew what was coming."

Censorship was strict in the build-up to D-Day and the men could only give clues as to where they had been stationed.

The footage appears to show a serviceman giving a nod to Robin Hood, by pretending to fire a bow and arrow.

Others took a drive to Derby Cathedral, as well as trips to Nottingham Castle. All these things would indicate to their loved ones back home in the US where they were.

As for the villagers, they were originally wary about their visitors, but that would soon change and they would go on to form part of the fabric of their lives.

Ninya Mikhaila, chair of the Wollaton Historical and Conservation Society, said: "I think it was very startling.

"I don't think they knew it was coming and a lot of the accounts we've got of how the pubs suddenly filled up, full of Americans who were very lively.

"There was lots of drinking, lots of dancing, lots of making the most of the time they had.

"The troops went off with very much raised spirits, they'd been made very welcome here and they'd had a very good time. They's also shared a lot of things with the local people.

"There's a great story about some kids walking past and being offered a can of tomatoes by one of the Americans and thinking they were going to get a little can of tomatoes.

"And the guy comes out with this huge catering tin, which they role all the way home and the whole street lives off tomatoes. I mean, I love the little stories.

"They are nothing compared with the action that happened in Normandy, but that's the reality of everyday life and the impact that they had on each other."

After just two and a half months the Americans packed up and headed off for D-Day.

On the eve of the assault, Captain Nation's footage shows the distant gleams of D-Day's dawn looming in menace.

More than 300 of those 2,000 men stationed in Wollaton would lose their lives during the combat, with more than 600 being wounded.

The regiment did return to Wollaton in July, before heading back to the frontline in September.

They would take part in Operation Market Garden and, later, the Battle of the Bulge.

Their time in Nottingham though is something treasured by all.

Mr Lawson said: "We were on our knees, we had nothing until the Americans came over and we needed them.

"We needed their support to win the war, otherwise God knows what would have happened."

The exhibition at Wollaton Village Dovecote Museum is open on the second Sunday of every month up to November and on July the sixth and seventh for the Wollaton Festival.

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