Ramstein C-130s Get Invasion Stripes For D-Day Commemoration Next Year

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Six C-130J aircraft at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, received a special paint job and decals recently to show off over the beaches of Normandy, France, on the 80th anniversary of D-Day next June. 

Maintainers painted black-and-white stripes on the 37th Airlift Squadron’s C-130s to mimic the “invasion” or “liberation” stripes sported by Allied aircraft during World War II to distinguish them from enemy aircraft and reduce the chance of friendly fire. 

The Airmen from the 86th Maintenance Squadron also gave a nod to the 37th’s lineage by painting a W-7 insignia on the invasion stripes—a Douglas C-47 Skytrain aircraft named Whiskey Seven belonging to the 37th Troop Carrier Squadron was the first to cross enemy lines to drop paratroopers. 

Units across the Air Force have painted invasion stripes on their aircraft over the years to celebrate the service’s World War II roots. This year alone, F-15E fighters from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., and a C-17 Globemaster III from Pittsburgh International Airport Air Reserve Station, Penn., have sported the stripes. 

But only the Ramstein C-130s, however, are scheduled to participate in the D-Day 80th anniversary celebrations on June 6, 2024.

“We get the sole honor in the Air Force of applying liberation stripes to our aircraft in celebration of 80 years of NATO air superiority in Europe,” Tech. Sgt. Garrett Magnie, 86th Maintenance Squadron aircraft structural maintenance noncommissioned officer in charge, said in a statement. “The 37th Troop Carrier Squadron, now known as the 37th Airlift Squadron, flew Whiskey Seven over enemy airspace. Historically the 37th can lay claim to be a part of the Normandy liberation.”  

The 37th also supported the 75th anniversary of D-Day five years ago, with a C-130 sporting invasion stripes that dropped paratroopers in France and flew alongside a heritage C-47. 

Preparations for the 80th anniversary are underway, but details have yet to be announced. 

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org