True colours of D-Day seen for first time

Previously unseen images of paratrooper landings in France capture 'iconic moment' of history

Astonishing colour images of the D-Day landings have been compiled for the first time, revealing previously unseen images of the invasion of the French beaches.

The colour excerpts have been drawn from archives in America, Britain, Canada and France to form the documentary D-Day in Colour, narrated by John Hurt and to be shown on the 60th anniversary next month. It includes the Allied conferences involving Churchill and Roosevelt, the preparations in Britain, the air and naval build-up, the aerial bombing raids, the landings on the beaches, the fight for Normandy and the liberation of Paris.

The film is the fruit of 10 years' research by Adrian Wood, the mastermind of previous series The Second World War in Colour and Britain at War in Colour. He has travelled the globe unearthing rare material from archives, attics and private collections. Earlier this month he received a special Bafta award.

Wood said he felt the most significant 'find' for D-Day in Colour was the Pathfinders of the American 101st Airborne Division, known as the Screaming Eagles, preparing in Britain for Operation Overlord the next day. The film, shot on the eve of D-Day, shows Captain Frank Lillyman, commander of the 101st Pathfinders, who at 12.12am on 6 June, 1944, would become the first Allied serviceman to parachute into France.

Dr Stephen Badsey, the historical adviser to D-Day in Colour, said: 'It was the job of the Pathfinders of each of the airborne divisions to drop first, about an hour before the main body, and mark out the drop zones. It was extremely dangerous work; they were dropping into hostile territory at night and alone. This is a very rare and quite extraordinarily unique piece of film. It is one of the iconic moments of military history. To have a visual record brings it so much closer. Colour makes it a little more real to the modern audience.'

The footage, found by Wood in the US national archives in Washington, shows the C47 Skytrain that carried Lillyman and led the entire US air fleet. Its number, 293098, is clearly visible. It was piloted by Lieutenant- Colonel Joel Crouch, commanding the Ninth Troop Carrier Command, Pathfinder Group.

The evocative film, shot as the afternoon of 5 June wore on, shows Crouch and Lillyman making final preparations and waiting for the off. Badsey said: 'If you look behind them you can see the black and white invasion stripes painted on the aircraft, and they've actually put masking around parts of the aircraft they don't want damaged by paint. That paint is probably still drying as this film is being taken. That is an indication of how immediate and real this film is.'

There are final handshakes and a last cigarette. At 9.54pm Crouch and Lillyman's aircraft takes off from Britain. It was followed by 1,431 others carrying 6,600 men from the 101st Airborne. The flight would take two hours, encountering bad weather and, for the last few minutes, German anti-aircraft fire.

Lillyman, who always jumped with a cigar in his mouth, was first out of the plane, at 12.12am according to Crouch's watch. His Pathfinder team of about 15 men set up electronic equipment that sent out a signal to the oncoming waves of planes, telling the pilots when the paratroopers should jump. They also set burning pots in fields as a signal to glider pilots. Later in the day Lillyman was wounded in combat. Then 29, from Syracuse, New York, he remained in the army after the war and retired in 1968 as a lieutenant-colonel. He died in 1971.

Johnny Velasquez, president of the 101st Airborne Division Association, said from California: 'I'm not aware of any previous film like this. It's very exciting.'

D-Day in Colour also includes never-before-seen film of the Nazi occupation of France. Wood, the international vice-president of archive development at TWI, said: 'We were surprised there is so much. In the late Eighties there were 200-300 hours. Now there are maybe 600 hours. That's an astonishing amount that has come to light.' He added: 'The cameramen took horrendous risks and they're often overlooked as heroes. They showed incredible courage and bravery.'

· D-Day in Colour is available on DVD and VHS from 7 June, courtesy of Warner Vision. It will be shown on ITV1 on Sunday 6 June, at 10.45pm.