The pathfinders were a branch of the Allied armed forces who performed many dangerous assignments. Parachuted behind enemy lines, they were charged with establishing facilities that would help the invasion force to follow. Their only hope for survival lay in remaining undiscovered until the enemy could be beaten back beyond their positions.

These forces carried out their vital tasks using nighttime parachute drops which would leave them behind the enemy lines. They would set up special radar sets and illuminated beacons to help guide Allied airborne divisions.

Pathfinders were involved in campaigns in North Africa, D-Day, Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge.

Pathfinders of the American 101st Airborne Division just before D-Day