An extremely rare British-made lifesaving device used by elite US paratroopers during the D-Day landings has been found in a dusty attic in Kansas.

Airborne soldiers dropped over occupied France were each handed a small brass device used for covert communication to distinguish friend from foe.

They were known as cricket clickers.

A paratrooper would click once and a friendly soldier would respond with two clicks to confirm their identity without alerting enemy forces.

The clicker was originally made by Birmingham-based ACME Whistles as a timekeeping device for musicians, but it was adapted for military use by the 101st Airborne Division for the fabled invasion of Normandy in June 1944.

Among the heroes using them was Paul A. Holler who served with the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment

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