The French village of Sainte-Mère-Église played a key role in Overlord's overall strategic plan, the codename for the Allied landings on the beaches of Normandy. On combat plans, it was designated as an important road hub that the Germans could use for quick counterattacks towards Utah and Omaha Beach. It was therefore of strategic importance to immediately occupy the village and ensure its dominance by American airborne troops. In the early hours of June 6, 1944, the paratroopers of the 82 and 101 occupied. Division, the two famous American airborne divisions, after violent fighting, the center of the small French town. The role of American paratroopers has been portrayed and celebrated in many films, ranging from "The Longest Day" of the 1960s to more recent "war movies".