The 101st Airborne Division was activated in the U.S. Army on 16 August 1942. This was at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana. On 19 August 1942, its first commander, Major General William C. Lee, promised his new recruits that the 101st had "no history but had a rendezvous with destiny." On D-Day (6 June 1944) the 101st Airborne Division parachuted behind the enemy lines in back of Utah Beach. They cleared a path for the beach landings and captured several key objectives. The division took part in Operation Market Garden (17–25 September 1944). This was the largest airborne operation of all time. 