History will come to life as a fleet of planes recreate a famous Second World War flight from Devon to France.

For the first time since June 5 1944, Upottery airfield will be used as a departure point from where a C47 will cross the English Channel and drop parachutists on Normandy soil.

Formerly RAF Upottery, the airfield was used as a base for American planes from the USAAF during the war.

Shortly after departing the base, US airbone serials passed over Portland Bill, codenamed 'Flatbush', which was the checkpoint for all wings as they departed the mainland of the UK. When passing over, all aircraft turned off all their lights as they headed out across the Channel towards Normandy.

On June 1 this year, the flight will be repeated when a C47 plane will fly with an escort of Spitfires over Portland Bill and fly low over the lighthouse as part of 'Operation Albany 2018'. They will then head to Normandy to parachute onto the Carentan drop zone.

Father and son Darrin and Callum Courtney, from Dorchester, chairman and vice-chairman of the Round Canopy Parachuting Team of the UK, as well as co-founder and curator of the Castletown D-Day Centre Stephen George, will be a part of the squad.

Stephen and Callum will parachute while Darren will work as C47 aircrew. D-Day Center volunteers Tony and Claire Thorpe and Jed Grant will be working as part of the safety team on the drop zone, while Portland Bill Coastguard Rescue Team will also be on hand to assist.

RCPT, RCPTUK, Aero Legends and the D-Day Centre have been working together to recreate the historic event.

Operation Albany is a trial operation in preparation for the Round Canopy Parachuting Team’s 2019 D-Day Memorial Airborne Operation event where multiple C47 aircraft will form a mass take off from Upottery airfield to drop parachutists over drop zones in Normandy, commemorating the 75th Anniversary of D-Day.

The planes are due to fly over Portland Bill at around 1.30pm on June 1, although organisers have warned timings may change to weather and mechanical constraints.