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.
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Elizabeth Allgood, 86th Maintenance Squadron Aircraft Structural Maintenance craftsman and U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Christopher Gillis, 86th MXS ASM apprentice, apply tape to the wing of a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft before painting at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, July 31, 2023. The ASM flight is responsible for sanding and painting aircraft and ensuring the structural integrity of an aircraft is not compromised and is able to carry out the mission required by its crewmembers. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Thomas Karol 
Members of the 86th Maintenance Squadron Aircraft Structural Maintenance Flight pose for a photo before painting a C-130J Super Hercules at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, July 31, 2023. The team from the 86th MXS ASM flight are painting aircraft to be ready for the upcoming 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings. U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Thomas Karol
U.S. Air Force Airmen assigned to the 86th Maintenance Squadron Aircraft Structural Maintenance Flight paint a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Aug. 1, 2023. The 86th MXS ASM Flight is painting stripes on C-130s and they are called liberation stripes due to the allied forces during World War II liberating Europe from enemy hands. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Thomas Karol
U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Cortney Wardinski, 86th Maintenance Squadron corrosion manager, prepares to apply tape to the wing of a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, July 31, 2023. The Aircraft Structural Maintenance Flight is currently painting liberation stripes on some of Ramstein AB’s aircraft to pay homage to the Normandy landings during World War II. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Thomas Karol
U.S. Air Force Airmen assigned to the 86th Maintenance Squadron Aircraft Structural Maintenance Flight paint liberation stripes on a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, Aug. 1, 2023. The 86th MXS ASM Flight is painting liberation stripes on six C-130J Super Hercules aircraft in preparation for the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings, which initiated the liberation of Europe and the End of World War II. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Thomas Karol
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.
