Bedford in Bedford County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
225th AAA Searchlight Battalion
“Skylighters”
— National D-Day Memorial —
On 11 June 1944 an advance party from the battalion landed on Omaha Beach to reconnoiter battery positions, and the battalion landed en echelons in the days that followed, deploying in hedgerows around St. Laurent, Isigny, Ste. Mère Eglise, and Carentan. Under tactical control of the 49th AAA Brigade and the 18th AAA Group, the battalion had the mission of protecting six beachhead airstrips by tracking and illuminating enemy aircraft firing automatic weapons.
During the Battle of Normandy, the 225th AAA Searchlight Battalion engaged seventy-six aircraft with lights and several with organic machine guns, thereby all but neutralizing the enemy's aerial threat in the battalion's area of operations. As the front moved east, the homing and illuminated canopy techniques honed during the battalion's last months in England facilitated the night landing of returning Allied aircraft.
By intersecting the beams of three or more lights above landing fields, the battalion gave pilots a reference point that they could find even during periods of inclement weather. As the Germans retreated eastward, the battalion supported the pursuit and by VE Day had provided some 2,000 homings and 4,000 safe landings for Allied aircraft. Between D+5 and VE Day, the battalion received or shared credit for downing thirty-nine enemy airplanes and rockets. Following brief service in the Army of Occupation, the 225th AAA Searchlight Battalion redeployed to the United States in December of 1945, two years after first boarding HMS Queen Mary.
Erected by the 225th AAA Searchlight Battalion Veterans Association, Inc.
Erected by National D-Day Memorial and the 225th AAA Searchlight Battalion Veterans Association, Inc.
Topics and series. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Military • War, World II. In addition, it is included in the U.S. National D-Day Memorial series list.
Location. 37° 19.797′ N, 79° 32.165′ W. Marker is in Bedford, Virginia, in Bedford County. Memorial can be reached from Overlord Circle, 0.4 miles west of Burks Hill Road. The Marker is located along Robey W. Estes Sr. Plaza on the grounds of the National D-Day Memorial. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3 Overlord Circle, Bedford VA 24523, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. 91st Chemical Mortar Battalion (here, next to this marker); 761st Tank Battalion (here, next to this marker); 411th Gun Battalion (here, next to this marker); Robey W. Estes Sr. Plaza (here, next to this marker); France (here, next to this marker); Czechoslovakia (a few steps from this marker); Canada (a few steps from this marker); Ninth Infantry Division (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bedford.
Also see . . .
1. Skylighters/The Website of the 225th AAA Searchlight Battalion. (Submitted on January 29, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
2. National D-Day Memorial. (Submitted on January 29, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 3, 2024. It was originally submitted on January 29, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 64 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 29, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.