About 430 pathfinders of both the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions had important missions to mark six drop zones, and one landing zone, and to make them clear of all obstacles and enemy forces. To accomplish their task, they had to jump thirty minutes before some 13,100 airborne troops. Pathfinders were trained in the use of the eureka radar, holophan lights, and colored ground panels. The concept of the pathfinders proved successful and they were used during the remainder of World War II. The story of the airborne pathfinders and the vital part they played in airborne operations during the Second World War has rarely been told.