Airborne assault across the Rhine

24th March 1945: The largest airborne operation of the war drops tens of thousands of paratroopers and glider-borne troops into Germany

Operation VARSITY. Douglas Dakotas of No. 46 Group fly in formation over Wavre, Belgium, heading for the dropping zones east of the River Rhine. Above them, Dakotas towing Airspeed Horsas fly a divergent course towards their objectives